Five-point increase in backing for unification, at 22% – which is up from 17% in 2013

Amanda Ferguson. Irish Times. Friday, September 9, 2016

According to the data, there is still a significant percentage of people in favor of Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom.
 
There has been a significant statistical increase in support for a united Ireland among people in the North, according to a new survey conducted by Ipsos Mori.

The face-to-face survey of more than 1,000 people carried out across Northern Ireland on behalf of BBC political program The View, between August 16th and September 2nd, indicates a five-point increase in support for a United Ireland (22 per cent), from 17 per cent in 2013 . This is regarded as a significant change.

More than four out of 10 people with a Catholic background (43 per cent) would back a United Ireland, up from 35 percent in 2013, an increase regarded as statistically significant.

When respondents from across the North were asked if the government should call a referendum on the Border, 33 per cent of people said No and 52 per cent said Yes, while 15 percent didn’t know.

A majority of Protestants were against the idea, with 72 per cent No and 53 percent of Catholics Yes.

According to the data there is still a significant percentage of people in favor of Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom.

Referendum

When asked how they would vote if there was a referendum on the Border, 63 percent of respondents said they would vote to stay in the UK, down 2 per cent on 2013.

From 2013 there has been a 5 percent increase to 22 percent among those who said the would vote to join the Republic of Ireland.

When the 2016 results are broken down by religion, 88 percent of Protestants and 37 percent of Catholics said they would vote to stay in the UK, while 5 percent of Protestants and 43 percent of Catholics said they would vote to join the Republic of Ireland.

Some 83 per cent said the Brexit decision had not altered their position, while 17 percent indicated it had changed their thinking.

Those whose views had been influenced by the EU result were slightly more likely to be female, from a Catholic background and drawn from the affluent AB social classes.