Northern Ireland political transparency research
Summary
We ran research on public attitudes towards the transparency of political party and campaigner finance in Northern Ireland. This included views on the publication of information about donations and loans made between 2014 and 2017.
The research, carried out by Ipsos Mori, is based on responses from a series of online focus groups conducted across Northern Ireland. Respondents were asked questions about their awareness of, and attitudes towards, the financing of political parties, as well as the arrangements for reporting and publishing such information, and how confident they were in the transparency of that regime.
Key findings
Support for transparent, unbiased information
There is strong public support for transparent, unbiased information about how political parties are funded in Northern Ireland.
However, there is limited awareness of and knowledge about how the system of funding and regulation currently works. This means that perceptions can be based largely on assumptions and instinct.
Existing perceptions of party politics may contribute negatively to attitudes towards political party funding and donations.
Public perceptions about the transparency of the system of funding and regulation can improve when people become aware of the controls and regulations in place around political finance. We play an important role in ensuring transparency and confidence in that system and will consider what more can be done to improve confidence and trust.
Support for the publication of donations made between 2014 and 2017
The majority of research participants felt that information on donations made between 2014 and 2017 should be published, to help to improve transparency in the political finance system and to improve political accountability.
We continue to call on the UK Government to change the law to allow us to publish this information.
Concerns around the current political finance system in Northern Ireland
For some participants, getting more information about party finance rules improved their perceptions of the transparency of the system. However, the majority of participants do not consider the current system in Northern Ireland to be transparent even once they know more about it.
They gave various reasons for this, including the following.
- Giving an amount under £500 to a party or campaigner is not classed as a donation. This created a perception among the public that this is a ‘loophole’, adding to the perception that the current regime is malleable.
- The current thresholds at which donations need to be reported to the Commission for publication are seen as too high.
- Donations made between 2014 and 2017 cannot be published for Northern Ireland.
- These negative perceptions damage confidence in the regulatory system. While some of the attitudes are linked to wider issues around trust in politics, we will be considering what more can be done to improve public confidence.
Research methodology
A qualitative approach was used for this research based on a focus group methodology. Given the low awareness on the subject in question, the focus groups were designed with a deliberative approach, involving ‘drip-feeding’ participants with information throughout the course of the session in order to aid in the development of informed opinions.
Fifteen online focus groups were conducted, using both online discussion boards and video groups, engaging a total of 118 participants. A spread of participants from across Northern Ireland was included to ensure the data generated was broadly reflective of the Northern Ireland population.
Fieldwork was carried out in August and September 2020.