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

Journal article

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.

Authors: Rao, S; Van Assche, J; McKeown, S; Sagherian-Dickey, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Journal: Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology
• Publication date: 2026-01-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-10-18
• DOI: 10.1037/pac0000828
• EISSN: 1532-7949
• ISSN: 1078-1919
• Language: English
• Keywords: intergroup relations; peacebuilding; political trust; trust; Northern Ireland