Wellbeing in Northern Ireland shows slight improvement

The wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland improved slightly between 2024 and 2026, according to an influential research series produced by Carnegie UK.

Carnegie’s Life in the UK index for 2026 is based on a survey of 6,731 people – including 714 in Northern Ireland – across social, economic, environmental and democratic themes. The index gives Northern Ireland an overall collective wellbeing score of 62 out of 100, a statistically significant improvement since 2024.

Trust in several key institutions has improved over time, according to the May survey. The share of people saying that they have high trust in banks has reached 29%, the highest level recorded in Northern Ireland since the Index began in 2023. The share of people reporting low trust in the UK Government in Northern Ireland has fallen to 49% in 2026 from 64% in 2024. The share of people with low trust in the Northern Ireland Executive now sits at 48% in comparison to 66% in 2023 when power sharing arrangements were not in place.

These changes contributed to an improved headline score for collective wellbeing in Northern Ireland. But the charity warns that this increase in trust did come from a very low level and that it is unclear what unrest in Northern Ireland since the Spring polling means for trust in politics.

The data shows that just over two thirds of people (69%) surveyed said that they do not feel they can influence decisions affecting Northern Ireland, a proportion which has not improved over time. Trust also remains consistently low in news media, social media and big tech companies.

Social, economic and environmental wellbeing in Northern Ireland has changed little since 2023, with Northern Ireland avoiding some of the declines seen elsewhere in the UK. The clearest improvement has been in democratic wellbeing, which has risen from 36 out of 100 in 2023 to 39 in 2026. It is still Northern Ireland’s lowest-scoring area, but for the first time the score is level with the UK average.

Northern Ireland’s economic wellbeing score stands at 68 out of 100 and is no longer below the UK average. People are more satisfied with local job opportunities than elsewhere in the UK, while 83% are satisfied with their education and skills, seven percentage points higher than in 2023. However, compared with the UK average, fewer people in Northern Ireland can afford to heat their homes, cover an unexpected expense of £850 or socialise outside their home once a month.

The results also show significant inequalities in Northern Ireland. People in the highest household income group of £100,000 or above have an economic wellbeing score of 86, compared with 55 among those in the lowest household income band (under £25,999), a gap of 31 points. Social housing tenants have an economic wellbeing score of 46 compared with 72 for homeowners, while disabled people score 60 compared with 72 among people who are not disabled.

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of Carnegie UK, said: “Our index shows wellbeing moving in the right direction in Northern Ireland in comparison to previous years. But the data still shows that too many people still feel shut out of the decisions that affect their lives, despite the recent modest improvements.

“A lot has changed since this polling was conducted, and it is unclear what the impact of last summer’s anti-immigration riots and the Drumcree stand-off will have on people’s trust in politics and democracy in Northern Ireland.

“At Carnegie UK, we make the case for government decision-makers to work toward systematically improving people’s lives. Ministers at the NI Executive should be able to find common cause towards this goal and build upon some of the progress made during this political term.”

Ann Watt, director of independent think tank Pivotal said: “Carnegie’s new Index gives us valuable insights into how people are experiencing life in Northern Ireland. It includes a wealth of data covering social, economic, environmental and democratic wellbeing, and allows us to track what has happened over time, as well as to compare with other parts of the UK.

“Overall, the survey finds a slight improvement in wellbeing in Northern Ireland, driven by an increase in democratic wellbeing (with social, economic and environmental wellbeing remaining broadly the same as previous years). While this finding is welcome, the survey was carried out in May, and we would question whether the same improvement to democratic wellbeing would be observed now given the impact of recent political disputes on the effective operation of the NI Executive.

“Along with looking at how wellbeing in Northern Ireland has changed over time, the research also allows us to see how NI compares to other parts of the UK. Northern Ireland scores higher than the UK average on social and environmental wellbeing, but lower on economic and democratic wellbeing. It is also notable that NI has not seen declines in wellbeing experienced elsewhere in the UK in recent years. Once again the Northern Ireland data expose severe inequalities in wellbeing across all the domains, particularly the impacts of being on a lower income, having a disability and living in social housing.”

Stuart Mackinnon – [email protected] – 07934 296831
Claire Martin – [email protected] – 07921 480526