Key points
- Over half (53%) of respondents were aware of the scheme before participating in the survey.
- Just over four in five (81%) agreed that period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them.
- Sixty-three percent of respondents agreed that public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products.
- Female respondents were significantly more likely than male respondents to be aware of the scheme and to support both the provision of free period products and the use of public libraries as a distribution location.
- Awareness and support were lower among older respondents (65+), with statistically significant differences evident across several age groups.
Background and introduction
This publication uses data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey to examine public attitudes to the Free Period Products scheme. The NILT survey is an annual, representative survey of the population of Northern Ireland, aged 18 and above.
This publication presents the results of three questions for the full sample. Full details on each are available in the Technical notes.
As 2025 was the first year that these questions were asked, comparisons over time are not yet available.
Analysis by sex and age is also provided.
Supplementary data tables accompanying this publication, with breakdowns by additional sub-population groups, are available on the Executive Office website.
Technical overview
Because NILT is a representative survey, the results presented in this report can be considered to be estimates of the views of the adult population of Northern Ireland.
Further information on weights applied to the data and statistical uncertainty (confidence intervals and significance differences) have been provided in the Technical notes, with full detail provided in the supplementary data tables.
The Technical notes also include further information on the NILT survey, definitions and analysis provided.
Note: Where applicable, response options ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Agree’ were merged into an ‘Agree’ category. Response options ‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Disagree’ were merged into a ‘Disagree’ category. ‘Prefer not to say’ response options were coded as missing for all questions.
Responses to the question: “Were you aware of the Free Period Products scheme before today?”
Overall responses
In 2025, just over half (53%) of respondents were aware of the Free Period Products scheme before taking part in the survey. In comparison, over two-fifths (43%) of respondents were unaware of the scheme, and 4% said they didn’t know.
Figure 1. Awareness of the Free Period Products scheme among respondents, 2025
Responses by sex and age, 2025
Figure 2 shows differences in awareness of the Free Period Products scheme by sex. 63% of females and 42% of males were aware of the scheme - this difference was statistically significant.
Figure 2. Awareness of the Free Period Products scheme by sex, 2025
Figure 3 shows the percentage of respondents who were aware of
the Free Period Products scheme varied by age in 2025. Those aged 65 and
over were least likely to be aware of the scheme (45%). This was
significantly lower than the proportion of respondents in the 25 to 44
(56%) and 45 to 64 (54%) age groups.
Figure 3. Percentage of respondents who were aware of the Free Period Products scheme by age, 2025
Responses to the statement: “Period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them.”
Overall responses
In 2025, support for the provision of free period products was high, with the majority (81%) of respondents agreeing with this statement. Four percent disagreed with this statement, while 10% neither agreed nor disagreed and 5% said they didn’t know.
Figure 4. Percentage of respondents who agreed or disagreed that “Period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them”, 2025
Responses by sex and age, 2025
Figure 5 shows that a majority of both males (74%) and females (88%) agreed that period products should be made available, free of charge, with females significantly more likely than males to agree with this statement.
Figure 5. Percentage of respondents who agreed or disagreed that “Period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them”, by sex, 2025
Figure 6 shows that agreement with the statement declined with
age. Support for free period products was highest among those aged 18 to
24 (94%). Significant differences were found between all age groups,
except the 18 to 24 and 25 to 44 groupings.
Figure 6. Percentage of respondents who agreed that “Period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them”, by age, 2025
Responses to the statement: “Public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products.”
Overall responses
Figure 7 shows that there is support for public libraries being used as a location for distributing free period products. In 2025, almost two-thirds of respondents (63%) agreed with this statement. Around one-fifth of respondents (19%) neither agreed nor disagreed and only 12% disagreed. A further 6% said they didn’t know.
Figure 7. Percentage of all respondents who agreed or disagreed that “Public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products”, 2025
Responses by sex and age, 2025
Figure 8 shows that a majority of both males (59%) and females (66%) agreed that public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products, with females significantly more likely than males to agree with this statement.
Figure 8. Percentage of respondents who agreed or disagreed that “Public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products”, by sex, 2025
Figure 9 shows that agreement with the statement declined with
age, ranging from almost three quarters (74%) of those in the 18 to 24
age group to just over half (51%) of those aged 65 and over. A
significantly lower proportion of those aged 65 and over (51%) agreed
that public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free
period products compared with all the other age groups. In addition, a
significantly higher proportion of respondents in the 25 to 44 age group
(68%) agreed, compared with those aged 45 to 64 (61%).
Figure 9. Percentage of respondents who agreed that “Public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products”, by age, 2025
Technical Notes
Methodology
Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) is an annual survey run by Access Research Knowledge (ARK). ARK is a social policy hub, established in 2000 by researchers at Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast. Every year, ARK administer the survey to a representative sample of adults, aged 18 years or over, living in Northern Ireland.
In the questionnaire, respondents were advised that under the Free Period Products scheme, from 13 May 2024, period products are available, free of charge, from public libraries (including mobile libraries).
