Religion and Educational Attainment as Interacting Factors in the Determination of Economic Opportunity and Social Mobility in the new Northern Ireland

Research Question
This study examines whether these disparities between Protestants and Catholics have persisted through the post-conflict period, or whether differences in social mobility have diminished historical inequalities. Furthermore, we assess the role of education in bringing about these changes.
Data
Data are from a ten-year cohort of Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) members aged 8-17 in 1991. Occupational class status is captured in 1991 and 2011, as well as religion of upbringing, educational attainment and key demographic characteristics.
Methods
The relationship between religion of upbringing and occupational class ‘destination’ in 2011 was captured using ordinal logistic regression. Moderating effects of parents’ 1991 occupational class and educational attainment were tested through further iterations of the regression model.
Results
We find evidence that, given class background, occupational class of Catholics is slightly greater, indicating an acceleration in social mobility. Catholics in this cohort were also less likely to leave education at an early stage, which is likely driving the mobility of this group. We also find shifts in occupational class structure over the period from 1991 to 2011, with both professional and routine occupations expanding and intermediate occupations contracting.
Discussion and Applications
There is evidence suggesting that persistence in education among Catholics may be driving a levelling of class status between the dominant religious groupings in Northern Ireland, adding to the demand for effective interventions to keep young people in school for longer.