Political trust in divided societies: Who trusts whom in Northern Ireland?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Political trust in divided societies

T2 - Who trusts whom in Northern Ireland?

AU - Rao, Sumedh

AU - van Assche, Jasper

AU - McKeown, Shelley

AU - Sagherian-Dickey, Thia

PY - 2026/1

Y1 - 2026/1

N2 - Political trust is essential for peace in divided societies. In postaccord Northern Ireland (NI), past research has identified differences in political trust among the Catholic and Protestant communities. The present research explored which political institutions are trusted, and by whom, in the NI context. Drawing on the Northern Ireland Life and Times 2022 survey data (n = 968; 373 males, 595 females, aged 18 and over, 537 Protestant, 431 Catholic), principal component analyses identified two factors (with 62.85% cumulative variance explained), one factor trusted mainly by Catholics, which includes the European Union and the Alliance Party, and the other factor trusted mainly by Protestants, which includes the U.K. government (at Westminster) and the NI Executive. This differentiation suggests that political events such as Brexit and the suspension of the NI Assembly have impacted political trust differently in each community. Findings highlight the complexity of political trust and how ostensibly neutral political institutions are perceived in divided societies.

AB - Political trust is essential for peace in divided societies. In postaccord Northern Ireland (NI), past research has identified differences in political trust among the Catholic and Protestant communities. The present research explored which political institutions are trusted, and by whom, in the NI context. Drawing on the Northern Ireland Life and Times 2022 survey data (n = 968; 373 males, 595 females, aged 18 and over, 537 Protestant, 431 Catholic), principal component analyses identified two factors (with 62.85% cumulative variance explained), one factor trusted mainly by Catholics, which includes the European Union and the Alliance Party, and the other factor trusted mainly by Protestants, which includes the U.K. government (at Westminster) and the NI Executive. This differentiation suggests that political events such as Brexit and the suspension of the NI Assembly have impacted political trust differently in each community. Findings highlight the complexity of political trust and how ostensibly neutral political institutions are perceived in divided societies.

KW - intergroup relations

KW - peacebuilding

KW - political trust

KW - trust

KW - Northern Ireland

U2 - 10.1037/pac0000828

DO - 10.1037/pac0000828

M3 - Article

SN - 1078-1919

JO - Peace and Conflict

JF - Peace and Conflict

ER -