Background to the Research

• The disability module of the NI Omnibus Survey has been conducted by the NI Statistics and Research Agency in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. The 1997 NI Omnibus survey aimed to assess public attitudes to disability issues following the implementation of the DDA in December 1996, while the later surveys aimed to measure any change to this benchmark data.
  

Research Approach

• This report presents an analysis of the disability module. Findings are presented for the 2001 data, with reference made to the previous surveys where significant change has occurred. Survey participants were asked questions about opportunities for disabled people and the hopes and ambitions of disabled people, as well as their attitudes towards disabled people and employment. Other issues examined included service provision and associated difficulties, support for disabled children in mainstream schools, the provision of various government benefits, and awareness of the DDA.
• The analysis will reflect any changes in attitude over time and identify any differences in opinion between disabled and non-disabled people, between men and women, and between respondents within different age groups.
  

Main Findings

• Non-disabled people were more likely to know about the DDA than disabled people. Although levels of awareness improved slightly amongst disabled people, only 43% were aware of the DDA in 2001. Almost three fifths of respondents in 2001 who were not disabled were aware of the DDA (57%), up from 44% in 1997.
• Most respondents underestimated the proportion of disabled people in NI. Only 8% of respondents in 2001 believed that 1 in 6 (which is the estimate advocated in the Policy, Planning and Research Unit Surveys of Disability) of the population was disabled.
• In 2001, just over half of respondents indicated that less than a quarter of their friends were disabled, whilst only 1% felt that most of their friends were disabled. These proportions were more or less the same across the four surveys.
• The majority of respondents in all four surveys (97% in 2001) agreed either slightly or strongly that disabled people should have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people. At least three quarters (76% in 2001) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that disabled people do have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people. The proportion with this attitude fell slightly from earlier surveys (82% in 1997).
• At least half of respondents in all four surveys disagreed with the statement that disabled people have different hopes and ambitions than non-disabled people. However, 31% of respondents in 2001 agreed with this statement.
• There was strong support for the opinion that a disabled person can be as productive as a non-disabled person in a wide range of tasks, with 78% agreeing with this statement in 2001.
• 68% of respondents in 2001 agreed that employers do enough to meet the needs of disabled people. Most respondents either slightly or strongly disagreed that there is fair representation of disabled people in senior jobs, such as supervisors, managers and heads of companies (74% in 2001). The majority of respondents agreed slightly or strongly that there should be more disabled people in these jobs.
• 59% of respondents in 2001, compared to 79% in 1997, did not believe that providers of public transport and taxis did enough to meet the needs of disabled people. Similarly, 47% of respondents in 2001, compared to 61% in 1997, felt that shops do not cater adequately for the needs of disabled people. There was also a decline from 66% in 1997 to 57% in 2001 of respondents who disagreed that establishments such as pubs, restaurants and places of entertainment cater adequately for the needs of disabled people.
• Consistent with previous surveys, 66% of respondents in 2001 agreed that disabled children should attend the same schools as non-disabled children.
• In 2001, respondents were more likely to give priority to retirement pensions (45%) than benefits for disabled people (25%) in relation to extra government spending.
• In 2001, 34% of respondents felt that the state provides an adequate level of support for disabled people, compared to 24% in 1997. In contrast, 57% of respondents in 2001 and 68% in 1997 indicated that the state does not provide enough support for disabled people.
• Attitudes in support of specific measures to benefit disabled people were fairly consistent over time.

Conclusions

• The disability module of the NI Omnibus survey is concluded to provide a wealth of information regarding public attitudes towards disability in NI. The 2001 survey replicated the positive opinions of previous studies, and also reflects some interesting (albeit minor) changes in attitude. Overall, the positive opinion demonstrates openness toward disability issues and suggests strong support for the inclusion of disabled people in wider society.
• The positive attitudes were mostly the same within various subgroups, notably between disabled and non-disabled respondents. However, older people were more likely to be negative in their opinions, and, in some instances, women were more likely than men to express positive opinions in relation to disability issues.
• Although awareness levels of the DDA have increased, further work is necessary to extend public awareness of the legislation generally.
• The change in opinion relating to service provision may be due to the responsibilities concurrent with the DDA. However, given that disabled respondents continue to face difficulties, much work still needs to be done in the area of service provision.
• Given the broadly comparable findings of the four surveys, the authors conclude that annual repetition of the survey is not required; however repeating the survey every 3-5 years would allow public opinion to be monitored. More in-depth attitudinal research would be useful to elicit more detailed and considered responses