Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aim of the study was to measure the extent of convergence between the SDLP and Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland. The <i>New Nationalism in Northern Ireland</i> project measured convergence at three levels: party elites, party members and party supporters. This dataset provides the first membership survey of the Social and Democratic Labour Party (SDLP). Qualitative material was also gathered via semi-structured interviews with thirty party members - this is not held at the Data Archive.
The objectives of the research were to:
develop a sociological and attitudinal profile of the SDLP, to discover the composition and views of party members;
analyse the views of members of both parties towards greater nationalist political cooperation;
explore the extent to which the parties share a similar outlook on the development of political institutions in Northern Ireland;
assess the extent and limits of pan-nationalism in Northern Ireland.
A later study by the same Principal Investigator, which surveyed the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, is held at UKDA under SN:4406.
Main Topics:

The dataset contains the responses of SDLP members to a postal questionnaire. The 50 questions build a sociological and attitudinal profile of party members. The attitudinal section covers the view of SDLP members on attitudes to Sinn Fein, IRA violence, the Good Friday agreement, new political institutions, Orange Parades, national identity and political issues.