Students' Perceptions of Locations in Northern Ireland According to Group Membership

Description

120 undergraduate students, all of Northern Ireland origin, were asked to rate 60 locations in Northern Ireland for unemployment, denominational composition, violence, preference, environmental attractiveness, economic well-being, knowledge, amenities and job opportunities via a correlational survey. As expected from Social Identity Theory, locations associated with the participant’s in-group were perceived more positively than they were by the out-group in terms of unemployment, denominational composition, preference, economic well-being, and amenities. Contrary to expectations, a reverse effect was found for the perception of violence; two possible explanations for this were considered. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 4 participants who had completed the survey with the aim of examining other characteristics that may influence their perception of locations; several factors were suggested to be of importance.

Period	31 Mar 2023
Held at	British Psychological Society, United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	National