THERE has been a massive increase in the number of young people from the Protestant community who ‘feel welcome’ in Derry, compared to 15 years ago.
But two thirds of respondents from a Protestant background in the Derry City and Strabane council area feel their culture is always the underdog, according to a new survey.
The report, due to be launched on Monday, was co-authored by Brian Dougherty and Professor Pete Shirlow and commissioned by Derry City and Strabane District Council.
It was led by the Londonderry Bands Forum, which promotes bands in the area, in order to examine Protestant attitudes and concerns.
More than 400 people were interviewed in areas such as Nelson Drive, Artigarvan and Castlederg.
A similar 2005 survey was carried out by Queen’s and Ulster universities and used as a comparison for the study.
The results show fewer than one in 10 of those surveyed in the PUL (Protestant Unionist Loyalist) community feel their cultural tradition is being protected.
However, the results of the survey suggest increasingly positive attitudes towards the Catholic and nationalist communities overall.
It also shows a 49% increase in the number of Protestants under the age of 24 who feel welcome in the city in which they live, with only small numbers who said they would not visit landmarks such as the Millennium Forum.
There’s been a 22% decline in those who do not want to share territory with those from ‘other’ communities compared with the 2005 survey.
Londonderry Bands Forum chairman Kenny McFarland said the report is a reminder that leaders can no longer “take our eye off the ball”.
“We’d a sense that in certain respects many in the Council area, be they decision-makers, movers and shakers, business community and others, had become invisible to Protestant concerns and that many within the Protestant community were content to remain invisible,” he said.
Vice-chair Derek Moore said as a bandsman of almost 50 years, he is aware his community has a wide range of opinions.
“The only problem we have had in the past is that we were content to discuss these issues between ourselves, but not with wider society,” he said.
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