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Using Census Data: Religion as a Key Variable in Studies of Northern Ireland

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  • M P A Macourt

    (Faculty of Social Science, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, England)

Abstract

For the first time since a question on religion was first included in the Census of Population (in 1861), the recently published results of the 1991 Census show that less than half of the population of Northern Ireland declared themselves as belonging to a Protestant Christian denomination. Discussions surrounding the future political and constitutional arrangements for Northern Ireland frequently include evidence adduced about the relative size of the two ‘tribes’ widely identified by the labels ‘Protestant’ and ‘Catholic’. The major source of that evidence comes from the question on religion contained in the Northern Ireland Census, and this paper is concerned with the nature and use of that data. The legitimacy of certain uses of the data is questioned; the reliability of the data is considered; and certain tentative findings are presented based on the data published in the (hard copy) reports. Ways are indicated by which the data may be of use in analysing structural inequality in Northern Ireland society.

Suggested Citation

  • M P A Macourt, 1995. "Using Census Data: Religion as a Key Variable in Studies of Northern Ireland," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 27(4), pages 593-614, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:27:y:1995:i:4:p:593-614
    DOI: 10.1068/a270593
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    Cited by:

    1. Ian G Shuttleworth & Christopher D Lloyd, 2009. "Are Northern Ireland's Communities Dividing? Evidence from Geographically Consistent Census of Population Data, 1971–2001," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(1), pages 213-229, January.
    2. Tunstall, Rebecca, 2005. "Using the US and UK censuses for comparative research," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 51220, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Christopher D Lloyd & Ian Shuttleworth, 2012. "Residential Segregation in Northern Ireland in 2001: Assessing the Value of Exploring Spatial Variations," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(1), pages 52-67, January.

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