As net immigration to Northern Ireland has increased, respondents to NILT became more supportive of the role of migrant workers in Northern Ireland, and less likely to want to see the level of immigration reduced.

People migrate to Northern Ireland for many reasons, and live and work here with different circumstances and legal status.  However, the terms used to refer to people who move to Northern Ireland are varied, such as ‘refugee’, ‘asylum seeker’, ‘immigrant’, or ‘newcomer’.  However, as outlined in an event at Queen’s University Belfast in June 2024, these terms are often loosely defined and open to misuse (Devine et al., 2024).  Nevertheless, language matters a great deal in terms of attitudes towards those living in Northern Ireland who were not born here.  

In a recent ARK Research Update, Attitudes to immigration in Northern Ireland, we used data from the 2023 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey to explore attitudes to different groups of people coming to live in Northern Ireland.

Immigration levels

In the year ending mid-2023, 11,700 people moved to Northern Ireland from elsewhere in the United Kingdom (UK) whilst 18,800 came here from outside the UK (NISRA, 2024, p 5).  Interestingly, as more people moved to Northern Ireland, respondents to NILT became less likely to want to see reduced levels of immigration. There was some support (31%) in 2023 for an increase in the number of immigrants to Northern Ireland, with a similar proportion thinking that it should remain the same as it is. However, one quarter of respondents thought that the number of immigrants should be reduced.  This represents a dramatic shift in opinion since 2012, when only 9% supported an increase in immigration levels, and around half (45%) thought it should be reduced.

Who is welcome?

Indeed, public opinion on immigration more generally has become more positive over time. As Figure 1 shows, when the topic was first raised in NILT in 2006, 53% said migrant workers were good for the economy.  By 2023, almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) thought this. A similar proportion (75%) agreed that migrants make Northern Ireland more open to new ideas and cultures. In 2006, almost one half (48%) said migrants take jobs from locals – the figure is just 13% in the 2023 survey.

Figure 1: Attitudes to migrant workers

What about other types of migration? An asylum seeker is someone who has applied for international protection and is awaiting a decision on whether they will be granted refugee status (Law Centre NI, 2024). In 2023, almost two thirds (61%) of NILT respondents agreed that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Northern Ireland, with 16 per cent disagreeing. In 2018, about half (54%) agreed they should be allowed to stay, rising to 70% in 2022, with the 2023 results returning to pre-2020 levels (see Figure 2).  Furthermore, 68% agreed in 2023 that it is our duty to provide protection to refugees who are escaping persecution in their home country – again, the lowest level since 2020.

Figure 2: How much do you agree or disagree that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Northern Ireland? (%) 

The overall pattern over the past two decades in Northern Ireland has been towards inclusion and welcome. Indeed, there was a particular rise in expressions of support for immigration after 2020. This came against a background of the UK’s official exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement.  However, since 2023, the ‘Stop the Boats’ mantra has become more evident, as has the rise in hard right parties and policies across Europe. Anti-immigration protests in Northern Ireland gained new momentum around that time, some taking violent expression in the riots in Belfast in August 2024.

NILT results may indicate that 2023 was indeed a turning point. It is noteworthy that positive sentiments towards immigration appear stronger in the 2022 survey results than in the 2023 data. The results of the 2024 NILT survey will be available in May 2025. It will be interesting to see whether public opinion in Northern Ireland is indeed becoming more cold towards immigration, including migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees.

Running alongside NILT is the Young Life and Times survey of 16 year olds.  In a report published in 2022, Dirk Schubotz and Md Salah Uddin reinforced the need for programmes that encourage and foster contact between young people from all backgrounds, in a bid to tackle any underlying racism and stereotypes.

References

Devine, Paula, Belluigi, Dina Z., Moynihan, Yvonne, Anand, Amit and Schubotz, Dirk (2024). Race and Ethnicity Research in Northern Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities.  ARK Feature 20 https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2024-10/feature20_1.pdf

Hayward, Katy and Devine, Paula (2025) Attitudes to immigration in Northern Ireland. ARK Research Update 160

https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2025-03/update160.pdf

Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency [NISRA] (2024) 2023 Mid-year Population Estimates – Statistical Bulletin. Belfast: NISRA. https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/MYE23-bulletin_1.pdf 

Schubotz, Dirk and Uddin, Md Salah (2022) Young People’s Attitudes to Minority Ethnic Groups and Asylum Seeking.  ARK Research Update 148.https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2022-10/update148.pdf

The questions on immigration were funded by The Executive Office.

Useful resources

Devine, Paula, Belluigi, Dina Z., Moynihan, Yvonne, and Anand, Amit (2024). Race and Ethnicity Research in Northern Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities. Local Race/ Ethnicity Research symposium, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13981259

ARK runs three annual public attitudes surveys:

• Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT): adults aged 18 years or over, undertaken online www.ark.ac.uk/nilt
• Young Life and Times (YLT): 16 year olds, undertaken online at home www.ark.ac.uk/ylt
• Kids' Life and Times (KLT): P7 children, undertaken online at school. www.ark.ac.uk/klt Questions on bullying are asked every year (www.ark.ac.uk/klt/results/Bullying.html). 

On each of the survey websites, you can find tables of results for every question, technical notes and questionnaires.

ARK also produces a range of publications, including Research Updates, Policy Briefs, Reports and Features.

Dr Paula Devine and Professor Katy Hayward

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work