Key Findings
This publication presents findings from the 2024 and 2025 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) surveys, alongside longer-term trends from 2016 to 2025. The main findings are:
- Respondents of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey were classified as feeling respected if they reported that they never experienced any of nine behaviours identified in the Everyday Discrimination Scale.
- In 2024, 12% of respondents reported feeling respected and 23% of respondents reported feeling respected in 2025. There were no methodological changes between years to explain the statistically significant difference of 11 percentage points.
- In 2025, 21% of female respondents and 25% of male respondents reported feeling respected.
- In 2025, 26% of Catholic respondents, 25% of Protestant respondents and 17% of respondents categorised as ‘Other’ reported feeling respected.
- Respondents aged 65 years and over in 2025 were significantly more likely than younger respondents to feel respected, with 40% reporting this.
- In 2024, 8% of respondents with disabilities reported feeling respected, significantly lower than the 14% of respondents without disabilities.
- Respondents in 2025 reported experiencing the following behaviours at least monthly: people acting as if they were better than the respondent (17%); people acting as if they thought the respondent was not smart (14%); being treated with less courtesy than others (11%); and being treated with less respect than others (11%).
- Respondents in 2025 reported never experiencing the following behaviours: people acting as if they were afraid of them (83%); and people act as if they think you are dishonest (76%).
Background
Each year, the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey provides a snapshot of the attitudes, beliefs and experiences of adults in Northern Ireland on a range of social issues. While the topics covered by NILT vary from year to year, the respect module has been included annually since the Respect Index was first introduced.
The respect module includes a set of nine questions known as the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS). This measures perception of discrimination experienced by individuals in their daily lives. Responses to the nine questions are collated to report proportions who ‘feel respected’ and ‘do not feel respected’ – the Respect Index.
The NILT survey was conducted face-to-face until 2019. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey moved to a push-to-web approach in 2020 and this methodology has been retained in subsequent years. Comparisons between data collected before and after 2020 should therefore be interpreted with caution, as differences may reflect changes in survey methodology, as well as changes in attitudes and experiences.
This publication presents findings from the 2024 and 2025 NILT surveys, alongside longer-term trends, covering the period 2016 to 2025. The findings are considered within the context of the wider time series, enabling recent results to be viewed alongside longer-term patterns in reported respect.
Respect in 2024 and 2025
As detailed in the Changes Over Time section, readers are encouraged to consider longer-term trends in the Respect Index.
Overall
In 2024, 12% of respondents reported feeling respected.
In 2025, 23% of respondents reported feeling respected.
The 11 percentage points increase in the Respect Index between 2024 (12%) and 2025 (23%) was statistically significant.
Sex
In 2024, similar proportions of female (12%) and male (13%) respondents reported feeling respected.
In 2025, 21% of female respondents reported feeling respected, compared with one quarter (25%) of male respondents.
Differences between 2024 and 2025 were statistically significant for both females and males. However, differences between females and males within each year were not statistically significant.
Figure 1. Percentage of respondents who felt respected in 2024 and 2025, by sex
Religion
In 2024, reported levels of respect were similar among Catholic (11%), Protestant (13%) and ‘Other’ (11%) respondents. ‘Other’ includes those with no religion, all other religions, those who answered don’t know or gave no answer.
Reported levels of respect increased significantly across all religious groups between 2024 and 2025, with the largest increase observed among Catholic respondents, rising from 11% to 26%.
In 2025, 26% of Catholic respondents, 25% of Protestant respondents and 17% of ‘Other’ respondents reported feeling respected.
In 2025, differences between Catholic and ‘Other’ respondents, and between Protestant and ‘Other’ respondents, were statistically significant; however, differences between Catholic and Protestant respondents were not statistically significant.
Figure 2. Percentage of respondents who felt respected in 2024 and 2025, by religion
Age
In 2024, 23% of those age 65 and over reported feeling respected, statistically significantly higher than the other age categories.
In 2025, differences between all age groups were statistically significant, with the exception of those between the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups and between the 18-24 and 35-49 age groups.
Those aged 65 years and over in 2025 reported the highest feeling of respect, at 40%.
Figure 3. Percentage of respondents who felt respected in 2024 and 2025, by age
Disability
In 2024, 8% of respondents with disabilities reported feeling respected, significantly lower than the 14% of respondents without disabilities.
In 2025, 22% of respondents with disabilities reported feeling respected, compared to 23% of respondents without disabilities.
Figure 4. Percentage of respondents who felt respected in 2024 and 2025, by disability status
Individual Respect Items
Figures 5a and 5b show the frequency with which respondents experienced each of the nine items included in the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS). ‘Occasionally’ includes respondents who experienced the behaviour less than once a year or a few times a year, while ‘Monthly or more often’ includes those who experienced the behaviour a few times a month, at least once a week, or almost every day.
