23rd October 2003

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Thirty years after joining the European Union there is still an alarming lack of knowledge about its institutions and policies among people in Northern Ireland, according to research conducted by academics from the University of Ulster and Queen’s University.

However people in the province are generally more in favour of EU membership than their counterparts in the rest of the UK – but significantly less positive than people in the Republic of Ireland.

These are among the key findings of the research conducted by Professor Sile O’Connor, Professor of Social Policy in the School of Policy Studies at the University of Ulster and Dr Lee McGowan, a senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Studies, Queen’s University. The research is based on answers given to the 2002 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey.

Points to emerge from the survey include:

• Knowledge of the EU, its policies and institutions vary significantly in Northern Ireland according to occupational and educational status and gender. Those with higher levels of education and in the best jobs have the most knowledge and men are better informed than women.
• 46% of Northern Ireland people consider participation in the EU to be a good thing, compared to 32% in the UK and 74% in the Republic.
• The vast major of Northern Ireland people (74%) support the status quo in relations with the EU or an increase in EU powers. This includes a substantial majority of all political groupings.
• Support for the EU increased in the last decade among all political parties’ supporters, except for the DUP, and differences among parties, particularly the UUP and SDLP, have lessened over time.
• Attitudes towards which currency should be used by member states show a split along party lines; 60% of nationalists support exclusive use of the euro with 69% of unionists supporting exclusive use of sterling. However educational and occupational differences also emerge with 56% of those with third level education, 50% of those with A-level qualifications and 57% of those in professional jobs supporting the sole use of the euro.

Dr McGowan pointed up the problems caused by a lack of debate on EU matters in Northern Irleand. “While this may not in itself be surprising, it is rather alarming given the ongoing evolution and expansion of the European Union. We need as a region to be able to interface with the EU and to help steer its direction as much as possible and to recognise its potential.

“This is more crucial than ever at a time when the governments of the existing 15 member states and the governments of the 10 candidate countries acceding in May 2004 are adding the finishing touches to the ‘draft constitution for Europe’”.

Professor O’Connor said that despite the low level of knowledge about EU issues, 86% of those questioned agreed that children in the province should be taught about the EU and how it works. Only 2% disagreed.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk