Background to the Research

• This report provides data relating to attitudes to behaviour and life choices among young people in NI. It provides analysis of such attitudes by key demographic characteristics, the relationships between them, and comparisons with similar data available from England and Wales.
  

Research Approach

• Data were collected in 2002 from a total of 2134 Year 12 pupils in 22 schools throughout NI. Nine of the schools were predominantly attended by members of the Protestant community, 12 by Catholic pupils and 1 was integrated. Children in Year 12 were asked to complete a questionnaire booklet, which provided data on: demographic variables, academic achievement at Key Stage 3, parental employment and marital status; morality and moral influences; religiosity - denomination, practice, attitudes; media exposure - TV, reading, internet; and aspects of personality including self-esteem.
  

Main Findings

• The demographic breakdown of the sample was approximately: 57% male, 43% female; 53% urban, 43% rural; 82% of parents married, 18% of parents separated or divorced; 53% Catholic, 28% Protestant (which includes Baptist, Church of Ireland, Methodist and URC/Presbyterian), 4% 'Other' and 15% of no religious denomination.
• Young People displayed almost universal disapproval of some behaviours such as stealing (96%), bullying (94%) and drug-taking (85%). There were also high levels of disapproval for behaviours such as suicide (76%) and abortion (75%). Approximately half of the young people considered homosexuality and homosexual practice to be wrong. On the other hand, a considerable level of tolerance with regard to issues around alcohol, and a liberal attitude to sexual intercourse before/outside marriage and under the legal age, contraception and divorce was apparent.
• Girls were more tolerant of homosexuality and homosexual practice than boys, but had a slightly less liberal attitude to sexual intercourse before/outside marriage and under the legal age, while boys were more opposed than girls to divorce and contraception. Boys were less likely than girls to hold the view that law-breaking issues, such as cycling after dark without lights and writing graffiti are wrong, while with regard to substance use, they were more liberal, except in the case of cigarette smoking.
• Grammar school pupils were more liberal than secondary school pupils with regard to sexual behaviours, homosexuality, divorce, contraception and abortion. On law-abiding issues, secondary school pupils were more liberal than grammar school pupils with regard to playing truant and buying cigarettes under the legal age. On substance use, grammar school pupils were more liberal on the use of marijuana, but slightly less tolerant with regard to other substances.
• Rural pupils were less liberal in their attitudes to sexual behaviours, homosexuality, divorce and contraception than urban pupils. On law-abiding issues, there were only slight differences between the two groups on a few behaviours, but no clear pattern of difference. On issues of substance use, where significant differences occur, urban pupils were more liberal than rural pupils.
• Those pupils whose parents are divorced or separated were more tolerant of 'sexual behaviours, homosexuality, divorce, contraception and abortion' than those whose parents are married. On law-abiding issues, the only notable differences were on the issues of buying cigarettes under the legal age and writing graffiti, where pupils whose parents are divorced or separated were more tolerant than those whose parents are married. Pupils whose parents are divorced or separated were also more liberal on the issues of using marijuana, getting drunk and smoking cigarettes.
• When analysed on the basis of parental social class, the only significant differences occurred on the issues of contraception, with pupils from social class three manual most opposed, and the writing of graffiti, with young people from social classes one and two most opposed. The data suggests that social class is not an important influence on the attitudes of young people in NI.
• Pupils who defined their religious denomination as 'Other' were more opposed to sexual behaviours, homosexuality and divorce than Protestant pupils, Catholic pupils and pupils of no religious denomination. Protestant pupils were more opposed to homosexuality and sexual behaviours than Catholic pupils and those of no religious denomination. Catholic pupils were more opposed to abortion than the other three groups. Pupils of no religious denomination had the most liberal attitudes to sexual intercourse before marriage or under the legal age, and divorce.
• On law-abiding issues, pupils of 'Other' denominations were notably more opposed to drinking, buying alcohol under the legal age, and buying cigarettes under the legal age, than other groups, while pupils of no religious denomination were the most liberal on all law-abiding issues where the differences were significant.
• On substance use, the biggest differences in attitude were on the issue of drunkenness, with pupils of 'Other' denominations most opposed, Protestant pupils notably more opposed than Catholic pupils, and pupils of no religious affiliation most liberal in attitude.
• When compared with data from England and Wales, the pupils in NI were found to be less liberal on the issues of sexual behaviours, homosexuality, divorce, contraception and abortion, but more liberal in their views on law-breaking behaviours, such as cycling after dark without lights and writing graffiti. On issues of substance use, they were less liberal than those in England and Wales, except in the case of marijuana, where there was no difference in attitude.
  

Conclusions

• A significant relationship was found to exist between attitudes to virtually all of the behaviours considered, i.e. those who believed that using marijuana is wrong also believed that all of the other behaviours were wrong. Moderate or stronger relationships existed between attitudes to issues of alcohol use, other substance use and other risk-taking behaviours, both sexual and legal.
• The authors hope that, by providing information on the attitudes to behaviour and life choices among young people in NI, the report provides valuable insights for those interested in, or concerned with, the well-being of young people.