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With devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and a renewed sense of "Englishness" in England, there has been growing public, media, and academic interest in whether there is such a thing as British national identity. 

In this research project, Dr Roger MacGinty, of the University of York, and a team of researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Ulster conducted a major survey to assess public attitudes to the introduction of devolution in Northern Ireland. Working in concert with surveys conducted in Scotland, Wales and England the team also investigated the impact of devolution on the legitimacy of the United Kingdom and the devolved institutions. 

Key Findings

• A sense of British identity and pride in Britain were strongest in England. In England, "Britishness" is entirely consistent with an English identity.
  
  
• In Scotland and Wales most of the population see themselves as British although a majority have dual identities of British and Scottish or British and Welsh. There were also substantial minorities who did not feel British at all. 
  
  
• The meaning of British identity in Northern Ireland is different and is closely correlated to religious community, with Catholics in the main considering themselves as Irish and Protestants British. A significant number identified themselves as "northern Irish". 
  
  
• While there were big differences in a sense of British identity, changes over time were relatively modest and such changes as had occurred did not appear to be linked to devolution. Instead there was a gradual, long-term process of declining British identity that predates devolution. 
  
  
• There is little evidence to suggest that devolution has either strengthened or weakened the constitutional Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 
  
  
• In Scotland and Wales support for independence has not increased or decreased since devolution although there has been a significant fall in the number of people who believe either country will be independent within the next 20 years. In both territories there is significant support for the extension in the powers of the devolved institutions. 
  
  
• In Northern Ireland devolved arrangements are the most popular constitutional option although this was subject to substantial sectarian difference with Catholic respondents holding more positive views about devolved Government, public service delivery and political optimism.  
  
  
• The increase in support for the DUP is associated with the sense of [P]protestant alienation and opposition to the Belfast Agreement. 
  
  
• The English are broadly content with devolution in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales but do not favour similar arrangements for England.  

About the Study

The devolution surveys were run in autumn 2002 and 2003 (among a random and representative sample of approximately 1,800 adults in each of the four territories). A set of harmonised questions were used but there were also some country-specific questions. 

Key Words

Devolved Government, Northern Ireland, British identity

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