Factors Influencing Perceived Discrimination Among Chinese Speakers of English as a Second Language in the UK

This dataset contains the anonymised survey data used in the study “Between Lines and Languages: Factors Influencing Perceived Discrimination Among Chinese Speakers of English as a Second Language in the UK.” The research examines how English language proficiency relates to perceived discrimination among Chinese individuals living in the United Kingdom who speak English as a second language (ESL), and whether this relationship is influenced by key psychological and sociocultural factors. In particular, the study investigates the moderating roles of self-confidence, acculturation strategies, cultural identity strength, and social support.The study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative survey design. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 95 Chinese participants residing in the UK who had lived in the country for at least three months. Participants were primarily international students and young adults, reflecting a population for whom language proficiency and cultural adaptation are central aspects of daily life and social integration. The dataset includes demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, income level, and length of stay in the UK) and responses to several validated psychometric scales widely used in migration, intercultural psychology, and discrimination research. These include:Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q) – measuring self-reported English language proficiency across speaking, understanding, and reading.Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) – assessing perceived experiences of discrimination in daily life.Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) – measuring global self-confidence/self-esteem.Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) – assessing orientation toward heritage and host cultures.Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) – measuring the strength of cultural/ethnic identity.Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) – assessing perceived support from family, friends, and significant others.The dataset contains cleaned and processed variables, including scale scores calculated from individual questionnaire items (with reverse scoring applied where appropriate). It was used to conduct multiple regression and moderation analyses examining how language proficiency predicts perceived discrimination and how psychosocial factors modify this relationship. The findings associated with this dataset show that higher English language proficiency is associated with lower perceived discrimination, while self-confidence, integration-oriented acculturation, and social support significantly moderate this relationship. Strength of cultural identity did not significantly moderate the association.This dataset contributes to research on migration psychology, language and discrimination, and intercultural adaptation, particularly within the context of Chinese ESL speakers in the UK, a group that remains relatively under-represented in empirical studies. The dataset may be reused for research on immigrant integration, linguistic discrimination, psychosocial moderators of discrimination experiences, or for methodological and educational purposes in social science research training. All data are fully anonymised and were collected in accordance with institutional ethical guidelines and GDPR data protection requirements.