This report explores the current attitudes of residents living beside peace walls in Northern Ireland in the context of the Northern Ireland Executive’s ‘Together: Building a United Community’ (TBUC) strategy, published in May 2013, which set itself a target of removing all interface barriers (peace walls) by 2023. With funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), our research team considered the broader issues of peace walls and public policy in Northern Ireland over a 12-month period, concluding September 2015. The research team worked in partnership with the Department of Justice who are leading the programme to deliver the TBUC target of removing all interface barriers by 2023. This included a number of discrete quantitative and qualitative research reports and several focused workshops designed to allow key stakeholders inside and beyond the Department to reflect on the requirements for delivery and to bring to light critical issues influencing the policy outcome. This report on public attitudes towards peace walls forms one part of the year-long knowledge-exchange engagement.
Jonny Byrne, Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Duncan Morrow & Brendan Sturgeon
UU & DoJ