The study, ‘Public Understandings of Hate Crime: Ireland, North and South project’, was undertaken by academics from the University of Limerick and Queen’s. It was funded by the Irish Research Council New Foundations programme and the Department of An Taoiseach Shared Island initiative.

The research was carried out by Professors Amanda Haynes and Jennifer Schweppe of the University of Limerick’s European Centre for the Study of Hate, Professor Ross MacMillan of the University of Limerick’s Department of Sociology, and Dr Kevin J. Brown from the School of Law at Queen’s.

The researchers found that the majority of the public in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland believe hate crime to be a serious problem, with a perception that hate crime is increasing on the island.

The general public also understand the direct and indirect harms of hate crime. The majority of the public in both parts of the island appreciate the fact that hate crimes are more likely to have a psychological effect on their victims, and that hate crimes spread fear and isolation among minority communities.

A clear majority of the general public perceive current responses to tackling hate crime to be ineffective. Only 18% of the public surveyed in Northern Ireland thought that the PSNI respond effectively to hate crime, whilst only 20% believe that the courts respond effectively.

There is a high level of public support in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for the protection of a broad range of characteristics under hate crime legislation.

The study also found that there are gaps in public understanding surrounding current hate crime legislation, with the majority of the public in Northern Ireland incorrectly believing that a hate crime will be recorded as such on an individual’s criminal record.

Speaking about the findings, Dr Brown from the School of Law at Queen’s said: “This survey, the first of its kind on an all-island basis, has much to tell us about public views on hate crime. The findings show that a clear majority of the population, North and South, appreciate the harms to victims and wider society that hate motivated criminality can cause. The public perceive current responses to hate to be inadequate and are supportive of changes to allow authorities to more effectively tackle hate. This report provides convincing evidence in support of implementing balanced reforms to challenge hate on both sides of the border.”

The report is the first output of the project and establishes the public’s perception of the prevalence of hate crime on the island of Ireland, the physical and emotional harms of hate crime, the impact on minority communities, reporting mechanisms, and the role of legislation in addressing hate crime.

It also measures levels of prejudice against individuals due to their racialised identity, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, disability, community background (in Northern Ireland) as well as other commonly targeted identities.

Professor Jennifer Schweppe, Professor of Law at UL and co-director of the European Centre for the Study of Hate, commented: “This research is timely in showing public support for the inclusion of marginalised groups in the scope of the protection of hate crime legislation generally, and it is particularly heartening to see such public support for the inclusion of transgender people in hate crime legislation. For the first time internationally, the stigma of a conviction for a crime with an associated hate element was measured: people are less likely to employ someone with a conviction for a hate crime, and less likely to welcome them into their neighbourhood. This is something that legislators must consider when introducing or amending legislation as we are proposing to do on the island.”

Professor Amanda Haynes, Professor of Sociology at UL and co-director of the European Centre for the Study of Hate, said: “While public opinion should not determine legislation, public awareness and understanding are important to the effectiveness of the criminal law. Our research shows that there is currently a lot of misinformation around the topic of hate crime across the island of Ireland. Such shortfalls in the public’s awareness of current policy responses is concerning”.

With a view to further informing the work of the Shared Island Unit, the research also explores attitudes of people in the Republic of Ireland to those from Northern Ireland, and to those from Nationalist/Republican and Unionist/Loyalist backgrounds specifically.

The report also makes a number of recommendations to support the development of a Shared Island from the perspective of empowering diversity in society, promoting the safety of minoritised communities, and raising awareness of both the harms of hate and the means by which the criminal justice process can address hate.

Some of the recommendations include establishing a community of practice for cross-border knowledge transfer and collaborative learning in respect to addressing hate on the island of Ireland, and to conduct a public information campaign to address gaps in public understandings of hate crime and criminal justice responses should be prioritised across both jurisdictions.

For more information and to view the full report, please click here. 

Media

Media enquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen’s Communications Office on email: z.mcbrearty@qub.ac.uk and Alan Owens at the University of Limerick on email: alan.owens@ul.ie