Mixed marriages 'more acceptable'

Mixed marriages between Catholics and Protestants are becoming more tolerated in Northern Ireland, according to new research published today.

The University of Ulster study also found the number of weddings bridging the religious divide had risen slowly over the last decade.

Dr Marie Smyth, co-organiser of an international event in Belfast where the findings are to be presented, indicated the shift in attitudes has been modest.

She said: ‘‘It is still the case that Catholics are more likely than Protestants to say that they would not mind a mixed marriage in their family.

‘‘But the gap in attitudes between Catholics and Protestants has narrowed over the decade.’’

Part of a Life and Times series, the survey’s key findings include:

:: only 16% of those interviewed in 1998 believe people in Northern Ireland would ‘‘mind a lot’’ if a relative married someone from a different religion, compared with 33% of those questioned in 1989;

:: since 1989 mixed marriage numbers in the North has inched up;

:: Catholic respondents are still more optimistic than Protestants about how marriages between religions are accepted in society;

:: Catholics remain more tolerant to mixed marriages within their families than Protestants - but the gap has narrowed;

:: numbers of Protestants opposed to close relatives marrying someone of a different religion has fallen from 25% of those questioned in 1989 to 16% in 1998.

However, the new spirit of tolerance towards mixed marriages has not been matched by a growing desire to live in areas populated by both religions or to work side by side.

Support for single religion schooling has also dropped, the survey found.

The report is to be presented at an international workshop organised by the Institute for Conflict Resolution.