What we were told
Overall, more than 400 people participated in the consultation process, events and activities in the development of this new Good Relations Strategy, such as attending any of 21+ workshops or completing a survey. All the main political parties were consulted and interviews offered to all 60 elected members with an additional half-day open session for all elected members.
Consultation activities included:
- Workshops targeting minority and equality protected people and organisations.
- One-to-one meetings where relevant.
- Several sessions with council staff.
- Meetings with and further liaison with Sinn Féin, DUP, Alliance, UUP, SDLP, Green Party.
- Offer of one-to-one interviews with all elected members and a half-day open session.
- An online survey that could be broken down to community, geographic area, community background, sector.
About the consultation
- Over 20 individual interviews were held with key stakeholders.
- 50 people engaged with Shared City Partnership, staff workshops, and all of the main political parties on council.
- More than 140 people attended 21+ workshops including the final completing the circle workshop to which all consultees were invited.
- 200 people completed an online survey.
Survey
The survey provided a clear context and direction regarding issues raised, ideas to prioritise and issues that inhibit the development of good relations.
The religious profile is broadly reflective of the city. The number of young people completing the survey was fewer than the average population.
More women than men returned the survey, however, 41 per cent male return rate is good and broadly reflective of the city.
Nationality - more than one option allowed
| Nationality - more than one option allowed | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Irish | 52 |
| Northern Irish | 36 |
| British | 39 |
| Sudanese | 3 |
| Romanian | 1 |
| Indian | 1 |
| Polish | 1 |
The city the survey was completed proportionately by people from the North, South, East and West Belfast.
In addition, respondents’ nationalities are self-defined, with more than one answer allowed.
Religion
| Religion | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Christian Protestant | 33 |
| Catholic | 31 |
| Muslim | 4 |
| Buddhist | 1 |
| None / prefer not to say | 30 |
Parts of Belfast
| Parts of city | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Central | 1 |
| East | 21 |
| North | 14 |
| South | 25 |
| West | 16 |
| Outside | 21 |
Gender
| Gender | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Female | 53 |
| Male | 42 |
| Non-binary | 2 |
| Prefer not to say | 3 |
Given the demographic returns, we estimate in the survey responses overall a confidence rate of 94 per cent and a margin of error of +/- 5 per cent. High level results included:
- 92 per cent believe good relations are very important for Belfast.
- While 11 per cent feel the city is very shared, 9 per cent believe it is not at all shared - the majority (79 per cent) feel it is a bit shared.
- A significant number (43 per cent) always feel a sense of belonging in the city compared to just 6 per cent who never feel a sense of belonging – the balance, (52 per cent), sometimes have a sense of belonging to Belfast.
- While 18 per cent feel their cultural identity is always respected, just 9 per cent believe it not at all respected. The balance, (73 per cent), believe it is sometimes respected.
- 24 per cent believe they can always express their cultural identity compared to 14 per cent who say they never can express their cultural identity. 62 per cent feel that they can sometimes express their cultural identity.
- Most people (65 per cent) would like to see multi-annual grants being provided for Good Relations work. 4 per cent would prefer no grants and 8 per cent grants of just one year.
Most people still believe there to be substantial amounts of sectarianism and racism in the city.
There has been some improvement in the degree of racism and sectarianism perceived in the city from 2022, though still significant issues remain, as statistics show.
| Year | Sectarianism | Racism |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 79 per cent | 65 per cent |
| 2025 | 65 per cent | 62 per cent |
Almost all respondents believed good relations was a very important part of what Council does (91 per cent) – just 8 per cent saying it was fairly important and 1 per cent that it was not at all important.
The key priorities for those replying are highlighted in the table. A focus on educational under-achievement, socio-economic issues, interface communities and the important needs around challenging sectarianism, racism and paramilitarism are all considered key priorities for the strategy.
| Priorities | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism | 80 |
| Racism | 78 |
| Worse-off areas | 77 |
| Young people | 75 |
| Paramilitarism | 72 |
| Education | 64 |
| Interfaces | 64 |
| Segregation | 60 |
While just 11 per cent believe the city is very shared, most (79 per cent) believe it a little shared and 9 per cent believe it is not at all shared.
However, many people (43 per cent) always feel a sense of belonging while 52 per cent sometimes feel a sense of belonging.
When asked whether their cultural identity or background is respected in the city most say sometimes (73 per cent), with 18 per cent always and 9 per cent never.
There are no significant differences between people from different backgrounds.
| Is Belfast a shared city? | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Very shared | 11 |
| Little shared | 79 |
| Not at all shared | 9 |
| Is your cultural identity or background respected? | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Yes always | 18 |
| Sometimes | 73 |
| Never | 9 |
| Degree of Racism and Sectarianism | Sectarianism | Racism |
|---|---|---|
| Lot | 65 per cent | 62 per cent |
| Little | 34 per cent | 36 per cent |
| None | 1 per cent | 2 per cent |
At a similar level, 29 per cent believe they are always able to express their own cultural identity or background while 62 per cent believe they can sometimes, and 9 per cent never.
Most people believe there to be substantial amounts of sectarianism and racism in the city.
When asked whether the council should offer grants at all, or whether they should be one-year or multi-annual, a significant majority (65 per cent) believe grants should be multi-annual. Just 8 per cent support one-year grants while 4 per cent do not believe there should be grants at all. The balance suggested ‘other’ though the options provided by those in an open comment box supported multi-annual (sometimes for five years) and others with other options.
Interviews and Workshops
During the consultation, more than 20 workshops and over 20 interviews with key community, voluntary, faith, and public sector representatives were conducted. Meetings were offered with every elected representative as well as sessions involving each political party. In addition, three workshops with council staff, and a session with the Shared City Partnership were held.
In total, more than 400 people were engaged in the consultation through the survey, workshops, interviews or seminars.
The main feedback from the workshops and interviews included:
- A lack of investment to deal with demographic change including inadequate recognition of the pressures it creates on both established and newcomer communities.
- The benefits of longer-term funding, such as three years, that will better help planning and delivery, but with recognition that some community groups with lower capacity benefit from small, one-year funding availability.
- Trust in public agencies is important especially when dealing with sensitive issues of relevance to the council, such as policing, youth work and others. Issues such as racism, coercive control and paramilitary presence, use of social media and radicalisation of young people were issues raised during the consultation which is of relevance to trusting key agencies to manage and pre-vent harm. Political influence on public opinion was also raised.
- A comprehensive integration strategy and cultural awareness or competence was considered helpful.
- There was a perceived lack of transparency in decisions around resourcing and funding.
- Developing the capacity of all communities to engage effectively in the responsibilities associated with building cohesion or undertaking good relations work was highlighted, although particular needs were also identified in some communities.
- While coercive control including by paramilitaries was mentioned it was also mentioned in the context of: gatekeepers in newcomer communities and with some leaders regarding violence against women and girls (VAWG), anti-migrant rhetoric, and in recruiting young people.
- There was a need for real change in attitudes, behaviours and confidence to adequately challenge having indictors that are more ambitious.
- Good relations efforts often contributed to helping improve social issues – health, housing, educational achievement, employability and the environment.
- Racism was being further fuelled by housing stress, pressure on established communities or tenancy uncertainties.
- There are many different units in the council that benefit from closeness of alignment and coordination with good relations support.
- There is an economic impact of racism on, for example, tourism or not attracting sufficient workers for key roles, or people feeling they have to leave due to fear about their welfare and that of their families.
All of the feedback received, the key points highlighted, and main findings from the survey, are reflected in the strategic priorities, pillars, and many of the actions that flow from within this strategy.
