Public perceptions in Northern Ireland indicate “we give our children and young people the best start in life,” according to a report published by The Executive Office.
“Our Population: Perceptions of the Outcomes Framework 2018/19” is based around 12 outcomes, which people responded to in the Continuous Household Survey for 2018-19.
The survey included 12 statements such as:
- We have a more equal society
- We have a strong, competitive, regionally balanced economy
- We live and work sustainably – protecting the environment.
Respondents then indicated how much they agreed or disagreed with the statements.
Key Findings
- Outcome 12 (we give our children and young people the best start in life) and Outcome 8 (we care for others and we help those in need) had the highest rates of agreement with 71% and 70% respectively.
- Outcome 7 (we have a safe community where we respect the law, and each other) and 2 (we live and work sustainably – protecting the environment) had the highest rate of disagreement at 38% and 37% respectively.
- Outcome 1 (we prosper through a strong, regionally balanced economy) had the highest proportion of neutral responses – 26%.
It’s important to note that people’s attitudes differed depending on: age, sex, religion, disability, employment status, urban/rural locality, deprivation, qualifications and marital status.
But no differences were found based on people’s responsibility for dependents.
Further highlights included:
- The highest agreement rates across the population groups were found in Outcome 12 (we give our children and young people the best start in life). Those with no qualifications and those who were widowed/civil partner died had an 80% agreement rate.
- The highest disagreement rates were found in Outcome 7 (we have a safe community where we respect the law and each other). Those who were divorced/civil partnership legally dissolved had a disagreement rate of 49%, followed by 47% for those married/in a civil partnership and separated.
- Whether or not a respondent had a disability was the characteristic that most frequently resulted in a significance difference. This occurred in 11 of the 12 Outcomes. In each of these Outcomes, those with a disability always had a mean score which was significantly lower than those without a disability.
Further Information
Read the full report: Our Population: Perceptions of the Outcomes Framework 2018/19