Background to the Research

• This report is the first of its kind to provide a detailed insight into the cultural and political awareness of young children in NI.
  

Research Approach

• The report presents findings from a large-scale survey of a representative sample of 352 children aged 3-6 drawn from across NI.
• The children were shown a range of objects and photographs representing some of the most common events and symbols associated with Protestant and Catholic communities in the region and were asked what they knew about each one. The children's responses were then coded and statistically analysed.
• Since differences between Protestant and Catholic children in relation to their preferences for specific events and symbols does not necessarily mean that they are actually aware of their cultural and/or political significance, the children's comments were analysed to assess their levels of awareness of each of these events and symbols.
• Further analysis of responses was then carried out to identify any instances where the children directly made reference to their membership of either the Protestant or Catholic communities. Finally, responses were analysed to identify any explicitly sectarian and/or prejudiced comments.
  

Main Findings

• The report identifies four main levels of awareness among children of this age range.
• Preference for particular cultural events and symbols. From the age of three, Catholic and Protestant children were found to show small but significant differences in their preferences for particular people's names, flags and in terms of their attitudes towards Orange marches and the police. Five and six year olds also showed differences in terms of their preferences for particular combinations of colours and football shirts.
• Awareness of particular cultural events and symbols. Just over half (51%) of all three year olds were able to demonstrate some awareness of the cultural/political significance of at least one event or symbol. This rose to 90% of six year olds. The children demonstrated the greatest awareness of the cultural/political significance of parades (49% of the sample), flags (38%) and Irish dancing (31%). One in five (21%) were able to demonstrate awareness of football shirts and of the violence associated with the conflict more generally.
• Tendency to identify with a particular community. Overall, while only small numbers of three and four-year old children demonstrated some identification with either the Protestant or Catholic communities (5% and 7% respectively), 13% of five year olds did, rising sharply to 34% in six year olds.
• Tendency to make sectarian statements. While such comments were rare among three and four year olds (1% and 3% respectively), the tendency to express sectarian statements appeared to increase quite significantly for the older children, with 7% of five year olds and 15% of all six year olds being found to do so.

Conclusions

• Three particular factors appeared to be influential in increasing children's awareness and attitudes, namely the family, the local community and the school. The influences of the family and the social community highlight the limitations of strategies aimed at addressing prejudices and discriminatory behaviour among children that are not oriented towards the family and local community. A significant finding was the rapid rate of increase in the proportions of children beginning to identify themselves with one particular community and also to make sectarian comments at the ages of five and six - the fact that these represent the first few years of compulsory schooling is unlikely to be a coincidence. Further research is required into the precise ways in which schools contribute towards children's increasing awareness and attitudes at this early age. One explanation is likely to be the de facto segregated nature of the school system itself, with only 4% of children in NI attending integrated schools.
• The report concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for community relations work with young children, with three broad conclusions being reached:
  • Children, from the age of three, should be encouraged to explore and experience a range of different cultural practices, events and symbols and to appreciate and respect difference and cultural diversity.
  • From about the age of five onwards, children should be encouraged to understand the negative effects of sectarian stereotypes and prejudices and to be able to identify them in their own attitudes, where appropriate.
  • For such strategies to be successful, nurseries and schools need to find ways of engaging and working closely with parents and the local community and, where appropriate, connecting with community relations and cultural diversity initiatives in the wider community.