Governing with basic consensus. Public attitudes to power-sharing in Northern Ireland

Power-sharing arrangements are commonly prescribed for deeply divided places, but scholarly and political debate persists about the merits of such arrangements. This chapter focuses on what the public thinks about power-sharing in Northern Ireland. What do people think about the institutions established by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement? How do they evaluate the performance of power-sharing? What do they regard as the current merits and demerits of the arrangements? And what reforms, if any, would the public like to see to enhance their effectiveness? This chapter draws on original survey data from the Northern Ireland Assembly Election Study 2022. It offers a comprehensive description of the public’s views on power-sharing, broken down by religious background and by party support. This chapter shows that there is broad support for the 1998 Agreement, despite the criticisms of politicians and scholars, though that basic consensus is accompanied by some recognition that changes may be needed. The implications of our findings for the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland are considered.