Political trust in divided societies: Who trusts whom in Northern Ireland?

Political trust is essential for peace in divided societies. In post-accord Northern Ireland (NI), past research has identified differences in political trust amongst the Catholic and Protestant communities. The present research explored which political institutions are trusted, and by whom, in the NI context. Drawing on the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) 2022 survey data (n=968; 373 male, 595 female, aged 18 and over, 537 Protestant, 431 Catholic), principal component analyses identified two factors (with 62.85% cumulative variance explained), one factor trusted mainly by Catholics, which includes the EU and the Alliance Party, and the other factor trusted mainly by Protestants, which includes the UK government (at Westminster) and the NI Executive. This differentiation suggests that political events such as Brexit and the suspension of the NI Assembly have impacted political trust differently in each community. Findings highlight the complexity of political trust and how ostensibly neutral political institutions are perceived in divided societies.