19 December 2002

Politics and religious difference in children

To those of you puzzled as to why so much political focus is being put on the religious make-up, this study conducted by three academics and funded by the Community Relations Council in July, might throuw some light on its relevance:

"By the ages of five and six large differences were also found among Catholic and Protestant children regarding their preferences for certain first names, colours and football shirts."

"Overall, just over half (51%) of all three years olds were able to demonstrate some awareness of the cultural/political significance of at least one event or symbol. This rose to 90% of six-year-olds. The children demonstrated the greatest awareness of the cultural/political significance of parades (49% of the sample), flags (38%) and Irish dancing (31%). One in five (21%) were able to demonstrate awareness of football shirts and of the violence associated with the conflict more generally."

No comments: