People of Northern Ireland

File:Map of predominant national identity in the 2011 census in Northern Ireland.png

In Northern Ireland, national identity is complex and diverse. The question of national identity[https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021/N92000002/ Country of Birth & Nationality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206031845/https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021/N92000002/ |date=6 December 2022 }} - 2021 Census was asked in the 2021 census with the three most common identities given being British, Irish and Northern Irish. Most people of Protestant background consider themselves British, while a majority of people of Catholic background are Irish. This has origins in the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster.

In the early 20th century, most Ulster Protestants and Catholics saw themselves as Irish, although Protestants tended to have a strong sense of Britishness also.Walker, Brian. [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/british-or-irish-who-do-you-think-you-are-28461096.html "British or Irish - who do you think you are?"]. Belfast Telegraph, 10 December 2008. Following the Home Rule Crisis and Irish War of Independence, Protestants gradually began to abandon Irish identity, as Irishness and Britishness came to be seen increasingly as mutually exclusive. In 1968 – just before the onset of the Troubles – 39% of Protestants described themselves as British and 20% of Protestants described themselves as Irish, while 32% chose an Ulster identity.Moxon-Browne, Edward. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/research/nisas/rep1c2.htm#chap2 "National identity in Northern Ireland"]. Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: First Report. Blackstaff Press, 1991. By 1978, following the worst years of the conflict, there had been a large shift in identity amongst Protestants, with the majority (67%) now calling themselves British and only 8% calling themselves Irish.Conflict and Consensus: A Study of Values and Attitudes in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Institute of Public Administration, 2005. pp.60-62 This shift has not been reversed. Meanwhile, the majority of Catholics have continued to see themselves as Irish.

From 1989, 'Northern Irish' began to be included as an identity choice in surveys, and its popularity has grown since then. Some organizations have promoted 'Northern Irish' identity as a way of overcoming sectarian division. In a 1998 survey of students, this was one of the main reasons they gave for choosing that identity, along with a desire to appear 'neutral'.McKeown, Shelley. Identity, Segregation and Peace-building in Northern Ireland. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. p.32 However, surveys show that 'Northern Irish' identity tends to have different meanings for Catholics and Protestants. Surveys also show that those choosing 'Northern Irish' alone regard their national identity as less important than those choosing British and Irish.

In recent Northern Ireland censuses, respondents could choose more than one national identity. In 2021:{{cite web |title=2021 Census. Main statistics for Northern Ireland: Statistical bulletin - National identity |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-main-statistics-for-northern-ireland-phase-1-statistical-bulletin-national-identity.pdf |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) |access-date=22 September 2022 }}

• 42.8% identified as British, alone or with other national identities
• 33.3% identified as Irish, alone or with other national identities
• 31.5% identified as Northern Irish, alone or with other national identities

The main national identities given in recent censuses were:

The numbers for each identity were as follows:

{{Bar chart

| title = 2021 Census

| label_type = National identity

| data_type = Respondents

| bar_width = 48

| width_units = em

| data_max = 1000000

| label1 = British only

| data1 = 606,300

| label2 = Irish only

| data2 = 554,400

| label3 = Northern Irish only

| data3 = 376,400

| label4 = English, Scottish or Welsh

| data4 = 29,000

| label5 = Other

| data5 = 113,400

}}1,073,200 respondents total.{{Bar chart

| title = 2011 census{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2106NI%20(a).ZIP|access-date=25 July 2014}}

| label_type = National Identity

| data_type = Respondents

| bar_width = 48

| width_units = em

| data_max = 1000000

| label1 = British only

| data1 = 876,577

| label2 = Northern Irish only

| data2 = 533,085

| label3 = Irish only

| data3 = 513,390

| label4 = English, Scottish or Welsh

| data4 = 29,187

| label5 = Other

| data5 = 61,884

}}

1,137,546 respondents total.

National Identity by Religion (2011){{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2239NI%20(a).ZIP|access-date=22 July 2014}}

Those people in Northern Ireland who fall into the category of other religions amounts to less than one percent of the population.

Detail by Religion (2011){{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2237NI%20(a).ZIP|access-date=22 July 2014}}

Note that Northern Ireland is made up of approximately 42% Protestant; 41% Roman Catholic; 17% no religion; and 0.8% other religions.

National Identity by District (2011){{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2240NI%20(a).ZIP|access-date=22 July 2014}}

File:National Identity Northern Ireland Districts 2011 Census.png

National identity by religion or religion brought up in for each district (2011)

National Identity by Age (2011)

File:National Identity Among Catholics Northern Ireland Districts 2011 Census.png

{{Image frame

| content =

{{Graph:Chart

| width = 400

| height = 100

| type = line

| xAxisAngle = 45

| yAxisFormat = %

| colors = #C8102E, #169B62, #FFC72C, #4C6BB0, #FF883E, grey

| legend = Legend

| x = 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

| y1Title = British

| y1 = 0.41, 0.45, 0.49, 0.42, 0.45, 0.41, 0.47, 0.39, 0.39, 0.38, 0.37, 0.35, 0.37, 0.39, 0.39, 0.37, 0.37, 0.32, 0.35, 0.35, 0.39

| y2Title = Irish

| y2 = 0.27, 0.29, 0.22, 0.27, 0.28, 0.27, 0.27, 0.28, 0.28, 0.29, 0.26, 0.32, 0.25, 0.32, 0.29, 0.29, 0.28, 0.29, 0.28, 0.28, 0.25

| y3Title = Ulster

| y3 = 0.06, 0.04, 0.05, 0.05, 0.04, 0.04, 0.03, 0.03, 0.04, 0.03, 0.04, 0.02, 0.04, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.01, 0.01, 0.02, 0.02, 0.01

| y4Title = Northern Irish

| y4 = 0.23, 0.19, 0.20, 0.23, 0.19, 0.24, 0.21, 0.27, 0.26, 0.26, 0.29, 0.27, 0.28, 0.21, 0.25, 0.24, 0.27, 0.28, 0.26, 0.25, 0.27

| y5Title = Other

| y5 = 0.02, 0.02, 0.04, 0.02, 0.04, 0.02, 0.03, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.04, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.06, 0.07, 0.07, 0.09, 0.09, 0.09, 0.08

| y6Title = Don't know

| y6 = 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.00, 0.01, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

