Introduction

About the Public Prosecution Service

The Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS), which is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, is the principal prosecuting authority in Northern Ireland. In addition to taking decisions as to prosecution in cases investigated by the police, it also considers cases investigated by other statutory authorities, such as HM Revenue and Customs. The primary role of the PPS is to reach decisions to prosecute or not to prosecute and to have responsibility for the conduct of criminal proceedings.

A range of options is also available for dealing with offenders other than through prosecution. These options include cautions, informed warnings and youth conferencing. Prosecutors may also refer offenders to the National Driver Alertness Scheme or to a Community Restorative Justice Scheme.

Background

Between 2013 and 2018, the PPS published ‘Perceptions of the Public Prosecution Service: Findings from the Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey’, including results from a module of 5 questions relating to public awareness and public confidence in the PPS. Survey information is used by the PPS for a variety of purposes, such as informing the development of policy and assessing the effectiveness of communication. Data in respect of the PPS’s effectiveness and its fairness and impartiality are also used as key performance indicators for the Service. Findings from Perceptions of the Public Prosecution Service can be found on the PPS website.

Due to the discontinuation of the Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey in 2018, the PPS commissioned a module for inclusion in the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 2018. This particular survey was selected due to its methodology broadly matching that of the Omnibus Survey and its representativeness across Northern Ireland. The PPS commissioned a module in the survey again in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) Survey was launched by the University of Ulster and the Queen’s University of Belfast in the autumn of 1998. Its mission is to monitor the attitudes and behaviour of people in Northern Ireland annually to provide a time-series and a public record of how attitudes and behaviour develop on a wide range of social policy issues. The survey is run on a modular format and aims to provide a local resource for use by the general public and a data source for public and academic debate. The survey consists of a number of different modules, each based on a specific topic. The modules included in the 2023 survey were: introductory questions, respect, attitudes to minority ethnic groups, parades, reconciliation, palliative care, criminal justice system, gender-based violence, political attitudes, community safety, political violence and background.

Whilst the NILT Survey closely mirrors the Omnibus Survey in terms of the methodology for selecting respondents, there are some differences. For example, the NILT Survey tends to focus on a small range of related policy issues, involving in-depth questioning, whereas the Omnibus Survey usually involved a larger number of unrelated modules. This has provided a new context for the PPS module to that of the Omnibus Survey.

The Survey

A total of four questions specific to the PPS were included in the 2023 NILT Survey in order to gauge the following:

  • Public awareness of the PPS (Question 1).
  • Public perceptions of the PPS’s effectiveness in prosecuting people accused of committing a crime (Question 2).
  • Public perceptions of the PPS’s fairness and impartiality (Question 3).
  • Public perceptions of the PPS’s independence (Question 4).

Question 1 was asked of all respondents. Questions 2, 3 and 4 relate only to those respondents who had heard of the PPS (i.e. respondents who had answered ‘yes’ at question 1).

In 2020, the survey was transitioned to a push-to-web methodology, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and this approach was retained in 2021, 2022 and again in 2023. A large-scale Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) survey was developed. However, the survey was designed to be as inclusive as possible, presenting participants with a range of ways in which they could complete the survey. Thus, participants could also complete the survey via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). Detailed notes have been supplied, which provide an account of the technical aspects of the survey, including the origin of the sample, response rates and its representativeness and they can be found at the end of this report.

This report provides information in respect of the 2023 NILT Survey, conducted between September 2023 and January 2024. Please note that while a small portion of the data collection fell into early 2024, this most recent survey is referred to as the 2023 NILTS. As this is the sixth year the PPS has commissioned a module in the Survey, comparisons can be made across the previous five years. Analysis of each of the PPS questions is available across ten key variables, as follows: Age-group, gender, religion, partnership status, limiting health condition/disability status, dependant status, employment status, qualification level, socio-economic classification and PPS Region. For the purposes of this report, the analysis has been limited to age, gender and religion. However, data in respect of any of the remaining variables can be provided on request.

It should be noted that the 2023 NILT Survey has produced a relatively high proportion of people who answered ‘don’t know’ in response to the questions. These ‘don’t knows’ have been excluded from the main body of the report. As such, the focus of the bulletin is on those people who have offered an opinion regarding the PPS. However, in the interests of transparency, the full results (including the ‘don’t know’ responses) have been set out in the second part of this bulletin.

