Connolly, P. and Keenan, M. (2000) Racial Attitudes and Prejudice in Northern Ireland (Report 1). Belfast: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

This report examines attitudes towards race relations in Northern Ireland and the nature and prevalence of racial prejudice in the region. It draws upon data from a large-scale survey of 1267 interviewees constituting a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population.

Findings

The key findings to emerge from this report are:

• Contrary to popular opinion, issues of race and ethnicity are far from unimportant or insignificant in the attitudes of people living in Northern Ireland.
• In terms of statements of general principle, a significant majority of those in Northern Ireland tend to hold quite positive and liberal attitudes towards race relations. For example, 83% support the need for effective equal opportunities policies for minority ethnic people in relation to employment and housing. A further 87% felt that school children should be taught about minority ethnic people’s traditions and cultures in schools.
• However, when it comes to more specific matters such as when the specific identity of particular minority ethnic groups are named and/or when considering issues which might effect respondents more personally, racial attitudes in Northern Ireland tend to be significantly more negative. For example, a quarter or just over of all respondents were unwilling to accept either an African Caribbean, Chinese or South Asian person as a resident in their local area. Similarly, over two out of every five people also stated that they were unwilling to accept a member of any of these three groups as a close friend.
• Within this, the most negative attitudes appear to be reserved for Travellers.1 For example, 40% of those surveyed felt that the nomadic lifestyle of Travellers was an invalid one that should not be supported or resourced by the Government. More generally, 57% would not be willing to accept Travellers as residents in their local area while two thirds (66%) would not willingly accept a colleague at work who is a Traveller.
• Overall, racial prejudice appears to be around twice as significant than sectarian prejudice in the initial attitudes of the population in Northern Ireland. Around twice as many respondents in the survey stated that they would be unwilling to accept and/or mix with members of minority ethnic communities than they would members of the other main religious tradition (i.e. Catholic or Protestant) to themselves.
• Moreover, negative attitudes towards specific minority ethnic groups have become worse over the last few years. For example, in the present survey, 54% of respondents stated that they were unwilling to accept a person of South Asian origin as a relative by way of marriage. This compares to 37% who stated in 1995/96 that they would mind ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ if a close relative married someone of South Asian origin. A similar difference exists in relation to attitudes towards Chinese people (53% compared to 32% in 1995/96).
• With regard to racist name-calling, at least one in five of the population is likely to belong to a social grouping where name-calling occurs to one extent or another. More specifically, 21% of respondents stated that their friends had called someone a name to their face because of their colour or ethnicity. Moreover, given the sensitivity of the issue, this figure is likely to be an underestimation of the true incidence of racist name-calling.
• Significantly, there is only a very small relationship between levels of racial prejudice and the tendency to engage in racist name-calling. In other words, racial prejudice is only a marginal motivating factor in influencing a person’s decision to engage in racist name-calling.
• Finally, it was found that both racial prejudice and racist name-calling were not the preserve of any particular social group. There is such variation in the incidence of both within the population that they are likely to occur within any social group, however that group is defined.

Recommendations

In considering the implications of the findings outlined above, the report makes a number of recommendations:

1. The Equality Schemes prepared by all public authorities should include a specific section on promoting good race relations. Such a section should include:

• plans for staff training with the aim of addressing existing racial prejudice and promoting good race relations;
• plans for addressing racial prejudice and promoting good race relations among the ‘users’ of that public authority’s services;
• an outline of any specific race relations problems that may exist within the area of responsibility of the public authority concerned and plans for addressing this; and
• clear timetables and, where appropriate targets, for all plans which should include measures for monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness.

2. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland should take responsibility for facilitating, co-ordinating and monitoring a broader educational strategy aimed at reducing racial prejudice and promoting good race relations in the region. While including a focus on the diverse range of minority ethnic groups that exist, a particular emphasis should be placed on Travellers.

The Commission should consider including the following within such a strategy:

• a specific media campaign (including television and radio adverts, posters and leaflets); and
• the production of training resources for use by youth and community groups.

3. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive should facilitate and co-ordinate specific community relations initiatives between Travellers and ‘settled’ people in those local areas where there are Traveller sites. Such initiatives could involve the organisation and facilitation of regular meetings between Traveller representatives and local residents groups from the ‘settled’ community. These meetings could provide the context within which:

• the experiences and perspectives of both communities are shared;
• specific issues and problems are discussed and resolved; and
• trust and mutual respect are developed.

4. The Department of Education should facilitate the development of a multicultural and anti-racist element to the National Curriculum in Northern Ireland. Such an element should be included as a cross-curricular theme from Key Stage One onwards. The Department should also facilitate the development of a similar element to be included in the Youth Service Curriculum. Both elements should aim to:

• encourage the development of an understanding and respect for cultural diversity;
• facilitate a greater appreciation of the nature and effects of racism; and
• provide children and young people with the necessary skills and values in order effectively to challenge racism when it arises.

5. All racial equality strategies (whether contained in New TSN Action Plans, Equality Schemes or developed independently of these) need to be developed and implemented in partnership with all those likely to be effected by them. More specifically this requires full and meaningful consultation to take place with members of the white, ‘settled’ community as well the minority ethnic community. It also requires their significant and ongoing involvement in the implementation and monitoring of any such strategies.

6. A specific educational strategy should be developed targeted at the majority white population with the aim of reducing their tendency to engage in racist harassment. The strategy should not be aimed simply at children and young people but should be diverse in its focus and involve community organisations and work settings as well as schools and youth groups. Given this broader focus, it is recommended that the Department for Social Development should take lead responsibility for facilitating and overseeing such a strategy while liaising closely with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers.

Overall, the strategy should aim to:

• increase awareness of the issue of racist harassment in Northern Ireland;
• develop an appreciation among the majority white population of the serious nature of such behaviour and its negative effects on the lives of minority ethnic people;
• facilitate the development of appropriate policies and strategies among specific groups and/or organisations in order to deal with racist harassment when it occurs.

Note

For convenience, the term ‘Travellers’ is used throughout this report to refer to people identified as ‘Irish Travellers’ in the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997. The Order defines such people as: ‘a community of people … who are identified (both by themselves and by others) as people with a shared history, culture and traditions including, historically, a nomadic way of life on the island of Ireland’.

Copies of the Report

Copies of the full report can be obtained from the:

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency,
Social Policy Branch,
McAuley House,
2-14 Castle Street,
Belfast BT1 1SA

Cheques for £10.00 (including postage and packaging within the UK) should be crossed and made payable to the Department of Personnell and Finance.

ISBN 1-899203-33-8

2000

© Crown Copyright

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