HC Deb 10 March 2004 vol 418 cc1499-500W
Mr. Dodds

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what margin of error is applied in Northern Ireland to measure demand for Ulster Scots. [159539]

Angela Smith

The 1999 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (NILT) sought to identify the percentage of the Northern Ireland population that spoke Ulster Scots. The questions used in this survey have a margin of error for all sample estimates within the parameters of ±3 per cent.

An example is shown as follows:

(%) speakUlster Scots Standard error of (%) 95% Confidence limits
All 2.0 0.30 1.4–2.6
Gender
Men 2.7 0.56 1.6–3.8
Women 1.4 0.28 0.9–1.9
Age
18–24 0.8 0.64 0–2.1
25–34 1.6 0.67 0.3–2.9
35–44 2.0 0.66 0.7–3.3
45–54 2.0 0.75 0.5–3.5
55–64 1.7 0.82 0.1–3.3
65+ 2.9 0.83 1.3–4.5
Religion
Catholics 1.2 0.35 0.5–1.9
Protestants 2.1 0.43 1.3–2.9
No religion 3.4 1.19 1.1–5.7

Mr. Dodds

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attitudinal surveys he has received from bodies other than the Department of Education to measure the demand for the Ulster Scots language and culture in Northern Ireland; and from whom. [159561]

Angela Smith

I am aware of three exercises that have been carried out that might be termed attitudinal surveys to measure the demand for Ulster-Scots. These areQuestions in the 1999 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (NILT), Questions in the 2000 and 2001 Omnibus survey (RES) and A research report undertaken in 2002 by Dunne, Dawson and Morgan.

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