Background to the Research

• The major divide, or the principal source of political identity, in NI is religious affiliation. While religious affiliation still constitutes the core division and the primary determinant of electoral choice and political opinion, it is not clear how religion influences democratic values. This chapter examines the prevalence among ordinary citizens of democratic values in NI, using the 1994 NISA survey. It examines how popular support for democratic values in NI differs from other parts of the UK, and the extent to which these values vary between Protestants and Catholics. It then examines which socio-economic groups within the two communities are most likely to exhibit democratic values. Finally, the chapter assesses the influence of support for democratic values on constitutional preferences and party political support.
  

Research Approach

• Political efficacy and political trust are two central concepts in contemporary theories of political participation and democratic politics, and these form the basis for the analysis.
• Consonant with their theoretical status, this chapter investigates the nature and prevalence of both these concepts in NI.
• The 1994 NISA survey contained 10 items measuring popular attitudes towards these two dimensions of political beliefs. The questions were asked in Britain as well as in NI.
• Support for political efficacy and trust was compared in England, Wales and NI, with the NI estimates being disaggregated for the two religious communities.
  

Main Findings

• Public support for political efficacy is stronger in Britain than in NI, although comparatively high levels of alienation are still apparent in Britain.
• The average level of political trust in England is 30%, in Wales 31%, and in Scotland 28%. This compares with an average level of trust of 37% among NI Protestants, but only 19% among NI Catholics.
• Popular support for democratic ideals is somewhat lower in NI than in Britain, however, there are also significant variations between the two religious communities within NI in relation to this issue.
• Religious affiliation is a key factor in distinguishing levels of political trust among the NI population as a whole; it has no impact in relation to political efficacy.
• Protestants who favour Irish reunification (6%) are significantly more likely to believe in government responsiveness compared to those who opt for the status quo.
• There is a similar, though less marked, trend among Catholics who choose the same option.
• Supporters of the DUP are more likely to demonstrate significantly greater political efficacy than their UUP counterparts, but are much less trustful.
• Supporters of the SDLP and Sinn Fein share a common scepticism about the responsiveness of government, but differ dramatically in their levels of political trust.

Conclusions

• The legacy of political violence in NI is evident in the low levels of trust in political institutions which are apparent among the Province's Catholics.
• Protestants have much higher levels of democratic values, and display some of the highest levels of political efficacy and trust in the whole of the UK.
• Building up a Catholic sense of political trust should be one of the major priorities for the British and Irish governments.