More than a third of Protestants in Northern Ireland believe it likely the island of Ireland will be united over the next 20 years, and 44 per cent of Catholics have expressed their belief partition will end over this period.
A poll published in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday shows 87 per cent of Protestants want Northern Ireland to remain part of Britain. However, 29 per cent say it is quite likely the island will unite and 7 per cent say unification is very likely. The findings are based on information collated from interviews with 2,200 respondents conducted by university academics over a three-month period beginning in mid-October 1999.
Some 48 per cent of Catholics say the North should be united with the rest of the island, with 16 per cent expressing their wish to remain part of Britain. Some 18 per cent of Catholics want to see the establishment of an independent state, an option preferred by 5 per cent of Protestants. According to the poll, 85 per cent of people in the North want some form of decommissioning to take place before the formation of an executive.
Some 74 per cent of Catholics and 94 per cent of Protestants called for some decommissioning, with demands for total disarmament issued by 49 per cent. Widespread anger among supporters of the Belfast Agreement is directed at both politicians and paramilitaries for the lack of progress in the political process.