Research & Projects

Cultural Legitimacy and Liability: Public Attitudes towards Bonfire Accountability in Northern Ireland

How can societies govern contested cultural traditions when people disagree about their legitimacy? Bonfires in Northern Ireland bring questions of cultural identity and recognition into contact with concerns about safety, property damage and responsibility for harm.

This paper distinguishes between whether people regard bonfires as a legitimate cultural practice and whether they believe organisers should be accountable for their consequences. It explores whether agreement on responsibility can provide a basis for governing bonfires despite persistent disagreement over their cultural value.

Objectives

The study examines how religious and political identities shape attitudes towards bonfire legitimacy and organiser accountability. It also investigates whether recognition of Protestant culture translates into endorsement of bonfires, and considers the implications for proportionate safety standards, liability and conditional public support.

Results

Drawing on 11,308 respondents across nine waves of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (2016–2024), the study finds substantial common ground on accountability. Across the seven years when both questions were asked, 38–42% regarded bonfires as legitimate, while 83–93% supported organiser accountability. Around half supported accountability without endorsing legitimacy. Religious and political identities divided views on legitimacy much more sharply than views on accountability, while recognition of Protestant culture consistently exceeded endorsement of bonfires. These findings identify potential for cross-community agreement on responsibility for harm, although they do not establish support for particular regulations or sanctions.

Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

Do People Know Where They Stand? Income Misperception, Social Security Entitlement, and Welfare Attitudes in Northern Ireland

How accurately do people understand their economic position and the support available to them? Perceptions of where we stand in the income distribution may shape how we view inequality, social security and the role of government. Yet people’s understanding of their relative income and potential entitlement to support may differ from their circumstances.

This planned project will explore these questions in Northern Ireland, examining the relationship between income perceptions, awareness of social security entitlement and welfare attitudes. It will consider how people understand their own position within a system they may support, rely on or believe is intended for others.

Objectives

The project aims to investigate how accurately people assess their household’s position in the income distribution and understand their potential entitlement to social security. It will examine how misperceptions relate to attitudes towards redistribution, benefit recipients and public spending on welfare. A further objective is to explore whether clearer information about income position and entitlement could change these attitudes, with implications for public understanding and the communication of social security support. The project will include working closely with different groups in society and using methods of reporting such as photovoice.

Results

This project will commence in October 2026. Updates will be made as the project progresses.

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