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Appendix C: Survey Questions

The following questions were included in the Continuous Household Survey (CHS) between September and November 2025:

Qu 1: Awareness of NISRA

Before being contacted about this survey had you heard of NISRA, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Qu 2a: Aware statistics produced by NISRA

NISRA produces official statistics for Northern Ireland on a wide range of issues.

I am going to list a number of these and want you to tell me if you knew before today that this information was produced by NISRA statisticians.

Question Aware produced by NISRA?
The number of deaths in NI Yes/No
Recorded levels of crime in NI Yes/No
Qualifications of school leavers in NI Yes/No
The number of people who live in NI Yes/No
Statistics on hospital waiting times in NI Yes/No
The unemployment rate in NI Yes/No
People living in poverty in NI Yes/No
Percentage of journeys made by walking, cycling or public transport in NI Yes/No
Percentage of household waste that is reused, recycled or composted Yes/No

Qu 3: Trust – Institutions

I will name a list of institutions. For each, please indicate whether you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it.

Qu 3a: Trust Civil Service

How much do you trust the Civil Service?

  1. Trust a great deal
  2. Tend to trust
  3. Tend to distrust
  4. Distrust greatly

Qu 3b: Trust NI Assembly

How much do you trust the NI Assembly?

  1. Trust a great deal
  2. Tend to trust
  3. Tend to distrust
  4. Distrust greatly

Qu 3c: Trust media

How much do you trust the media?

  1. Trust a great deal
  2. Tend to trust
  3. Tend to distrust
  4. Distrust greatly

Qu 3d: Trust NISRA

How much do you trust NISRA?

  1. Trust a great deal
  2. Tend to trust
  3. Tend to distrust
  4. Distrust greatly

Qu 4: Trust NISRA Statistics

Personally, how much trust do you have in statistics produced by NISRA?

  1. Trust them greatly
  2. Tend to trust them
  3. Tend not to trust them
  4. Distrust them greatly

If answered ‘Trust them greatly’ or ‘Tend to trust them’ to Qu4 then

Qu 4a: Reasons trust in NISRA Statistics

What are your main reasons for trusting statistics produced by NISRA? Please select up to 3 answers.

  1. I trust the statistics from personal experience
  2. Official statistics in Northern Ireland are generally accurate
  3. I have heard something good about official statistics
  4. The statistics are easy to use
  5. NISRA does not have a vested interest in, or manipulate the figures
  6. Government departments in Northern Ireland do not have a vested interest in, or manipulate the figures
  7. NISRA are experts in statistics
  8. Other reason

If answered ‘Tend not to trust them’ or ‘Distrust them greatly’ to Qu4 then

Qu 4b: Reasons disrust in NISRA Statistics

What are your main reasons for not trusting statistics produced by NISRA? Please select up to 3 answers.

  1. I don’t trust the statistics from personal experience
  2. Official statistics in Northern Ireland are not generally accurate
  3. I have heard something bad about official statistics
  4. The statistics are difficult to use
  5. NISRA has a vested interest in, or manipulates the figures
  6. Government departments in Northern Ireland have a vested interest in, or manipulate the figures
  7. The statistics are misrepresented by politicians
  8. The statistics are misrepresented by the media
  9. The statistics alone do not tell the whole story
  10. I personally don’t have a good understanding of statistics
  11. Other reason

Qu 5: Value

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement ‘Statistics produced by NISRA are important to understand Northern Ireland?’

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Tend to agree
  3. Tend to disagree
  4. Strongly disagree

Qu 6: Political Interference

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement ‘I believe that the statistics produced by NISRA are free from political interference’

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Tend to agree
  3. Tend to disagree
  4. Strongly disagree

Qu 7: Confidentiality

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘I believe that personal information that is provided to NISRA will be kept confidential.’

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Tend to agree
  3. Tend to disagree
  4. Strongly disagree