In both 2024 and 2025, the three least commonly experienced behaviours (respondents reported never experiencing the behaviour) were: people acting as if they were afraid of the respondent (2024:74%; 2025:83%), people acting as if they thought the respondent was dishonest (2024:67%; 2025:76%), and being threatened or harassed (2024:66%; 2025:69%).
The behaviours most commonly experienced (at least monthly) were: people acting as if they were better than the respondent (2024:22%; 2025: 17%), people acting as if they thought the respondent was not smart (2024:17%; 2025:14%), being treated with less courtesy than others (2024:22%; 2025:11%), and being treated with less respect than others (2024:20%; 2025:11%).
Figure 5a. Percentage of respondents who experienced disrespectful behaviours in 2024
Figure 5b. Percentage of respondents who experienced disrespectful behaviours in 2025
Changes Over Time
As shown in Figure 6, 28% of respondents felt respected in 2016. This proportion increased to 37% in 2017 and remained relatively stable until 2019 (36%). Then there was a steep decline between 2019 and 2020 in the proportion of respondents who felt respected, from 36% to 19%. It is not possible to say with certainty the reasons why this has happened, but it is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the shift from an in-person to an online mode of the survey, played a role in this.
The proportion of respondents who felt respected remained relatively stable from 2020 to 2023 (2023:20%). The Respect Index dropped significantly to 12% in 2024, representing the lowest level recorded since the measure was introduced. The proportion of adults who felt respected in 2025 (23%) was significantly higher than in 2024 but significantly lower when compared to the baseline year of 2016 (28%). Readers should consider longer-term trends when drawing inferences from this report.
Given the fluctuations over the 2023-2025 period, the survey methodology was reviewed to assess whether any changes may have contributed to the result. No substantial methodological changes were identified between the 2023, 2024 and 2025 surveys. The respect module of the survey was completed by 1,154 respondents in 2023, 1,162 respondents in 2024 and 1,208 respondents in 2025 (these respondents completed all nine questions from the module).There is no evidence from the survey design or fieldwork procedures to suggest that the lower Respect Index observed in 2024 resulted from methodological changes. Further details are provided in the Technical Notes.
The Respect Index is derived from nine Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) items and classifies respondents as feeling respected only where they report never experiencing any of the nine behaviours. Consequently, relatively small changes across several individual items can result in larger changes in the overall Respect Index.
Further examination of responses to the EDS items suggests that much of the change observed between 2023 and 2024 was associated with respondents moving away from the “Never” category and into lower-frequency response categories, particularly “Less than once a year” and “A few times a year”. There was comparatively little evidence of increases in the highest-frequency response categories, such as experiences occurring at least once a week or almost every day.
This pattern was observed across several EDS items. While it is not possible to determine the reasons for these changes, the findings suggest that the decline in the Respect Index in 2024 may have reflected an increase in the reporting of occasional or infrequent experiences of disrespect, rather than a substantial increase in more frequent experiences. Conversely, the increase observed in 2025 was accompanied by a broadly similar pattern in the opposite direction, with more respondents selecting “Never” and fewer selecting lower-frequency response categories.
Figure 6. Percentage of all respondents who felt respected across time
Note. The survey methodology changed between 2019 and 2020, when the survey moved from a face-to-face to a push-to-web approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sex (Changes over Time)
There is little difference between female and male respondents in levels of feeling respected within each year over the time series.
Compared with 2016, levels of respect among male respondents have returned to the 2016 level (2016:25%; 2025:25%). In contrast, levels of respect among female respondents have significantly decreased (2016:30%; 2025:21%).
Figure 7. Percentage of respondents who felt respected across time, by sex
Note. The survey methodology changed between 2019 and 2020, when the survey moved from a face-to-face to a push-to-web approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Religion (Changes over Time)
Levels of respect reported across each religion group were lower in 2025 than in 2016.
Levels reported by Catholic and Protestant respondents were very similar in both years, while those in the ‘Other’ category reported significantly lower levels of respect in both 2016 and 2025 (Catholic: 2016:30%; 2025:26%; Protestant: 2016:30%; 2025:25%; Other 2016:22%; 2025:17%). ‘Other’ includes those with no religion, all other religions, those who answered don’t know or gave no answer.
Figure 8. Percentage of respondents who felt respected across time, by religion
Note. The survey methodology changed between 2019 and 2020, when the survey moved from a face-to-face to a push-to-web approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Age (Changes over Time)
Respondents aged 65 years and over consistently reported the highest levels of feeling respected across all years.
