Abstract
Annual public attitudes surveys are important tools for researchers, policy makers, academics, the media and the general public, as they allow us to track how – or if – public attitudes change over time. This is particularly pertinent in a society coming out of conflict. This article highlights the background to the creation of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey in 1998, including its links to previous survey research. Given the political changes after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in 1998, the challenge was to create a new annual survey that recorded public attitudes over time to key social issues pertinent to Northern Ireland’s social policy context. 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the survey’s foundation, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Agreement. Thus, it is timely to reflect on the survey’s history and impact.
Highlights
Annual public attitudes surveys are important tools for researchers, policy makers, academics, the media and the general public, as they allow us to track how – or if – public attitudes change over time
This article highlights the experience of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey in recording public attitudes, and reflecting events, in a society coming out of conflict
The most valuable online resources for political and legislative material are cain (Conflict Archive on the Internet), which can be accessed at www.ark.ac.uk/cain and Northern Ireland Elections, which provides a comprehensive set of election results at www.ark.ac.uk/elections
Summary
Annual public attitudes surveys are important tools for researchers, policy makers, academics, the media and the general public, as they allow us to track how – or if – public attitudes change over time. This article highlights the experience of the Northern Ireland Life and Times (nilt) Survey in recording public attitudes, and reflecting events, in a society coming out of conflict. There is a strong history of public attitudes research in Northern Ireland, including the Loyalty Survey undertaken by Richard Rose in 1968 (Rose, 1975) and the Northern Ireland Attitude Survey undertaken by Edward MoxonBrowne in 1978 (Moxon-Browne, 1983). While these were one-off surveys, the latter deliberately included many of the same questions included in the former, in order to make comparisons over time. The Northern Ireland Act of 1998 allowed for the setting up of a legislative Assembly, and it was within this context that nilt was founded
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