News Letter article - Do You Mean Me? 

Article as printed in the News Letter on Wed 13 June 2012

As ‘Do You Mean Me?’, a new survey from the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland reveals new levels of prejudice here, Chief Commissioner Michael Wardlow reflects on the findings and the challenge they present to us all.

‘Do you mean me?’ is a double-edged question.

It is not just, have I experienced discrimination because of who I am? But, also, do I have negative attitudes towards others because of who they are?

When the answer to the second question is ‘yes’ then we need to address what makes us think like this and challenge our beliefs and stereotypes.

Our new survey into attitudes to and experiences of discrimination tells us a great deal about our lives here.

And there is much to concern us. One third of people said that they had ‘experienced some form of harassment or treated unfairly’ because they belonged to a particular group and this number has doubled since our last survey in 2008.

There is much to perplex us. While there was strong agreement that people over 70 are the most unfairly treated, a test of personal views showed that it was Travellers who most people felt negatively towards.

While we may not like some of the responses, we must acknowledge that many in the survey were honest enough to express their negative feelings towards others. This may indicate that they are self-aware and perhaps moving to a better understanding of themselves and others.

There is also much to be positive about. Significant numbers of people, in most cases the majority, did not express any negative attitudes towards others. The survey also shows an overwhelming support for equality law here (91%) as well as high levels of confidence in the work of the Commission, from across all sections of society.

There is of course athird aspect to ‘Do You Mean Me?’. Attitudes are shaped by many factors. These may include the media, our workplaces and our communities.

The Commission has a unique role in promoting equality. We have a legislative remit that gives us a particular responsibility where negative attitudes turn into discriminatory behaviour.

We help around 3,000 individuals each year resolve issues of discrimination.

We also have a full programme of support and advice for employers and service providers to help them get things right.

We are clear about our responsibility to deliver for everyone in Northern Ireland. We know that we cannot do this on our own. We want to work in partnership with others to increase our connection and engagement with individuals.

Those individuals are, of course, those who have rights and those who have responsibilities. Importantly, it is also those who can help us make a difference by using their influence in a positive way.

So, finally, in answer to all of the aspects of the questions, yes, we do mean you.

Full survey findings are available online www.equalityni.org/dymmsurvey

The Commission´s survey was also featured in The Belfast Telegraph