Public opinion in Northern Ireland is more supportive of the notion that increased government spending is necessary to protect the environment than would be the case in Britain. The vast majority of people surveyed believe that government should pass laws to make businesses protect the environment although opinion is less enthusiastic in supporting similar laws being extended to ordinary people. People in Northern Ireland have lower levels of political efficacy and political trust than people in Britain and within Northern Ireland striking differences are apparent between the two communities. An analysis of opinions on belief and trust in the political process shows that the views of Catholics and Protestants of the working of the political process and their trust in it are widely divergent. In relation to eight out of ten items Catholics gave responses which indicated lower levels of efficacy and trust than Protestants.
Significant differences are also apparent between male and female respondents.
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