Among respondents aged 50-64, levels of feeling respected were unchanged between 2016 and 2025, at 27%.
For all other age groups, levels in 2025 were lower than the corresponding levels in 2016.
Figure 9. Percentage of respondents who felt respected across time, by age
Note. The survey methodology changed between 2019 and 2020, when the survey moved from a face-to-face to a push-to-web approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disability (Changes over Time)
Prior to the 2020 methodology change, respondents with a disability generally reported similar or slightly higher levels of respect than those without a disability.
From 2020 onwards, Respect Index values were lower for both groups, with respondents without a disability consistently reporting higher levels than those with a disability.
Compared with 2016, levels of respect in 2025 remained lower for both groups (with disability: 2016:33%; 2025:22% without a disability: 2016:27%; 2025:23%).
Figure 10. Percentage of respondents who felt respected across time, by disability
Note. The survey methodology changed between 2019 and 2020, when the survey moved from a face-to-face to a push-to-web approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Historical Context
The Respect Index reflects respondents’ experiences and perceptions at a particular point in time. A range of social, political, economic and public health developments may influence these experiences.
Figure 11 presents the Respect Index alongside selected events that occurred during the period covered by the series. These events are included to provide context on the wider environment in which experiences were reported and to support interpretation of longer-term trends.
The events presented were selected on the basis of their prominence in public life during the period covered by the series. Their inclusion is intended for contextual purposes only and should not be interpreted as indicating a causal relationship with changes in Respect Index scores.
Figure 11. Percentage of respondents who felt respected between 2016 and 2025, with selected contextual events
Note: Data points and event lines are shown at mid-year points, rather than exact dates when data collection and/or events happened. The vertical dashed line identifies 2020, when the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey transitioned from face-to-face interviewing to a push-to-web survey approach. This methodological change coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and may have affected comparability with earlier years.
Technical Notes
Sample
The Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey is an annual survey conducted by Access Research Knowledge (ARK), a joint initiative between Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. The survey monitors the attitudes, behaviours and experiences of adults aged 18 years and over living in Northern Ireland across a range of social policy issues.
Trend analyses presented in this report are based on NILT surveys conducted between 2016 and 2025. Detailed commentary focuses on the most recent survey years, 2024 and 2025.
A total of 8,000 addresses, stratified proportionately by District Council area, were selected and received an invitation letter. Each letter sent to the selected addresses clearly stated that the survey should be completed by one adult (aged 18 or over) in the household, and that if there were two or more adults then the adult with the next birthday should complete the survey.
In 2024, the majority (98%) of the total surveys achieved were completed using Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), while 2% were completed using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Of the 8,000 addresses contacted, 1,199 completed the survey. The respect module of the survey was completed by 1,162 respondents (these respondents completed all nine questions from the module).
In 2025, the majority (97%) of the total surveys achieved were completed using CAWI, while 3% were completed using CATI. Of the 8,000 addresses contacted, 1,244 completed the survey. The respect module of the survey was completed by 1,208 respondents (these respondents completed all nine questions from the module).
Weighting
All analyses in this report are based on weighted data to ensure that the results are representative of the Northern Ireland adult population.
Weighting adjusts for differential response rates by increasing the influence of underrepresented groups and decreasing the influence of overrepresented groups. A Random Iterative Method (RIM) weighting procedure was applied using population benchmarks derived from the 2021 Northern Ireland Census.
The weighting variables included age, sex and location. These were used to align the sample with the known characteristics of the Northern Ireland adult population.
Variable coding
Respect Index
The Respect Index is derived from the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), which asks respondents how often they experience a range of behaviours in their day-to-day lives.
The nine items included in the scale are:
- Being treated with less courtesy than others
- Being treated with less respect than others
- Receiving poorer service than others in restaurants or shops
- People acting as if they think you are not smart
- People acting as if they are afraid of you
- People acting as if they think you are dishonest
- People acting as if they are better than you
- Being called names or insulted
- Being threatened or harassed
Response options for each item were:
- Almost every day
- At least once a week
- A few times a month
- A few times a year
- Less than once a year
- Never
- Prefer not to say
Respondents were classified as feeling respected if they selected Never for all nine items.
Respondents with missing data for one or more of the nine items were excluded from the calculation of the Respect Index.
For the analysis of individual EDS items, responses were recoded as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. NILT 2024 and 2025 response options for items on the Everyday Discrimination Scale
| NILT response options | Recoding used in this report |
|---|---|
| Almost every day | Monthly or more often |
| At least once a week | Monthly or more often |
| A few times a month | Monthly or more often |
| A few times a year | Occasionally |
| Less than once a year | Occasionally |
| Never | Never |
| Prefer not to say | Excluded from analysis |
Sex
In the NILT surveys, respondents were asked to indicate their sex as part of the household composition questions.
