As media headlines continue to show, debates focusing on asylum seekers and migrants can be emotionally and politically charged.  Such rhetoric succeeds in negatively impacting on public attitudes, increasing tensions and reinforcing misinformation. Though the growth in the number of refugees and asylum seekers may raise concerns among some individuals and communities in host countries, what we hear and see in the media may not necessarily reflect actual public opinion. Thus, annual public attitudes surveys like those run by ARK are an important indicator of how the public think about the issues affecting their lives. 

In Young People’s Attitudes to Minority Ethnic Groups and Asylum Seeking (Research Update 148), Md Salah Uddin and Dirk Schubotz interrogate 16-year olds’ attitude data captured by the Young Life and Times (YLT) survey. YLT is carried out annually and records the opinions of 16-year olds in Northern Ireland on a range of social and political issues, including attitudes to minority ethnic groups and asylum seekers. In 2020-21, 2,069 16-year olds took part in the survey. Just over half (55%) of respondents said that they felt favourable about people from minority ethnic communities – and this has risen from 39% in 2004. Only a very small proportion (2%) say that they feel unfavourable.

Prejudice and contact

Only 1 in 100 YLT 16-year olds reported being very prejudiced against people from minority ethnic communities. Those who did referred to the way they were brought up, the lack of contact opportunities, the way stereotypes are fostered in the media, the influence of peers and others around them, and the underlying institutional racism in society as reasons why they thought they were prejudiced.  One respondent was very reflective of this unconscious bias and its relationship to the of contact opportunities:

‘I do not mean to be prejudiced, and I think that it is important that no racism etc. or bullying happens, but subconsciously considering my upbringing and not being exposed to people of other ethnic backgrounds, I think I have biases against them without even meaning to, which is why I think it is so important to from a very young age expose children to minorities of any shape or form to build up a level of normality that isn’t here currently.’

The fact that we have asked multiple cohorts of 16-year olds the same questions permits us to see that over time the level of contact with people from minority ethnic groups reported by survey respondents has gradually increased. Only 13% of respondents who completed the YLT survey in 2008 reported that they very often socialised or played sport with people from another ethnic background, compared to 29% of those who completed YLT in 2019.

That said, nearly one half (46%) of YLT respondents in 2020/21 said that they had personally witnessed racist bullying or harassment in their school, and this has risen from 39% in 2014. This rise could be a reflection of an actual increase in racist incidents in schools; however, it could also signify a growing level of awareness of racism among 16-year olds over time.

A warm welcome?

Nearly two-thirds of YLT respondents in 2020-21 (64%) felt it is our duty to provide protection to refugees. Again, the level of contact was a relevant factor, with those respondents who socialised or played sports with people from minority ethnic backgrounds more frequently being more likely to express such a sense of duty. Reflecting on attitudes in Northern Irish society only 31% of respondents agreed that Northern Ireland was a welcoming society tor refugees in practice. 

Attitudes and policy

Public attitudes can play an important role in developing and monitoring social policy. Northern Ireland does not currently have a devolved policy and strategy on asylum seeking, with asylum and refugee laws being directed from the UK Home Office. However, in practice, several NI Departments are responsible for providing services to asylum seekers placed in Northern Ireland, including education and healthcare services.

In the future, the displacement of large groups of people due to war, conflict and environmental disasters is a global issue which is likely to increase.  In light of the predictably growing number of asylum seekers and refugees who will settle in Northern Ireland, the YLT data suggests that programmes that encourage and foster contact between young people, who have grown up in Northern Ireland and identify as Irish or British citizens and asylum seekers/ refugees, can support integration and good relations and tackle any underlying racism and stereotypes.

Professor Dirk Schubotz; Md Salah Uddin

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

Media

Recommended reference:

Young People’s Attitudes to Minority Ethnic Groups and Asylum Seeking, by Md Salah Uddin and Dirk Schubotz, ARK Research Update 148, published October 2022

Available here:

https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2022-10/update148.pdf