NORTHERN IRELAND’S PULSE Published May 2011

In the eight months from June of last year, there has been considerable erosion of the sense of financial well being in Northern Ireland. The majority of the population now regard themselves as being worse off, although not as gloomy as in ROI, the experience of an additional 1 in 8 people has worsened 2 Better off Same Worse off June 2010February 2011 January 2011 Don’t know 1% 1% 1% Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Are you personally better off, worse off, or in the same position as you were this time last year?

Looking to the future people in NI are somewhat more hopeful, with 1 in 10 expecting (or hoping) that next year things will be better. Nevertheless this sense of hope has declined by almost a half and again 1 in 8 are looking to the future with a greater sense of gloom than had been the case last year. Although the gloomy outlook for the future is more deep set in ROI, the optimists are as prevalent in both regions 3 Better off Same Worse off June 2010February 2011 January 2011 Don’t know 7% 11% 6% Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland This time next year, do you think that you personally will be better off, worse off, or in the same situation as you are now?

Moving from the personal to the macro picture for the region as a whole, the sense of pessimism becomes more entrenched. Almost two thirds expect that the NI economy is likely to worsen; probably in the context of awaited public sector cuts and other austerity measures. In this respect the outlook for the local economy is perceived as significantly more gloomy in NI compared to ROI where it may be that people believe they are turning the corner and that the worst is over 4 Improve Same Get worse June 2010February 2011 January 2011 Don’t know 10% 7% 5% Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Present economic situation of the country is likely to improve, remain the same or get worse over the next 12 months?

Despite the exhortations that spending is essential for the growth of the economy, 2 in 5 people consider that now is a time to postpone any unnecessary purchases. This saving, rather than spending sentiment has increased only slightly, however the polar sentiment of exploiting market sentiments has shrunk considerably. There is a stark contrast in sentiment North & South of the border, where in NI we are twice as likely to be cautious about current spending 5 Good time to buy Someplace in between Good time to wait Don’t know June 2010February 2011 January % 14% 10% Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Considering availability and cost of things as well as your present financial circumstance do you think now is a good time to buy things, you want or need, a good time to wait or someplace in between?

Wrong TrackRight Direction Northern Ireland Jun 2010 Feb 2011 Republic of Ireland Jan 2011 Don’t know 28% 27% 14% Do you feel things in NI are generally going in the right direction today, or do you feel that things have on the wrong track? While many are unsure about the direction things are going in Northern Ireland, views have certainly changed for the worse since June Opinion is now much more heavily on the pessimistic side, albeit that the balance of sentiment is less strongly pessimistic in NI than in ROI, where we are three times more likely to think that we are headed in the right direction

Northern Ireland Jun 2010Feb 2011 Republic of Ireland Jan 2011 How good or poor is the Assembly’s handling of the current economic situation? People in Northern Ireland are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with how the Assembly is handling the current economic situation, with more than half thinking the Assembly is doing a poor job. This critical sentiment has almost doubled in the 8 months from mid People in ROI are very much more critical with almost everyone believing the government to be doing a very poor job

Which, if any, of the following have happened to someone in your household recently? Almost a third of NI households have experienced a loss of earnings, with redundancies now more common than pay freezes. In this respect the long term impact of the continued recession is evident with businesses being provoked into reducing wage bills by loosing people rather than curtailing wages or working hours

NORTHERN IRELAND’S PULSE Published May 2011