A SURVEY carried out by the BBC found that people in Brighton and Hove are among the least proud of being English.

The online questionnaire, which is part of the BBC’s The English Question project, asked readers what being English means to them and what characteristics are most associated with being English.

The survey also asked readers if England would see any more golden years, like it once had.

A study conducted by YouGov also revealed English pride fluctuates according to age groups.

It asked 20,081 people and found 72 per cent of over-65s are proud to be English, compared with 45 per cent of people aged 18 to 24.

Some Brighton and Hove councillors were astonished to learn their residents are embarrassed by their English heritage.

Conservative Councillor Robert Nemeth, representing Wish ward, said: “I am immensely proud to be English. England has achieved so much in history in every field imaginable and I’m delighted to be a part of that.

"It’s warped to focus on the negatives when there is so much to celebrate but guilt projection is sadly a trait of our times. I focus on the good.”

The study also revealed nine out of ten people in parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands identify themselves as strongly English. However, between 32 to 45 per cent of people in London, Oxford and Cambridge do not feel any English pride.

Fellow Conservative Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn, also representing Wish ward, said: “I am very proud of being English.

“I was born in England and I think we are the greatest country in the world. We have The Queen and she is the envy of the world because of the role she plays. I question people who are embarrassed by their own country.

"Although Brighton and Hove is a multicultural city, accepting diversity is also a strong characteristic of being English.”

Conservative councillor Dawn Barnett, representing Hangleton and Knoll, said: “I am proud to be English. I would associate politeness and pride as being the strongest characteristics of being English.”