Support for Agreement at all-time low, survey shows

Support for the Belfast Agreement among the people of Northern Ireland is at an all-time low, according to the results of a poll carried out by Queen's University.

The research showed that support for the agreement was at 62%, with only 36% of Protestants saying they would still vote for it, compared with the 53% who supported it in the 1998 referendum. Catholic support remained steady at 90%. However, despite their reservations, 60% of Protestants and 92% of Catholics said they still wanted the agreement to work.

On the political front, the poll found support for the centre parties had eroded, with support for the DUP and Sinn Fein at 16% and 17% respectively. Decommissioning of weapons is the number one priority for both Protestants and Catholics with 84% and 60% respectively claiming they were not satisfied with the implementation of the agreement in this respect.

Police reform, which had been the number one priority for Catholics in May 2000, has dropped to number eight. 'The stability of the institutions of government' was number two for Catholics and number three for Protestants, underlining the unpopularity of political instability.

The level of trust in the pro-Agreement parties and the British and Irish governments has dropped significantly in both Protestant and Catholic communities. For Protestants 'trust a lot' or 'trust a little' has dropped from 37% in 1999 to 17% now, while the statistic for Catholics over the same period has dropped from 48% to 34%.

A difference emerges between the two communities on the perceived causes of political failure, with 'the failure of republicans to abandon violence' first on the list for Protestants at 42%, while 'the peace process is threatened by suspension' is the main reason for Catholics with 43%.

The public opinion survey work was conducted by Market Research Northern Ireland between 31 January and 6 February to produce 1,000 face-to-face interviews with a cross-section of Northern Ireland’s adult population.

The latest research on attitudes to the peace process was undertaken by Dr Colin Irwin, a Research Fellow in the School of Politics at Queen’s University. The project was independently funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.

The second part of the poll is set to be published tomorrow.

(GMcG)