Research Briefing 48

Recent Research

Racial prejudice in Northern Ireland.

Measuring Civil Society in Northern Ireland

Conference Report: Storytelling as the Vehicle?

Forthcoming Research - Calls for material on the Troubles

ARK (Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive) Qualitative Catalogue and Archive on the Northern Ireland Conflict

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Recent Research

Racial Prejudice in Northern Ireland

The latest Research Updatefrom ARK launched on 21 June 2006 explored racial prejudice in Northern Ireland. This report, written by Chris Gilligan and Katrina Lloyd uses data from the 2005 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey.

In recent years there has been a lot of public discussion about the extent of racial prejudice in Northern Ireland. There has been a significant growth in the reporting of racist incidents to the police, and media reports have dubbed Belfast the ‘race hate capital of Europe’ (BBC News Online, 2004). The key findings of the report are:

• Most respondents (68%) thought there was more racial prejudice in Northern Ireland in 2005 compared to five years ago and very few (6%) thought there was less.
• Protestants (33%) were almost twice as likely as Catholics (18%), or those with no religion (19%) to say they were either very or a little prejudiced. In 1994, the figures were similar for Catholics (9%), Protestants (12%) and those with no religion (10%).
• Supporters of Unionist parties were significantly more likely to say they were prejudiced against minority ethnic communities than supporters of other parties.
• In the case of national identity, respondents who identified themselves as British (35%) or Ulster (35%) were more likely to say they were prejudiced than those who self-identified as Northern Irish (25%) or Irish (15%).
• Respondents who had daily contact with someone from a minority ethnic background were much less likely to report prejudice (13%) than those who said they never had any contact (30%).
• In 2001, 39% of respondents thought that most white people in Northern Ireland would mind if a suitably qualified person of Chinese origin was appointed as their boss, and 19% said that they personally would mind. In 2004 the respective figures were 55% and 13%.

The report is available on the Life and Times website at http://www.ark.ac.uk/publications/updates/update44.pdf

Findings from the 2005 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey are now available at www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2005

The site includes tables of results, questionnaires, data and technical information.

Topics included in the 2005 survey are:

• Attitudes to, and use of complementary and alternative medicine.
• Attitudes towards minority ethnic people.
• Community relations.
• Political attitudes.
• Gender and family roles.

Measuring Civil Society in Northern Ireland

NICVA has just completed the final stage of the international CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI) project with the publication of the first review of civil society in Northern Ireland, revealing the characteristic 'Diamond' for the region. The report, entitled Civil Society in Northern Ireland: A new beginning? was presented at a three day workshop organised by CIVICUS as part of their World Assembly in Glasgow and discussed with members from other national teams. The project, with participation from over 50 countries over the past two years, uses a comprehensive index of the state of civil society to produce a diamond to represent a score (0-3) on four main dimensions: Structure, Environment, Values and Impact.

The key findings from the report indicate that:

• most of the elements of civil society’s structure in Northern Ireland are well developed but that there is quite low participation in collective community and non-partisan political actions;
• the environment for support of civil society is well developed but that tolerance of difference within society is relatively low and constitutes an area of weakness;
• civil society values within Northern Ireland are quite strong but that practices and campaigns to support and promote these values are lacking;
• civil society organisations are quite active in society but that they do not have a great impact on the national budgeting process and are weak when it comes to holding the state and private corporations accountable.

These key findings were also discussed at the last NICVA AGM with a range of civil society practitioners. There are several other outputs resulting from the CSI project including a Background Country Data Report, a review of Corporate Social Giving (included in the State of the Sector IV report) and the first ever Media Review, of the impact of civil society in Northern Ireland. The Background Country Data Report used a wide range of data sources to assess the state of civil society in Northern Ireland including a comprehensive attitudinal survey developed as part of the European Social Survey (ESS).

