Northern Ireland’s wellbeing did not improve over last year, research finds

The wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland did not improve between May 2023 and May 2024, according to new research by Carnegie UK. But associated survey work over the same period shows a small increase in the levels of trust for MLAs and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Now in its second year, Carnegie’s Life in the UK Index measures the collective wellbeing of the people of the UK by examining answers to questions across social, environmental, economic, and democratic themes. The index shows no statistically significant improvement across any of its headline measures for people in Northern Ireland between 2023 and 2024.

However, Ipsos survey work conducted as part of the research found that 54% of people in Northern Ireland said that they have low levels of trust in May 2024 in the Northern Ireland Executive, compared to 66% in May 2023. Over the same period the proportion of people reporting they had low levels of trust in MLAs fell to 54% in 2024 from 63% in 2023.

In the paper Carnegie UK stresses that democratic wellbeing in Northern Ireland remains unacceptably low. The foundation makes the case for the Northern Ireland Executive to invest in more participative models of decision-making such as citizen juries to address this problem.

Furthermore, the new report warns that inequalities in society are undermining quality of life in Northern Ireland. However, the paper commends the ‘outcomes-based’, ‘mission-led’ approach outlined in the Executive’s recent Programme for Government which Carnegie UK says will be key to improving wellbeing.

In addition, Carnegie makes the case for new legislation to drive the cross-government action required to tackle the biggest challenges facing the people of Northern Ireland.

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of Carnegie UK, said: “One of the few bright spots we found in our research this year was a modest increase in MLAs and the Executive amongst the people of Northern Ireland. This is likely to be due to the restoration of power-sharing arrangements at Stormont.

“However, this slight uptick is from an extremely low base and won’t be maintained if people feel that they can’t influence the decisions that are important to their lives. That’s why we’re making the case for the Executive to systematically roll-out new initiatives – such as citizens’ juries – which allow more people to have a say over key policies.”

Carnegie UK is a public policy foundation focussed on improving people’s wellbeing. The foundation argues that improving people’s lives should be the overarching aim of government.

For a second year running, the research identifies groups in Northern Irish society with lower levels of wellbeing. These include disabled people, people on lower incomes and people aged 16 to 34..

Carnegie’s survey work found that a fifth of people in Northern Ireland (21%) feel unsafe in their neighbourhood after dark and 35 per cent of people in Northern Ireland can’t afford an unexpected expense of £850.

Notably, 66% of people in Northern Ireland find it difficult to get a GP appointment at a time when they need one (compared to 52% in England, 48% in Scotland and 49% in Wales).

Carnegie UK’s paper argues that the Executive should introduce new legislation to co-ordinate public bodies to address the issues identified in the research.

Sarah Davidson said: “Our research reveals that large numbers of people in Northern Ireland aren’t having their basic needs met, in line with the rest of the UK. While the restoration of power-sharing arrangements at Stormont was a step forward, there’s a long road ahead if we’re going to tackle issues such as community safety and entrenched poverty.

“That’s why we’re urging the Executive to build on the vision outlined in their recent Programme for Government by delivering new legislation to enable the cross-government approach required to tackle these problems.”

Professor Duncan Morrow, director of community engagement at Ulster University and Carnegie UK trustee, said: “These findings will sadly not surprise many people in Northern Ireland. After so many years without government, faith in our political systems is strained and we are all too aware of the inequalities on our doorstep.

“Northern Ireland’s policymakers need to rise to the challenge spelled out by this research. We need to see an ongoing commitment to the outcomes focussed approach detailed in the recent programme for government.”