Attitudes of the people of Northern Ireland towards current and former UK Armed Forces personnel have been revealed for the first time in a new report, titled ‘Public Attitudes to the UK Armed Forces in Northern Ireland’…
The Forces in Mind Trust funded an additional set of questions in the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey (NILT) and results were collated in a report produced by researchers from Ulster University.
42% of the NI population have a high/very high opinion of the UK Armed Forces today versus 12% having a low/very low opinion. Findings from the survey show that there are still substantial differences of opinion within the Protestant and Catholic communities, and across different age groups.
Recommendations within the report include:
• Community Integration and building of relationships between veterans and the community.
• Awareness training through a public facing campaign promoting positive images of veteran mental health and addressing perceptions of alcohol misuse, to reduce the negative effect misinformed perceptions can otherwise have on employment prospects and social networks.
• The developments of an exploratory committee to look at the issues associated with implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant, and awareness raising to improve understanding of its principles and the situation specific to Northern Ireland.
Researchers have highlighted potential areas for future research such as the regular incorporation of Armed Forces related questions in the NILT survey to map the public opinions over time and highlight any changes.
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of the Forces in Mind Trust, said: “Although we see improvements in how people perceive the Armed Forces, there is significant work still to be done in relation to views on the mental health and alcohol misuse of ex-Service personnel.”
Principal investigator, Professor Chérie Armour, Ulster University, said: “For the very first time we have been able to explore public attitudes in Northern Ireland towards the UK Armed Forces, veteran’s wellbeing, and service provision. The largest majority of the public reported they respect the Armed Forces and many have a high to very high opinion of the UK Armed Forces. Many also reported that they would be supportive of a specialist mental health service for veterans living in the region.”
