Background to the Research
- In the Programme for Government,
the NI Executive recognised the importance of promoting better relationships
within the community. One of the key actions identified was to review
and put in place a cross-departmental strategy for the promotion of
community relations. The NI Executive saw this strategy as necessary
to produce a significant improvement in community relations, and believed
that it would reduce the causes of conflict between communities, especially
at the physical interfaces.
- This chapter considers whether
the devolution of power from Westminster to the locally elected Assembly
in December 1999 has had any impact on the fraught area of relationships
between communities in NI.
Research
Approach
- The data used by the authors come from
the NILT and NISA surveys.
- The NISA surveys were carried out annually
from 1989 to 1996 and interviewed a random selection of adults (aged
18 years and over) who lived in private households in NI. The sample
size in each year of the survey was around 800.
- The NILT survey began in 1998 and is carried
out annually. Interviews are carried out with a random selection of
adults (aged 18 years and over) who live in private households in
NI. The sample size for the NILT surveys is 1,800 in each year, although
the sample size in 1999 was 2,200.
- Similar questions on community relations
were asked in both the NISA surveys and the NILT surveys which makes
it possible to compare data across the years.
Main
Findings
- Respondents were asked whether relations
between Protestants and Catholics were better, worse or the same as
they were five years ago. Across the years, perceived relations between
Protestants and Catholics significantly improved from 1989 until the
mid 1990s; since then, however, respondents appear considerably more
pessimistic, and by the end of 2001, both Protestants and Catholics
were reporting attitudes close to those first assessed in 1989.
- By 1995, almost two thirds of respondents
believed that relations would be better in 5 years time, although
Catholics were considerably more positive (78%) than Protestants (52%).
However, expectations have changed markedly since then; more pessimistic
perceptions are evident among both Protestant and Catholic respondents,
although Catholics remain consistently more positive than Protestants.
- A preference for living in mixed-religion
areas peaked at 83% in 1996, followed by a progressive decline until,
by 2001, overall 66% indicated such a preference.
- By 1996, around 95% of all respondents
said they would prefer to work in a mixed-religion workplace. There
is progressive decay from this position and, by 2001, fewer people
from both Protestant and Catholic communities are indicating a preference
to work in a mixed-religion workplace than was the position in 1989.
- Around 50-60% of all respondents said they
would prefer to send their children to a mixed-religion school across
the twelve years.
- There has been a steady erosion in the
percentage of respondents who see the best long-term policy for NI
as remaining part of the United Kingdom. Of particular interest is
the decline in the percentage of Protestants who see this as the best
solution, from 93% in 1989 to 79% by 2001.
- In 1989, 65% of all respondents thought
there would be a United Ireland in 20 years; this proportion had fallen
to 40% by 2001.
- There has been an increase from 1998 to
2001 in the proportion of Protestants who agree that their cultural
tradition is always the underdog in NI with 37% in 2001 - more than
double the 1998 figure. Catholic views were generally fairly constant
over the period.
- Just over one half (54%) of Catholics
are happy with the search for peace over the last few years compared
with only 26% of Protestants.
- More than double the percentage of Catholics
than Protestsants are optimistic or confident about what might happen
over the next few years and 20% of Protestants indicate they are worried
about the future compared with 6% of Catholics.
- Very few respondents believe they have
been refused a job, treated unfairly in promotion or treated unfairly
by their colleagues because of their religion over the last ten years.
- Only 19% of Protestants and 11% of Catholics
agree that there is no need for equality laws in NI.
- Figures for the years 1994, 1998 and 2001
suggest some increase in the proprtion of respondents who would mind
having a boss of Chinese origin (from 11% in 1994 to 19% in 2001),
but little change in attitudes towards a close relative marrying a
person of Chinese origin.
- 8% of respondents in 1998 and 12% in 2001
said they would mind if a suitably qualified person of a different
religion were appointed their boss.
- In 1998, 26% said they would mind if a
close relative were to marry a person of a different religion compared
with 28% in 2001.
Conclusions
- The results reported in this chapter emphasise
the critical importance for government in NI to initiate urgent, broadly
based and strategic action to achieve the Executive's vision as set
out in the Programme for Government.
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