The total responses for each question presented within the main body of the report are based on weighted data. Percentages in the tables may not add to 100% due to rounding. Unweighted base numbers across the tables will vary due to the exclusion of ‘don’t knows’. Unless otherwise stated, the figures throughout this bulletin will exclude ‘don’t knows’. Where base numbers are less than 50, figures within the tables and charts have been supressed to avoid misrepresentation.

Official Statistics

The statistics within this report are ‘Official Statistics’ as defined in Section 6 of the Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007. Statisticians from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency are seconded to the PPS and are responsible for ensuring that the statistics produced comply with the Code of Practice for 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 or via the OSR website.”

Part One

Key findings

Q1 Had you heard of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, ‘the PPS’? (Yes, No)

Of the respondents that were surveyed, 87.8% had heard of the PPS.

The age group 45-64 years old contained the largest proportion of respondents answering ‘yes’ to this question (95.5%), with those aged under 25 containing the lowest proportion (61.4%).

A greater proportion of male respondents (91.4%) than female respondents (84.4%) had heard of the PPS.

A similar proportion of Catholic respondents (89.6%) to Protestant respondents (87.5%) had heard of the PPS.

Q2 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime?

Just under half (45.8%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime. This compares with 54.2% who stated that they were either not very or not at all confident.

There was no significant difference between age groups with regard to confidence in the PPS’s effectiveness at prosecuting.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (45.9% and 45.8% respectively) felt either very or fairly confident in the PPS’s effectiveness at prosecuting.

A similar proportion of Catholic respondents (45.4%) to Protestant respondents (48.2%) were either very or fairly confident that the PPS is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime.

Q3 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service provides a fair and impartial prosecution service?

Just under three fifths (56.1%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS provides a fair and impartial prosecution service, while 43.9% were either not very or not at all confident.

Respondents aged 25-44 were less likely than the oldest age group to show confidence in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality, with 52% stating that they were either very or fairly confident, compared to 62.3% in the 65+ age group.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (58.7% and 52.8% respectively) were either very or fairly confident in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality.

A greater proportion of Protestant respondents (62.2%) than Catholic respondents (51.2%) felt very or fairly confident in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality.

Q4 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service takes its prosecution decisions independently? (that is, independent of police, Government or any other body).

Just over half (54.9%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS takes its prosecution decisions independently, while 45.1% were either not very or not at all confident.

There was no significant difference between age groups with regard to confidence in the PPS’s independent decision taking.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (55.3% and 54.3% respectively) were either very or fairly confident in the independence of the PPS’s decision taking.

A similar proportion of Protestant respondents (59.7%) to Catholic respondents (55.5%) stated they were very or fairly confident in the independence of the PPS’s decision taking.

Results for each question

Q1 Had you heard of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, ‘the PPS’?

Of the respondents surveyed, 87.8% had heard of the PPS. This compares with a similar figure of 88.8% in 2022.

The age group 45-64 years contained the largest proportion of respondents answering ‘yes’ to this question (97%) with those aged under 25 containing the lowest proportion (61.4%). The proportions were similar in 2022.

A greater proportion of male respondents (91.4%) than female respondents (84.4%) had heard of the PPS. The proportions in the 2022 survey were similar, with males at 91% and females at 86.6%.

Similar proportions of Catholic respondents (89.6%) and Protestant respondents (87.5%) had heard of the PPS.

Figure 1: Responses to Q1 in past five years by age

Figure 2: Responses to Q1 in past five years by gender

Figure 3: Responses to Q1 in past five years by religion

Q2 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime?

Just under half (45.8%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime. This is lower than the 2022 figure of 52.4%.

Confidence in the PPS’s effectiveness at prosecuting was similar across all age groups.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (45.9% and 45.8% respectively) felt either very or fairly confident in the PPS’s effectiveness at prosecuting.

A similar proportion of Catholic respondents (45.4%) than Protestant respondents (48.2%) were either very or fairly confident that the PPS is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime.

Figure 4: Responses to Q2 in past five years by age

Figure 5: Responses to Q2 in past five years by gender

Figure 6: Responses to Q2 in past five years by religion

Q3 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service provides a fair and impartial prosecution service?

Just under three-fifths (56.1%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS provides a fair and impartial prosecution service. This is lower than the proportion in 2022 (60.6)

Respondents aged 25-44 were less likely than the oldest age group to show confidence in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality, with 52% stating that they were either very or fairly confident, compared to 62.3 in the 65+ age group.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (58.7% and 52.8% respectively) were either very or fairly confident in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality.