To download the full background report and the Northern Ireland Report visit http://www.communityni.org/index.cfm/section/news/key/CivilSociety or for further information please contact:

JJ McCarron

Research Officer

NICVA

61 Duncairn Gardens

Belfast BT15 2GB

028 9087 7777
jj.mccarron@nicva.org

Conference Report: Storytelling as the Vehicle?

In the original Healing Through Remembrance (HTR) consultation carried out in 2002 storytelling was the form of remembering most often suggested to the project. As part of further investigation HTR hosted a conference on the role of storytelling in dealing with the legacy of the past relating to the conflict in and about Northern Ireland.

The conference provided a platform for open discussion and dialogue among those involved in storytelling initiatives relating to the conflict and also those with a general interest in issues of dealing with the past. The conference began to address some of the larger questions around the role of storytelling, and what part storytelling could play in building understanding and a more stable future. The conference was not about answering questions and providing solution at this stage, but rather about generating further questions and highlighting issues that need to be addressed in considering whether a collective storytelling process can help to deal with the legacy of the conflict.

Healing Through Remembrance invite those interested to comment or contribute to ongoing debate by visiting their website www.healingthroughremembering.org

Forthcoming Research - Calls for material on the Troubles

ARK(Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive) Qualitative Catalogue and Archive on the Northern Ireland Conflict

In keeping with the movement towards commemoration and remembrance of the Northern Ireland conflict, ARK is working to create an online, searchable catalogue of material relating to the Troubles. This will include records of:

• fieldwork material (audio recordings of interviews; interview transcripts; etc.);
• photographs;
• video recordings;
• conflict related literature (political pamphlets, magazines, etc.).

Individuals, groups or organisations with significant collections of such materials that they would be willing to have catalogued should contact Dr. Peter McLoughlin at ARK (contact details below). Descriptions of all material that is listed will be indexed in a database that researchers and other interested parties will be able to freely access as a section of the ARK website:

http://www.ark.ac.uk/qual/conflict/search.html

Catalogued material will stay with the holder and will be entirely under their control. However, as part of the same project, ARK is also offering help with archiving material for those who may wish assistance.If (and only if) holders have significant collections of material that are not secure or are otherwise ‘at risk’ of being lost or damaged, or if there is any other reason that holders wish to have their material (or copies of the material) archived, ARK can help holders deposit it with the Qualidata Archive ( http://www.esds.ac.uk/qualidata/about/introduction.asp). Qualidata, located at Essex University, has particular expertise and facilities for preserving qualitative material securely and works to strict ethical and access guidelines to preserve confidentiality. Anyone who deposits qualitative material with Qualidata can set their own conditions of access. ARK is offering its assistance in this in order to secure and preserve such material for the potential use of researchers in the future.

All queries should be directed to:

Dr. Peter McLoughlin

ARK - Northern Ireland Social & Political Archive

School of Sociology and Social Policy

Queen's University Belfast

BT7 1NN

+44 (0)28 9097 3484
p.mcloughlin@qub.ac.uk

Publish your own research online

Would you like to make research more accessible? Have you got a research publication to plug or some research news to share? Now is the time to publish your research online. Publish it on Community NI, free of charge. Follow the simple online form at:

http://www.communityni.org/index.cfm

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Community NI has been developed by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) to promote the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. The website was officially launched in April 2005.

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The principle behind the site is that every voluntary and community organisation will be signposted and will have the opportunity to publish information, whether that be a newsletter, press release, job advertisement or event. Community NI aims to be the first central online source of information about the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. It gives voluntary and community organisations the chance to promote themselves on the internet and to share their resources and expertise.

Thanks to everyone who sent information that has been included in NICVA Research Update 48. Please remember to send information about research that you have undertaken and requests for information that you would like included in the next update. Also remember to let others know about NICVA Research Updates. To register send an email entitled ‘NICVA Research Updates’ to andrea.burke@nicva.org

Andrea Burke

Research Assistant

NICVA

Duncairn Gardens

BELFAST BT15 2GB

028 9087 7777

028 9087 7799

andrea.burke@nicva.org

www.nicva.org and www.communityni.org