ABSTRACT
This chapter employs available survey evidence relating to national identity, in order to assess the diversity within the Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland and the extent to which there is overlap. Although it is common in Northern Ireland to believe that there is a fault line between two apparently monolithic groups defined by religion, the extent to which dimensions of difference, such as political allegiance and national identity, actually coincide with religious group membership is an area which has attracted empirical research from a range of disciplines. The Northern Irish identity is a new identity and has only been included as an option in surveys since 1986. Findings from a recent survey, which focused exclusively on identity in Northern Ireland, provide evidence on how the population evaluate their identities. The majority of Catholics chose to describe themselves as Catholic, Irish or Northern Irish while the majority of Protestants described themselves as British, Protestants or Northern Irish.