A greater proportion of Protestant (62.2%) than Catholic respondents (51.2%) felt very or fairly confident in the PPS’s fairness and impartiality. In 2022, the disparity was similar at 66.8% for Protestants and 55.2% for Catholics.

Figure 7: Responses to Q3 in past five years by age

Figure 8: Responses to Q3 in past five years by gender

Figure 9: Responses to Q3 in past five years by religion

Q4 How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service takes its prosecution decisions independently? (that is, independent of police, Government or any other body).

Just over half (54.9%) of all respondents were either very or fairly confident that the PPS takes its prosecution decisions independently. In 2022, the proportion of adults responding either very or fairly confident was higher at 60.1%.

There was no significant difference between age groups with regard to confidence in the PPS’s independent decision taking.

Similar proportions of male and female respondents (55.3% and 54.3% respectively) were either very or fairly confident in the independence of the PPS’s decision taking. Proportions were also similar in 2022 (60.7% of males and 59.7% of females).

A similar proportion of Protestant respondents (59.7%) to Catholic respondents (55.5%) stated they were very or fairly confident in the independence of the PPS’s decision taking. The gap has narrowed since 2022 (69.9% for Protestants and 49.2% for Catholics).

Figure 10: Responses to Q4 in past five years by age

Figure 11: Responses to Q4 in past five years by gender

Figure 12: Responses to Q4 in past five years by religion

Part Two

Results Excluding ‘Don’t Knows’

Table 1 Question 1 - Had you heard of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, ‘the PPS’?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2022 Yes 88.8 59.7 86.5 94.4 96.1 91 86.6 88.8 91.7 86.3
No 11.2 40.3 13.5 5.6 3.9 9 13.4 11.2 8.3 13.7
Unweighted Base 1362 78 419 528 337 549 811 419 527 364
2023 Yes 87.8 61.4 81.3 97 95.5 91.4 84.4 89.6 87.5 88.6
No 11.2 38.6 18.7 3 4.5 8.6 15.6 10.4 12.5 11.4
Unweighted Base 1168 50 341 458 316 511 654 388 446 295

Table 2 Question 2 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2022 Yes 52.4 NA 45.5 54.4 56.3 52.7 52 48.5 57.4 50.3
No 47.7 NA 54.5 45.6 43.7 47.3 48 51.5 42.6 49.7
Unweighted Base 1096 NA 326 450 277 471 624 336 421 299
2023 Yes 45.8 NA 43.7 44.4 51.9 45.9 45.8 45.4 48.2 44.6
No 54.2 NA 56.3 55.6 48.1 54.1 54.2 54.6 51.8 55.4
Unweighted Base 921 NA 235 388 275 434 486 301 364 234

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Table 3 Question 3 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service provides a fair and impartial prosecution service?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2022 Yes 60.6 NA 52.6 64.5 66.1 62.3 58.5 55.2 66.8 59.3
No 39.4 NA 47.4 35.5 33.9 37.7 41.5 44.8 33.2 40.7
Unweighted Base 1067 NA 320 431 273 465 600 331 421 279
2023 Yes 56.1 NA 52 58.5 62.3 58.7 52.8 51.2 62.2 53.6
No 43.9 NA 48 41.5 37.7 41.3 47.2 48.8 37.8 46.4
Unweighted Base 879 NA 221 369 266 422 456 283 353 222

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Table 4 Question 4 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service takes it prosecution decisions independently? (That is, independent of police, Government or any other body).

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2022 Yes 60 NA 52.2 64.8 65.1 60.7 59.7 49.2 69.9 59.9
No 40 NA 47.8 35.2 34.9 39.3 40.3 50.8 30.1 40.1
Unweighted Base 1025 NA 304 423 263 456 567 318 396 275
2023 Yes 55 NA 55.4 53.5 60.6 55.3 54.3 55.5 59.7 50.2
No 45 NA 44.6 46.5 39.4 44.7 45.7 44.5 40.3 49.8
Unweighted Base 830 NA 213 347 248 403 426 276 324 212

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Results Including ‘Don’t Knows’

Table 5 Question 1 - Had you heard of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, ‘the PPS’?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2023 Yes 85.1 56 76.8 96 95.1 89 81.2 87.2 84.7 86.8
No 11.8 35.2 17.7 3 4.5 8.4 15 10.1 12.1 11.2
Don’t Know 3.2 8.8 5.5 1 0.4 2.6 3.8 2.7 3.2 2
Unweighted Base 1198 55 359 464 317 520 675 397 457 300