}}

}}

In 1998 the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey started asking respondents whether they think of themselves as British, Irish, Ulster, or Northern Irish. According to the 2019 survey of this series, individuals from Northern Ireland identify as:{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2019/Community_Relations/NINATID.html |title=2019 Survey: Do you think of yourself as British/Irish/Ulster/Northern Irish? |work=Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES |publisher=ARK |date=2020-06-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119225343/https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2019/Community_Relations/NINATID.html |archive-date=2020-11-19 |access-date=2020-11-19 }}

• British (39%)
• Irish (25%)
• Northern Irish (27%)
• Ulster (1%)
• Other (8%)

{{Image frame

| caption = 2007 survey: How strongly do you feel yourself to be British{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/BRITISH.html |title=2007 Survey: How strongly to you feel yourself to be British? |work=Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES |publisher=ARK |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2019 }}/Irish{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/IRISH.html |title=2007 Survey: How strongly to you feel yourself to be Irish? |work=Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES |publisher=ARK |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2019 }}/Ulster{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/ULSTER.html |title=2007 Survey: How strongly to you feel yourself to be Ulster? |work=Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES |publisher=ARK |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2019 }}/Northern Irish?{{cite web |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/NIRISH.html |title=2007 Survey: How strongly to you feel yourself to be Northern Irish? |work=Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES |publisher=ARK |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2019 }}

| content =

{{Graph:Chart

| width = 400

| height = 200

| type = stackedrect

| yAxisFormat = %

| colors = grey, #A1B5E3, #708BCA, #4C6AB0

| legend = Legend

| x = Northern Irish, British, Irish, Ulster

| y1Title = Don't know

| y1 = 0, 0, 0, 0.01

| y2Title = Not at all

| y2 = 0.15, 0.22, 0.23, 0.28

| y3Title = Not very strongly

| y3 = 0.34, 0.41, 0.41, 0.40

| y4Title = Very strongly

| y4 = 0.50, 0.37, 0.36, 0.31

}}

}}

In the 2007 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey,{{cite web

|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/index.html

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619104034/http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Community_Relations/index.html

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=19 June 2009

|title=Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 2007

|date=22 December 2009

|work=Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

|publisher=ARK - Access Research Knowledge

|access-date=9 October 2010

}} the question was asked, "thinking about each of these national identities in turn, how strongly do you feel yourself to be [Irish/British/Northern Irish/Ulster?]" Individuals responded for each of the identities as follows:

Northern Irish

• Very strongly 50%
• Not very strongly 34%
• Not at all 15%
• Don't know 0%

British

• Very strongly 37%
• Not very strongly 41%
• Not at all 22%
• Don't know 0%

Irish

• Very strongly 36%
• Not very strongly 41%
• Not at all 23%
• Don't know 0%

Ulster

• Very strongly 31%
• Not very strongly 40%
• Not at all 28%
• Don't know 1%

In the 2021 census of Northern Ireland, 95.37% of people spoke English as a First Language, with 1.10% speaking Polish, 0.49% speaking Lithuanian and 0.32% speaking Irish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Corporate/Commission%20Meetings/2023/cmeeting250123/EC-23-01-11-Census21databriefingnoteAC.pdf|title=Equality Commission for NI, Census 2021 Briefing: Release 2, Phase 1 Results, January 2023}} At the same time, 1.14% of the population said they could speak and read Ulster Scots.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-language-tables|title=Census 2021 main statistics language tables | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|website=www.nisra.gov.uk}}

In 2022, 24,700 people left NI to live elsewhere; just over half of these moved to other parts of the UK.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/Migration2022-01.pdf|title=NI Statistics and Research Agency website, NI Migration (2022)}}

It is estimated that between 1921 and 1999, about half a million people left NI.{{Cite book|url=https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/publications/the-troubles-emigration-to-britain-and-transnational-memories-of-|title=The Routledge Handbook of the Northern Ireland Conflict and Peace|first1=Fearghus|last1=Roulston|first2=Jack|last2=Crangle|first3=Graham|last3=Dawson|first4=Liam|last4=Harte|first5=Barry|last5=Hazley|editor-first1=Laura|editor-last1=McAtackney|editor-first2=Máirtín Ó|editor-last2=Catháin|date=26 September 2023|pages=162–172|via=University of Strathclyde}}

In 2020, it was noted that 40% of people in NI live in a rural setting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/mid-year-population-estimates-urbanrural-change|title=Mid-Year Population Estimates – Urban/Rural Change | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs|date=2 November 2015|website=www.daera-ni.gov.uk}} It was also noted that over 49,000 people were involved in the farming industry (1 in 40 people).{{Cite web|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/farm-labour-statistics-northern-ireland|title=Farm labour statistics in Northern Ireland | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs|date=28 October 2015|website=www.daera-ni.gov.uk}}

• Demographics of Northern Ireland
• Ulster nationalism
• Ulster Protestants
• Ulster Scots people
• List of districts in Northern Ireland by national identity
• List of people from Northern Ireland
• Women in Northern Ireland

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