Conferences

This paper will explore issues involved when including sensitive topics in questionnaires, using the example of religious and national identity in Northern Ireland. Although many violent political conflicts actually relate to tensions over territory, power or resources, the ‘identity’ of different groups also plays a crucial role. Whilst any individual may hold several identities at any one time (for example, father and Catholic; woman and Asian), single identities are often talked about in isolation. The aim of this research was to explore the nature of national and religious identities in a more textured way than previous surveys had done, and so included a set of questions in the 2007 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey. The research team set out to uncover the extent of diversity evident within the main national and religious groups. In addition to the strength of attachment or loyalty people showed to national and religious groups labels, the manner in which the identities combined and their impact on attitudes and emotional responses was also explored.

The paper will consider the methodological issues relating to the inclusion of sensitive topics, and how the 2007 NILT survey incorporated innovative methods to tap into emotions relating to different forms of identity. Using these survey data, this paper will examine the extent to which national and religious identities that have underpinned difference and division in Northern Ireland still remain, nearly a decade after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. The paper will conclude with an evaluation of how well the survey was able to incorporate the complexities and sensitivities of identity, and evaluate if the research team achieved their aim.