Youth Attitudes to Peacebuilding and Politics in Northern Ireland

In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement formally marked an end to the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict in Northern Ireland. I was born the following year in Northern Ireland and form part of a post-agreement generation that grew up in relative peace, without the widespread political violence that shaped the lives of our parents and grandparents. Although we did not experience the conflict firsthand, its legacy continues to impact our communities, institutions, and political landscape.

As my generation reaches young adulthood and becomes more politically involved, our attitudes towards the peace process and the institutions created to sustain it have become increasingly important. Youth perceptions of peace are shaped by how they engage with the legacy of the conflict, their experiences of integration, their trust in political institutions, and the socioeconomic challenges that affect their daily lives. This raises an important question: how do young people perceive post-conflict Northern Ireland, and where do they see room for improvement?

Peace across generations

Peace is a continued platform of negotiation, a dynamic concept rather than a linear process. As a result, those born after the Good Friday Agreement often understand peace differently from those who lived through the conflict. Mitchell and Wallace (2025) emphasise the importance of temporality in peacebuilding, arguing that attitudes towards peace are subjective and evolve over time in post-conflict societies. While peace agreements are often accompanied by narratives of progress and optimism, public expectations of peace are not static. In Northern Ireland, repeated suspensions of devolved government and declining public services have contributed to falling levels of political trust. These challenges pose risks to long-term peace, particularly for young people who did not experience the conflict directly but will be responsible for carrying peace forward.

Young people’s engagement with the legacy of the Troubles

Although the post-agreement generation did not experience the conflict firsthand, they are not detached from its legacy. A 2023 study by the think-tank Pivotal found that more than two-thirds of young people still feel the conflict’s impact in their daily lives, particularly through residential segregation and the continued presence of paramilitary influence in their communities. Furthermore, young people also place strong importance on understanding the past and peace process: 83% of young people believe it is important to learn about Northern Ireland’s history, and 62% report having a good understanding of the Good Friday Agreement.

Integration and diversity extended beyond traditional divides

Northern Ireland is becoming an increasingly diverse society. Historically, the conflict divided communities along religious and political lines, mainly between Catholic or Protestant and Unionist or Nationalist affiliations. Today, young people are looking to extend integration beyond these traditional binaries. The region has seen demographic change, in 2021 6.5% of the population was born outside Northern Ireland, up from 1.8% in 2011 and religious affiliation is declining, with a growing number of young people identifying themselves as having no religion.

Yet while sectarian violence has decreased, racist incidents have risen. Amnesty International reported record levels of racist hate crime in 2025, particularly during episodes of unrest in the summers of 2024 and 2025, and many young people are concerned about discrimination and want stronger protection for minorities and social cohesion.

Despite strong youth support for integration, structural barriers persist. Most people in Northern Ireland continue to live in highly segregated communities, and 92% of children are educated in non-integrated schools. This contrasts with youth preferences: nearly two-thirds of young people say they would prefer to be educated alongside peers from different backgrounds. Studies reveal that young people highlight the lack of shared, neutral spaces to socialise and perceive the opportunities for integration available to them as temporary or tokenistic rather than a part of everyday life. To remedy this, young people call for more community events, cultural initiatives and shared spaces where diversity is celebrated, and peace can be discussed openly.

Waning political trust amongst young people in Northern Ireland

Young people’s political attitudes have been shaped by prolonged instability. Particularly in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum, which reignited debates about the Irish border, and following repeated collapses of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which was operational for only 60% of its first 25 years of existence. These recurrent periods of political deadlock have weakened confidence in the institutions forged by the Good Friday Agreement to manage peace. 

Trust in political actors is low, only 10% of people trust political parties, 13% trust parliament, and 17% trust government. Although interest in political issues remains high, many young people feel disconnected from formal politics and from Northern Ireland’s identity-based party system; with fewer than a third believing political parties represent their views.

What matters to young people today?

Young people care about peace and reconciliation but also feel that their everyday concerns are being overlooked. Surveys demonstrate that mental health, education, the cost of living, addiction, rights and equality are among young people’s top priorities. While young people are knowledgeable about the Troubles and interested in politics, only a small proportion, 10%, feel that politicians effectively advocate for the issues that matter most to them. For young people, reconciliation is inseparable from social justice: tackling inequality, discrimination, poverty and poor mental health is not a separate agenda from peacebuilding, it is how peace is translated into everyday life.

Looking forward

Young people in Northern Ireland are engaged and informed, yet increasingly disillusioned with political structures they feel do not reflect their priorities. If peace is to endure, youth voices must be included in political and peacebuilding processes. Recognition of youth concerns, inclusive integration and social equality will be essential to ensuring that peace is strengthened for generations to come.