Pessimism on peace
ONLY 19 PER CENT of Northern Ireland’s population believe there is lasting peace in the country, according to a recent survey. Moreover only seven per cent of respondents did not view dissident republicans as a threat. These findings are based on a representative survey of 1,002 Northern Ireland electors conducted immediately after the 2010 General Election. The survey examined a range of topics including which issues electors considered the most important and public attitudes to the ‘new politics’ created following the Good Friday and St Andrew’s Agreements in 1998 and 2006
Overall, responses indicated much support for power-sharing and for further powers to be devolved to the power-sharing executive. In addition, a clear majority of the electorate viewed social issues (such as employment, the economy and the NHS) rather than constitutional choices as more important at the election. n
i Contact Professor Jonathan Tonge,
University of Liverpool Email
j.tonge@
liv.ac.uk Telephone 0151 794 2899 ESRC Grant Number RES-000-22-4033
UK ethnic diversity spreads
Findings from a major research initiative into the UK’s ethnic populations indicate that the UK’s ethnic make-up will change dramatically in coming decades. The UK’s population is set to become more ethnically diverse and geographically integrated, say researchers from the University of Leeds. Moreover, this diversity will have spread to many more parts of the country beyond the big cities where ethnic minorities are concentrated today. In future, at local authority scale ethnic groups will be significantly less segregated from the rest of the population. Researchers developed new methods
of projecting the future ethnic mix of the UK’s local populations based on five population projections from 2001 to 2051 for 352 local authorities in England
together with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Findings suggest that ethnic minorities will constitute one fifth of the population by 2051 compared to eight per cent in 2001. White British, White Irish and
Black Caribbean groups will experience slowest growth: while Other White and Other Ethnic groups will experience fast growth driven by immigration. Overall, researchers conclude that by 2051 the UK will have a larger, more diverse and spatially integrated population. n
i Contact Professor Philip Rees,
University of Leeds Email
p.h.rees@
leeds.ac.uk Telephone 0113 343 3341 ESRC Grant Number RES-163-25-0032 Understanding Population Trends and Processes Initiative
www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/research/projects/ migrants.html
SPEECH DEVELOPMENT How do children learn to adapt their speech to maximise communication effectiveness in difficult listening situations? Researchers will study 120 children aged 8-14 to investigate how the ability to produce ‘clear’ speech develops. Understanding how children control their speech production is important for developing better strategies for communication with children with hearing or language impairments, and in noisy environments. ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-3106
DRUG AGREEMENTS The technique of using agreements (that resemble contracts) to govern the conduct of drug users in treatment is a growing phenomenon. Such agreements typically spell out what is expected of the service user and what the service will provide in return. Researchers aim to assess how much these contracts are currently used in drug users’ treatment as well as examining their impact. ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-3039
OFFENDING HISTORIES Nearly 100 years of historical prison data will be studied by researchers aiming to explore whether lessons can be learnt for today’s debates about sentencing offenders and managing prison populations. The project will investigate whether short sentences in the past contributed to repeat offending, the outcomes of early release schemes as well as the financial costs of imprisonment to the country. ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-3102
SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 5
IN BRIEF
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32