Irish identity tops new Northern Ireland poll

[Gadjodilo]

More people identify themselves as Irish than British in Northern Ireland according to a new poll in Monday's Belfast Telegraph.

Over 1000 people were interviewed for the survey.

BBC News - Irish identity tops new Northern Ireland poll

[pd_phoenix]

academic study in this field suggests this is because there are people in the unionists community who are unsure on how to label their identity, if you see the figure for people who claimed northern Ireland is at 18% add this to the British identity and it outnumbers the Irish identity

[absconded]

The most encouraging result of the poll is that 18% see themselves as being Northen Irish. It gives a grand total of 57% who see themselves as being something other than Irish.
Certainly bad news for anyone trying to hasten the day of a United Ireland.

[Gadjodilo]

Curiously, there's an even divide on the issue of Northern Ireland being part of the UK or part of a united Ireland in 2021.

[Clanrickard]

The most encouraging result of the poll is that 18% see themselves as being Northen Irish. It gives a grand total of 57% who see themselves as being something other than Irish.
Certainly bad news for anyone trying to hasten the day of a United Ireland.

Why is this encouraging? It seems the old jibe of the Blue Shirts being closet unionists has a ring of truth to it.

[absconded]

Curiously, there's an even divide on the issue of Northern Ireland being part of the UK or part of a united Ireland in 2021.

This may be borne out of fear rather than desire.
Unionists are probably expecting to be abandoned by the UK government at some time in the future. It doesn´t mean that they dislike the idea any less though.

[disgruntledcitizen]

Why is this encouraging? It seems the old jibe of the Blue Shirts being closet unionists has a ring of truth to it.

i was also wondering if that was a typo and should have been discouraging, if not your right it doesn't help with perceptions, of course people whom consider FG closet unionists are fundamentally misunderstanding FG's position on NI

[Gadjodilo]

The most encouraging result of the poll is that 18% see themselves as being Northen Irish. It gives a grand total of 57% who see themselves as being something other than Irish.
Certainly bad news for anyone trying to hasten the day of a United Ireland.

Half of them think it's only 11 years away.

academic study in this field suggests this is because there are people in the unionists community who are unsure on how to label their identity, if you see the figure for people who claimed northern Ireland is at 18% add this to the British identity and it outnumbers the Irish identity

55% would vote against a united Ireland if a referendum was held today as against 57% who are Northern or British. So, not all NI or British self-identifiers are unionists.

[absconded]

Why is this encouraging? It seems the old jibe of the Blue Shirts being closet unionists has a ring of truth to it.

Encouraging in that 57% of a population have not been bombed, maimed, murdered and terrorised into accepting someone elses narrowminded opinions. I´m all for a United Ireland. But only by consensus.
The provos and shinner gimps have clearly failed the people of Northern Ireland and those of us who would genuinely like to have seen a United Ireland.

[Clanrickard]

Encouraging in that 57% of a population have not been bombed, maimed, murdered and terrorised into accepting someone elses narrowminded opinions. I´m all for a United Ireland. But only by consensus.
The provos and shinner gimps have clearly failed the people of Northern Ireland and those of us who would genuinely like to have seen a United Ireland.

If you are genuinely in favour of a United Ireland you would not see it as "encouraging". There is no evidence what so ever of people being "bombed, maimed, murdered and terrorised" into changing their identity in this poll or any poll. The implication you gave is that if the majority had declared their identity to be Irish that would be the case. The IRA's campaign ended over a decade ago so you and the blue shirts need to let go of your knee jerk hatred of SF and move on.