One third of black and ethnic minority people in Scotland have faced discrimination in the past two years, according to research.
A similar proportion believe that the issue is a “widespread problem”, with members of minority groups commonly reporting prejudice in the workplace.
The findings by Survation, the polling organisation, on behalf of the University of Edinburgh, found that more than 30 per cent of those who had been discriminated against said they believed their ethnicity or religion had affected their chances of promotion.
Almost one third said they had suffered bigotry on public transport while a fifth had encountered it in a school, college or university.
People of black Afro-Caribbean heritage were most likely to say they had been a victim of prejudice in the past 24 months, followed by those from a mixed or Asian background.
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Nasar Meer, professor of race, identity and citizenship at the university and lead researcher for the project, said that the results showed more action towards tackling intolerance was needed.
“This survey points to a continuing trend of discrimination that is felt in the everyday lives of black and minority ethnic Scots” he said. “Whether it is in the street, on the bus or in the workplace, black and ethnic minority Scots are clearly encountering experiences that as a society we have to do much more to challenge.
“While there is good news to report — that black and ethnic minority Scots continue to have faith in Scottish institutions to take racism seriously — there is clearly an acceptance of low-level and more obvious experiences of racial discrimination in Scotland. This is illustrated in considerable under-reporting, and so more targeted support is needed.”
A third of those polled said that they believed incidents of discrimination had become more frequent over the past two years, compared to 13 per cent who thought they were less common.
Just over half felt the Scottish government was doing enough to tackle discrimination, compared with 30 per cent who do not. A third believed the SNP was the party best placed to combat the issue, compared with 29 per cent for Labour. Of those who had faced prejudice, 60 per cent did not report the incident to police, an employer or other authorities.
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Respondents were split over whether independence would make Scotland more tolerant. About 24 per cent said that leaving the UK would make Scotland better placed to tackle discrimination, while 21 per cent said it would leave the country in a worse position.
The poll of 508 people between June 12 and July 17, found that 35 per cent would vote “yes” to independence if there was a referendum tomorrow, while 52 per cent would vote “no”.