Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The project's main objectives were to analyse the public discourses surrounding the 2001 Northern Ireland Census and relate them to the already available data on population trends, segregation and projected future changes and to assess their political implications in terms of voting patterns.

It assesses the politics of demography through 25 in-depth interviews with political party representatives about the relationships of religion ratios and segregation with electoral strategies, voting patterns and levels of conflict.

The interviews examined politicians' views on how demography influences territorial politics. The interviews were semi-structured and covered a commonality of themes while also allowing the interviewees to raise and develop their own concerns. Interviewees were selected on the basis of the media analysis with those most frequently reported as commenting on demographic issues being approached first, though the researchers ensured a geographical spread across Northern Ireland and coverage that broadly reflected the electoral strength of the various political parties. The interviewees included Westminster MPs, Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, local councillors and party advisers. Some senior politicians had to cancel interviews but three party leaders were interviewed and in other cases senior colleagues deputised. For a wider perspective, officials from the Housing Executive and from the Census Office were also interviewed because they interact closely with local politicians on demographic matters.

The project also assesses the limitations and problems of census data, particularly with respect to discourses on ratios and segregation. It builds on earlier work and it links with research on political demography in other divided societies.

Main Topics:

Census, population, demography, politics, ethnic conflict