Background to the Research

• This research aims to determine the impact of segregation upon workplace composition and consumer/public sector choice.
• Determining the impact of segregation upon consumer and workplace choice is important in determining the role that more 'normalised' political conditions should have upon the mobility of those who live within the most segregated communities. Given the perpetuating effect of 'political violence' and the recent re-appearance of interface violence, critical questions are being asked about the potential for socio-economic and cultural reconstruction of Northern Irish society.
• This is a pilot study, the central aim of which is to evaluate the impact of segregation upon places of work and mobility patterns. An essential goal of this study is to evaluate the existence of segregation and to critically assess the ability of the methodology employed to shed light on the complexity of religious segregation and the potential for greater assimilation. Thus, the research aims to test a methodology, based upon existing and new techniques, to be used by policymakers to aid future analyses of segregation.
  

Research Approach

• The methodology is built upon the use of GIS, in order to examine and explain the spatial patterns and processes of consumer and employee mobility in Belfast. Taking one pair of communities (Short Strand and Ballymacarrett) and thirteen sites of employment, the study has implemented GIS to measure, analyse, and visualise the results. The methodology tested by the research uses sophisticated GIS techniques applied to segregation and labour mobility. Unlike previous work, which focused on disseminating results primarily at the ward level, the goal here was to investigate more detailed spatial patterns.
• A community survey was also carried out to explore the degree to which residents from neighbouring Protestant and Catholic communities share services and facilities and whether 'chill factors' are an obstruction, and to what degree.
• Exploratory data analysis in the form of maps and summary statistics were used to provide preliminary insights into the degree of common choice between the two communities.
  

Main Findings

• People from highly segregated and deprived areas will work together if workplaces are located within neutral spaces, particularly if they can locate a workplace without having to enter a place 'dominated' by the other religion.
• Locating workplaces between adjacent communities stimulates greater mixing, particularly for people within Catholic areas of high dependency.
• There are identifiable Protestant communities which appear to suffer from high levels of benefit dependency which do not seem to be embedded within the contemporary labour market.
• Mixed workplaces draw workers from more localised labour markets.
• Sites that are mixed by religious composition are 5 times more likely, than segregated Sites, to employ those who live in benefit dependent and/or highly segregated communities.
• 'Middle class' people who live in predominantly Catholic areas within the BUA are less likely than their counterparts from beyond the BUA to work in places dominated by the 'other' religion.
• Mixed workplaces stimulate the employment of 'middle class' people who live in predominantly Catholic areas and who live within Belfast's segregated communities.
• The location of employment, in sectarian terms, is more important than the frictional effects of distance.
• The development of neutral arenas within which to work and consume draws people from all sections of society.
• People over the age of 55 are more likely to view the 'other' community in a 'positive' way.
• Medium and high tech companies draw insignificant numbers of employees from areas of high benefit dependency.
• Avoidance of the 'other' community is based upon not entering areas dominated by the other religion. Separation is not merely couched in sectarian terms. As such, safety consciousness may be more palpable that sectarian hostility.
• Movement and mobility between the communities studied is low.
• There are evident ways in which location can stimulate cross community interaction. A more unified approach by government agencies could aid the creation of more neutral spaces.

Analysis of 10418 employees

• 63.6% of employees came from areas that were at least 90% Catholic or Protestant.
• 62.8% of employees who came from segregated Protestant communities resided outside of the BUA.
• 64.6% of those who lived in segregated Catholic communities resided within the BUA.
• Among those who lived within the BUA, 75.2% lived in areas that were either 90% Catholic or Protestant.
• 84.3% of all employees, within the BUA, who reside in segregated places, live in areas that are over 90% Protestant.
• Among those who live in areas within the BUA that are deprived a mere 21.7% live in predominantly Protestant areas compared to 66.7% who live in predominantly Catholic areas.
• 23.6% of all employees were located within the high social class group, 37.2% and 45.9% were located in the middle and low social class groups respectively.
• A quarter of those from predominantly Protestant communities were high social class employees compared to 18.5% of those from predominantly Catholic areas.
• 39.5% of those from predominantly Protestant communities were middle social class compared to a quarter of those from predominantly Catholic areas.
• 55.9% of all employees from predominantly Catholic areas were located in the low social class group compared to 35.8% of those from predominantly Protestant areas. 64% of those from predominantly Protestants areas compared to 43.9% from predominantly Catholic areas were employed in the high and medium social class group.