Response options were:
- Male
- Female
- In another way
- Don’t know
- Prefer not to say
Analyses by sex presented in this report are based on respondents who identified as male or female.
The numbers of respondents selecting “In another way”, “Don’t know”, or “Prefer not to say” were too small to support robust statistical analysis. Consequently, these respondents were excluded from analyses by sex.
Religion
In the NILT surveys, respondents were asked whether they regarded themselves as belonging to any particular religion and, if so, which.
For analysis, respondents were grouped into three categories:
- Catholic
- Protestant
- Other
‘Other’ includes those with no religion, all other religions, those who answered don’t know or gave no answer.
The original response options and the recoding applied for the purposes of this report are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. NILT response options for the religion question
| NILT response options | Recoding for the current report |
|---|---|
| No religion | Other |
| Catholic | Catholic |
| Church of Ireland/Anglican/Episcopal | Protestant |
| Baptist | Protestant |
| Methodist | Protestant |
| Presbyterian | Protestant |
| Free Presbyterian | Protestant |
| Brethren | Protestant |
| United Reform Church (URC)/Congregational | Protestant |
| Pentecostal | Protestant |
| Church of Scotland | Protestant |
| Elim Pentecostal | Protestant |
| Reformed Presbyterian | Protestant |
| Non-subscribing Presbyterian | Protestant |
| Salvation Army | Protestant |
| Church of Nazarene | Protestant |
| Jehovahs Witness | Other |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) | Other |
| Other Protestant, Please say which___ | Protestant |
| Other Christian, Please say which___ | Other |
| Hindu | Other |
| Jewish | Other |
| Islam/Muslim | Other |
| Sikh | Other |
| Buddhist | Other |
| Other (please write in) | Other |
| I don’t know | Other |
| Prefer not to say | Other |
Age
In the NILT surveys, respondents were asked to provide their age as part of the household composition questions.
For the purposes of this report, age was recoded into the following categories:
- 18 to 24
- 25 to 34
- 35 to 49
- 50 to 64
- 65 and over
Respondents who did not provide their exact age were asked to select an age band. These respondents were excluded from the age analysis because the age bands used by ARK do not align with the age categories used in this report and could not, therefore, be assigned consistently to the analysis groups.
Disability
In the NILT surveys, respondents were asked whether they had any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting, or expected to last, 12 months or more.
Response options were:
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Respondents who answered “Yes” were then asked whether their condition or illness reduced their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
Response options were:
- Yes, a lot
- Yes, a little
- No, not at all
- Prefer not to say
For the purposes of this report, respondents who selected “Yes, a lot” or “Yes, a little” were categorised as having a disability. Respondents who selected “No, not at all”, together with those who responded “No” to the initial question, were categorised as not having a disability.
Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” at either stage were excluded from disability-based analyses.
Statistics
When interpreting the findings in this report, please note the following:
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and may, therefore, not sum to 100%.
Percentage-point differences presented in the report are calculated using unrounded values and may, therefore, differ slightly from calculations based on rounded figures.
Due to missing values on demographic variables, the number of respondents included in each analysis may vary. Base sizes are reported in the accompanying data tables. Missing values arise where respondents chose not to answer a question or did not provide a response.
Comparisons between percentages should be treated with caution where base sizes are small. For the purposes of this report, a base size is considered small when it comprises fewer than 100 respondents. Base sizes are provided in the accompanying data tables to support interpretation.
Comparisons over time should be interpreted with caution where there have been changes in survey methodology. The Northern Ireland Life and Times survey transitioned from face-to-face interviewing to a push-to-web methodology in 2020; therefore, comparisons between data collected before and after 2020 should be treated with caution.
Significant difference refers to statistical significance between two groups. If two groups are significantly different from each other, it means that the difference between the two groups is unlikely to have occurred by chance. All tests were conducted at .05 significance level. This means that if a difference between two groups is reported as significant, there is less than (<) 5% chance that the result was due to chance.
Tests of significant differences (Z tests) were conducted where appropriate. Each test compared two groups. Four variables were of particular interest: sex (male, female), religion (Catholics, Protestant, ‘Other’), age (18-24, 25-34, 35-49, 50-64, 65+) and disability (with disabilities, without disabilities). Statistically significant results are reported for the most relevant response categories.
Data tables accompanying this publication are available at:
The Executive Office Statistics and Research website
Reader information
Contact
Mark Cartwright
Statistics and Research Branch
The Executive Office
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