Table 6 Question 2 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service is effective at prosecuting people accused of committing a crime?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2023 Very/Fairly Confident 40 NA 37.6 38.8 47.6 41.4 38.7 38.6 43.6 39
Not Very/Not At All confident 48 NA 48.4 48.6 44.1 48.8 45.9 46.5 46.9 48.5
Don’t Know 12 NA 14.1 12.7 8.3 9.8 15.4 14.9 9.5 12.5
Unweighted Base 1052 NA 276 445 301 477 573 354 403 268

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Table 7 Question 3 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service provides a fair and impartial prosecution service?

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2023 Very/Fairly Confident 47 NA 41.9 48.7 55.2 51.7 41.7 41.2 54.4 44.9
Not Very/Not At All confident 37 NA 38.6 34.5 33.3 36.3 37.3 39.3 33.2 38.9
Don’t Know 16 NA 19.5 16.8 11.5 12 21 19.5 12.4 16.2
Unweighted Base 1053 NA 277 445 301 477 574 354 403 268

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Table 8 Question 4 - How confident are you that the Public Prosecution Service takes it prosecution decisions independently? (That is, independent of police, Government or any other body).

Year Response All Adults <25 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Male Female Catholic Protestant No religion
2023 Very/Fairly Confident 43 NA 43.2 41.9 50 46.4 40.1 43.8 48.2 39.6
Not Very/Not At All confident 36 NA 34.7 36.4 32.5 37.5 33.8 35.1 32.6 39.2
Don’t Know 21 NA 22.1 21.7 17.5 16.1 26.1 21.1 19.1 21.1
Unweighted Base 1053 NA 277 445 301 477 574 354 403 268

Note: ‘N/A’ indicates that the unweighted base was less than 50 and therefore the breakdown was not valid

Technical Details of the 2023 Survey

The 2023 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey involved 1,200 interviews with adults aged 18 years or over.

In 2020, the survey was transitioned to a push-to-web methodology, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and this approach was retained in 2021, 2022 and again in 2023. A large-scale Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) survey was developed, which was supplemented with Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), where necessary.

The survey was designed to be as inclusive as possible, presenting participants with a range of ways in which they could complete the survey.

Ethical Approval

The 2023 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast, where the survey coordinator is based.

Survey Content

The survey consists of a number of different modules, each based on a specific topic. The modules included in the 2023 survey are: A. Introductory questions B. Respect C. Minority ethnic groups D. Good relations E. Mental health F. Criminal justice system G. Gender-based violence H. Road safety I. Politics J. Community safety K. Background

Some of these questions were also included in the Young Life and Times survey of 16 year-olds – see https://www.ark.ac.uk/ylt

Pilot and mainstage fieldwork

Once Ipsos UK received approval from the NILT project team, the CAWI survey link was activated. At this stage, Ipsos mailed the advance letters and monitored the real-time progress of the survey, as participants began completing it.

The majority (97%) of the total surveys achieved were completed using Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI), while 3% were completed using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Data collection was conducted between 7th September 2023 and 14th January 2024. On average, it took participants 55 minutes to complete the survey.

Ipsos’ team was responsible for all aspects of data collection. This included managing the online sample, preparing the briefing notes for CATI interviewers, allocating and scheduling work, and monitoring progress. The CATI fieldwork was conducted by a team of highly experienced interviewers. Interviewers were fully briefed so they understood the project aims and target audience, and so they were familiar with the questionnaire and any sensitive or complex questions within it.

The fieldwork was split into two phases; a pilot phase followed mainstage fieldwork. The purpose of the pilot was to assess the reliability and accuracy of the questionnaire and script, and to allow for any changes to be made ahead of the mainstage fieldwork. Question wording and understanding was tested, alongside any routing and filtering.

Following a successful pilot, the mainstage fieldwork was launched with minor changes to the questionnaire, including removing and adding a few questions, and adjusting the wording on some of the questions. During fieldwork, data was continuously quality assured to ensure the highest quality of the final outputs. The telephone interviewers worked in accordance with the ISO 20252 system which incorporates much of the Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS) and the old MRQSA/BS7911.