After being provided with this statement, respondents were asked: “Were you aware of the Free Period Products scheme before today?” The response options for this question were: Yes; No; I don’t know; Prefer not to say.
They were then asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statements:
“Period products should be available, free of charge, to everyone who needs them.”
“Public libraries are a suitable location for distributing free period products.”
The response options for these two questions were: Strongly agree; Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree; I don’t know; Prefer not to say.
This publication presents findings for the overall sample and the demographic groups sex and age. Further breakdowns by religion, marital status, disability, sexual orientation and urban/rural area are available in the supplementary data tables.
Sample
The 2025 NILT survey sample was a systematic random sample of addresses selected from the Postcode Address File (PAF). The PAF is the most up-to-date and complete list of addresses in the UK. Prior to sample selection, non-residential addresses and businesses were removed from the list, where possible. A total of 8,000 addresses, stratified proportionately by LGD, were selected and issued with an invitation letter. The letter indicated that only the adult with the next birthday within the household was eligible for participation. The survey was conducted online, and the letter contained a URL survey link, unique to each household. To ensure that the survey was as inclusive as possible, participants could also ask to complete by telephone. Of the 8,000 addresses, 1,244 completed the survey, which is a response rate of 16%. The Free Period Products scheme questions were answered by between 1,238 and 1,239 respondents.
2025 NILT data collection period
Data for the 2025 NILT survey was collected between 26 September 2025 and 14 December 2025.
Variable coding
Free Period Products scheme questions
Where applicable, response options ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Agree’ were merged into an ‘Agree’ category. Response options ‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Disagree’ were merged into a ‘Disagree’ category. ‘Prefer not to say’ response options were coded as missing for all questions.
Sex
A binary coded variable (Male; Female), available in the NILT dataset, was used in the analyses.
Age
The following age categories were used: 18-24; 25-44; 45-64; 65+.
Statistics
When interpreting the findings in this publication, please note the following:
Rounding
Percentages within this publication have been rounded to the nearest integer and may therefore not sum to 100%.
Sampling error and weights
As NILT is a sample survey, there is a certain level of sampling error. This means that the characteristics of the group sampled will differ from the population as a whole. To account for this sampling error, and to ensure that reported estimates better represent the population, the data have been weighted by age, gender, and location, based on information from the Northern Ireland Census.
Confidence intervals and statistical significance
The supplementary data tables include detail on the 95% confidence intervals for each estimate. A confidence interval gives an indication of the degree of uncertainty of an estimate and helps to explain how precise it is. The wider a confidence interval is, the less precise the associated estimate is.
Statistically significant differences between demographic groups sex and age have been highlighted throughout the report, with full detail presented in worksheets 4a to 4c in the supplementary data tables. If two groups are significantly different from each other, it means that the difference between them 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% probability that the result was due to chance. The unweighted base numbers and weighted percentage estimates have an effect on statistical significance. Therefore, on occasion, a difference between two groups may be statistically significant while the same difference in percentage points between two other groups may not be statistically significant. The reason for this is that the larger the unweighted base numbers or the closer the percentages are to 0 or 100, the smaller the standard errors. This leads to increased precision of the estimates which increases the likelihood that the difference is significant.
More information on statistical uncertainty can be found on the ONS website
Publication threshold
It is the nature of sampling variability that the smaller the group whose size is being estimated, the less precise (proportionately) that estimate is. Estimates for groups where the sample base is less than 50 have been omitted from the report, as they are likely to be unreliable. This is denoted by ‘[u]’ in the supplementary data tables.
Disclosure control
Statistical disclosure control has been applied to instances of small cell counts (less than five). Data are not presented for confidentiality purposes. This is denoted by ‘[c]’ in the supplementary data tables.
Official statistics
These official statistics are produced in compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Our Statistical policies and statements provide further details of how we apply the principles and practices of the Code in the production and publication of our official statistics.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Reader information
| Date of publication | 08 October 2026 |
| Coverage | Northern Ireland |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Reporting period | Data is from 2025 |
| Statistical quality | Information detailed in this report has been quality assured prior to release. |
| Target audience | The Executive Office (TEO), other government departments, public bodies, community and voluntary sector organisations, educational professionals, academics, media and the public. |
| Web page | The Executive Office |
| Copyright | This publication is Crown copyright and may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium. Acknowledgement should be given for any material used, and the title of the publication specified. |
| Feedback | Comments on this publication are welcome. Please fill in our user survey or contact analyticalunit@executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk |
| Acknowledgement | Thanks are offered to all the individuals who took part in the surveys contributing to the findings presented in this report. Without their help this report would not have been possible. |
Contact Details
Status: Official Statistics
Published by: Statistics and Analysis Unit (SAU), The Executive Office (TEO)
Contact: Statistics and Analysis Unit
Publication date: 08 October 2026
Theme: Period Products (Free Provision)
Coverage: Northern Ireland
Frequency: Annual
Media enquiries should be directed to The Executive Office press office: press.office@executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk