The data from the 2018 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey are now available. 1,201 people aged 18 years or over and living across Northern Ireland took part. The survey explored attitudes a wide range of key social policy issues, including good relations, minority ethnic groups, palliative care, LGBT issues, abortion, politics, criminal justice system, community safety and perceptions of paramilitary influence.

Tables of results, the dataset, technical notes and questionnaires are all available on the NILT website.

Find out more  

The 2018 Northern Ireland Life & Times (NILT) survey included a set of questions exploring public attitudes towards transgender people. This is the first time that NILT has explored this, and the results provide a useful baseline of public opinion. Analysis of the data was undertaken by Gail Neil (Ulster University) and Siobhan McAlister (Queen's University), who published the Research Update The Missing T: Baselining Attitudes Towards Transgender People in Northern Ireland. This was also the title of a seminar held on 14 June, which marked the release of the 2018 NILT data.

Find out more  

The results of the 2018 Young Life and Times survey are now available online. 1,152 young people aged 16 years took part, and gave their opinions on good relations, minority ethnic groups, citizenship and politics, wellbeing, and school. A seminar was held on 25 June to launch the release of the 2018 YLT and Kids' Life & Times findings, and a video of the event is available on the ARK website.

Full details of the survey, including questionnaires, technical notes and data are available on the YLT website.

Find out more  

5,300 children in Primary 7 classes across Northern Ireland took part in the 2018 Kids' Life and Times (KLT) survey. The survey explored a range of issues, including school, bullying, wellbeing, citizenship and research. The results of this survey are now online, and in the comic What Kids Think. A seminar was held on 25 June to launch the release of the 2018 YLT and KLT findings, and a video of the event is available on the ARK website.

Full details of the survey, including questionnaires, technical notes and data are available on the kLT website.

Find out more  

The Conversation is an online source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. This month, The Conversation published two articles which were based on data from the 2018 Kids' Life and Times survey:

• What do 11-year-olds think about Brexit? I asked - and they didn't hold back, by Katrina Lloyd
• Northern Ireland risks being left behind because children are not required to learn a second language in primary school, by Ian Collen

Find out more  

Ulster University recently held a consultation on the future of CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet). Following this consultation, ARK and Ulster University have allocated funding from reserves to allow CAIN to operate over the coming year. This period will enable us to continue discussions with potential funders to try to secure medium-term funding with the aim of developing a sustainable funding model for CAIN.

Find out more  

ARK is Northern Ireland's social policy hub. Established in 2000 by researchers at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University, its primary goal is to increase the accessibility and use of academic data and research. Most of our dissemination is via our website at www.ark.ac.uk, which is divided into five main areas:

• Surveys
• Projects
• Resources
• Publications
• Events

Find out more