Advance letter

Ipsos developed four letters to be sent to the selected households. The initial letter informed the potential participants about the study, its importance and how they could take part. The subsequent letters acted as reminders to households to participate in the study. All the letters contained the link to the Ipsos privacy policy, however, a copy of the NILT information leaflet was included in the initial letter only

Individuals were informed how their personal data would be handled in line with GDPR, and about their right to withdraw from the research if they did not want to take part. Each letter that was sent contained the household’s unique URL survey link. This URL would grant access to the survey for the person with the next birthday. Alternatively, the participant could call a freephone number and book a telephone interview.

Sampling design

The sample for the 2023 survey consisted of a systematic random sample of addresses selected from the Postcode Address File (PAF) database of addresses. This is the most up-to-date and complete listing of addresses. The PAF is the most widely used sample frame for high quality social surveys in the UK and is a list of addresses in the United Kingdom that is maintained by the Royal Mail. Private business addresses were removed from the database prior to sample selection.

A total of 8,000 address were selected for invitation. To provide a random sample of Northern Ireland households, the sample was stratified proportionately by District Council area. The Postcode Address File (PAF) provides a good sampling frame of addresses but contains no information about the number of people living at an address. Further selection stages were therefore required to convert the listing of addresses to a listing of individuals from which one person (the ‘selected respondent’) is chosen to complete the survey.

The person to complete the survey was randomly selected using the ‘next birthday’ rule. Each letter sent to the selected addresses clearly stated that only the person over 18 with the next birthday was eligible to complete the survey online. At the beginning of the interview, the participant also had to confirm that they were the person within the household with the next birthday.

Table 9: Breakdown of Response

Number Percent
Total co-operating 1412 0.2
-        Fully co-operating 1200 0.1
-        Partially co-operating 212 0.0
Refusal to co-operate 98 0.0
Non-contact 6355 0.8
Other 135 0.0
Total 8000 1.0

Sampling errors and confidence intervals

This table sets out sampling errors and confidence intervals at the 95% confidence level relating to a Systematic Random Sample design as used in the survey. These intervals are based on unweighted data.

Table 10: Sampling errors and confidence intervals for key variables (unweighted data)

% Margin.of.Error
Age
18-24 4.7 1.2
25-34 14.1 2
35-44 16 2
45-54 18.6 2.2
55-64 20.1 2.3
65 and over 26.5 2.5
Sex
Male 43.4 2.8
Female 56.5 2.8
Religion
Catholic 33.5 2.7
Protestant 38.2 2.7
None 25.2 2.5
Other 2.1 0.8
Refused/Don’t Know 1 0.6

Source: NILTS 2023

Weighting

Please note that all analyses of the adult data should be weighted to ensure representation of the Northern Ireland population. The weighting variable is called WTFACTOR.

Deriving social class variables

Occupational information was derived using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020. The SOC2020 information was also used to derive the National Statistics Socio-Economic (NS SEC) variable, which is contained in this data set for the respondent and their partner.

Personal and household income

Please note that the number of response codes for the personal and household income questions has been reduced, in order to make it easier for respondents, and to aid analysis.

Comparisons with other data sources

For comparative purposes, the tables below provide NILT data alongside two data sources:

Continuous Household Survey – undertaken by the Central Survey Unit within the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. This survey provides an ongoing snapshot of social and economic conditions in Northern Ireland based on a representative sample of households across Northern Ireland. For more information, see www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/central-survey-unit/continuous-household-survey

2021 Northern Ireland (NI) Census – this was designed to collect information on the usually resident population of Northern Ireland on 21 March 2021.

Table 11: Representativeness of the NILTS 2022 sample by age and gender

NILTS.2023.(weighted).(%) CHS.2022/23.(weighted).(%) Northern.Ireland.Census.2021.(%)
Age
18-24 years 10.5 11.2 10.5
25-34 years 16.5 16.3 16.5
35-44 years 17 16.9 17
45-54 years 17.2 17 17.2
55-64 years 16.5 16.4 16.5
65 and over 22.2 22.2 22.2
Gender
Male 50.7 48.2 50.8
Female 49.1 51.8 49.2
Base=100% 1200 4846 1903175

Sources: NISRA, NILTS 2023

Table 12: Representativeness of the NILTS 2023 sample by religion

NILTS.2023.(weighted).(%) CHS.2022/23.(weighted).(%)** Northern.Ireland.Census.2021.(%)
Religion
Protestant 38 43 46
Catholic 33 39 44
Other or no religion* 27 17 11
Missing/refused 2 1
Base=100% 1200 4958 1903175

Source: NISRA, NILTS 2023 *Includes ‘no religion’ and religion not stated ** Supplemented from household membership