NI more optimistic about future peace prospects than rest of UK
Last updated 23rd Sep 2018
PEOPLE in Northern Ireland are more optimistic about future peace prospects than other parts of the UK, a new report has revealed.
In a survey commissioned by the British Council and International Alert, the UK has emerged as the most pessimistic country regarding its future peace prospects.
40% of wider UK respondents feeling prospects for peace and security will get worse in the next five years, compared to 28% of respondents in Northern Ireland.
The Peace Perceptions Poll 2018, conducted in partnership with global polling agency RIWI, found that people in wider UK seem more negative about their country’s future peace and security than those living in conflict zones, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The poll asked more than 110,000 people about their perceptions of peace and conflict. The online survey included Brazil, Colombia, DRC, Hungary, India, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, with targeted polling additionally undertaken in Northern Ireland.
Those living in more peaceful countries tended to be more pessimistic about future prospects for peace, with the UK the most worried about terrorism of all the countries surveyed, followed by Brazil, the US and Hungary.
However the report found that people in Northern Ireland:
• Had some of the highest levels of perceptions of political exclusion, 38% of respondents felt less able to influence the political decisions affecting them, compared to five years ago.
• Put their trust to build and maintain peace in community leaders (44% compared to 34% of respondents in wider UK)
Interestingly, those aged 65 and over in Northern Ireland were more pessimistic about prospects for peace in the next five years, 38% saying things would get worse versus 26% who thought things would get better. This is the generation that lived through the Troubles, having been in their late teens/early twenties at its height.
Speaking about the UK results, Harriet Lamb, CEO of International Alert said: “The poll’s findings point to the uncertainties facing the British public. The UK has to ensure that people have more equal access to economic opportunities and feel able to engage politically.”
Jonathan Stewart, Director British Council Northern Ireland said:
“Twenty years on from the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, this poll demonstrates that there are reasons for the people of Northern Ireland to be optimistic about their future.
"However, the lasting impact of the Troubles is reflected in these results and we need to ensure that we continue to build trust, invest in everyday peacebuilding and maintain dialogue.
Click here to read the full report.