Accents are part of who we are. They tell a story—of where we’re from, who we’ve grown up around & even our social identity. Some people believe they don’t have an accent, but that’s just because theirs is the local or socially dominant variety.
English alone has 40+ regional accents in the UK & over 160 worldwide. Yet, despite this rich diversity, some accents are consistently judged more favourably than others. But what happens when these perceptions influence real-world decisions—like hiring, education, or even criminal trials?
A new study from the University of Cambridge & Nottingham Trent University shows just how deep accent bias runs. It turns out, some accents aren’t just judged as ‘less prestigious’—they’re actually associated with criminality.
How the Study Worked
180 UK participants listened to 10 male speakers [not a huge sample, I’d say] with different regional accents—Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newcastle & RP (Received Pronunciation).
They rated these voices on:
Social traits (e.g., trustworthiness, intelligence, confidence)
Likelihood of engaging in various behaviours—from returning a lost wallet to committing crimes like shoplifting or sexual assault.
The Findings:
- ‘Standard’ accents = innocent? RP was rated as least likely to commit crimes. Liverpool & Bradford accents were judged most likely.
- Surprising bias reversal: RP speakers were rated more likely than most regional accents to commit a sexual offence—challenging traditional stereotypes of class & crime.
- Scottish & Northern Irish accents (Glasgow/Belfast) were perceived as the most trustworthy & least criminal.
- Birmingham’s reputation is improving: while once rated negatively in past studies, the Birmingham accent performed better this time, surpassing Liverpool, London & Newcastle in perceived honesty.
These results build on decades of research into linguistic prejudice (Dixon et al., 2002; Rickford & King, 2016), reinforcing that our unconscious biases shape how we interpret speech—often unfairly.
While this study is small in scale, the findings align with broader research on linguistic discrimination. & obviously this isn’t just a UK issue—similar biases exist in other English-speaking countries & in Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin & countless other languages. Whether it’s a Parisian French speaker being perceived as ‘more educated’ than someone from Marseille or a Latin American Spanish speaker being judged against a Madrid accent, accent bias is a global challenge.
Teacher Takeaways?
Raise Awareness: Accent bias isn’t just a legal issue—it affects hiring, education & everyday interactions. Discuss these findings with students to encourage critical thinking about linguistic prejudice. Not just in English, of course.
Broaden Exposure: Students tend to rate accents they hear often more positively. Using diverse accents in listening materials helps challenge preconceptions.
Has accent bias ever come up in class?
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