Northern Ireland has long been divided by segregation between the two dominant communities, but a generation nurtured by the Good Friday Agreement, have different priorities. Surveys show that Northern Ireland’s young people, who have grown up in a period of sustained peace, are increasingly discarding traditional binary labels, opting instead for more nuanced and inclusive identities.
The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 2020 shows that 49% of people aged 18-24 define themselves as neither Unionist nor Nationalist. They are also far less likely to identify as ‘British’ than older generations, with 14% doing so compared to 46% of over-65s. Meanwhile, around a third of young people describe themselves as ‘Northern Irish’ and a third as ‘Irish’.
As Unionist opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol continues to dominate the political discourse ahead of the 5 May assembly election, new research from the Northern Ireland Youth Forum suggests that young people have a different set of priorities than the current political class. According to the forum’s interim report, the most pressing concerns were climate change, mental health, education and human rights.
