ome 55% of people agree that the protocol is the right arrangement — an increase of 8% over a year ago — with 38% disagreeing. Three-quarters of people want to see a settlement through the UK-EU negotiations on outstanding protocol issues, with 57% believing the government is unjustified to take unilateral action to remove parts of it. The LucidTalk poll for Queen’s University in Belfast shows that 55% of voters believe that Brussels would be justified in retaliating if London acted unilaterally. About 55% of people believe that the protocol has a positive impact on the Northern Ireland economy and 65% believe that it offers unique opportunities that could benefit us. While the most positive views were on the economic benefits of the protocol, the biggest concerns were on its political implications – with 59% of voters believing it has a negative impact on political stability here and in relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Nearly six in 10 people do not think Brexit is a “good thing” for the UK. Exactly half of the voters consider the protocol positive for the Good Friday Agreement, while 38% consider it to have a negative impact on the historic peace agreement. About 46% of voters believe the protocol harms Northern Ireland’s constitutional position in the United Kingdom. Just over a third (36%) are not worried about the full operational scope and impact of the protocol. However, 55% have such concerns if the protocol were to be fully implemented without adjustment after grace periods. Customs declarations for parcels are the topic of most concern (55%) followed by restrictions on plants and seeds and cold meats imported into Northern Ireland from Britain and pet import requirements. The least worrying issue is the alignment of Northern Ireland with the standards of Brussels for the production of goods, followed by the application of EU rules on the control of subsidies and state aid. Just over a third (35%) of people said British food products they bought were no longer available where they normally shop, but 41% said they were. Just over a quarter of people (26%) said their national identity – British or Irish – was reflected in the food they chose to buy, while 54% said they were not. Only one in 10 people said they would rather pay for a product from Britain than buy a product elsewhere, but almost three-quarters (72%) disagreed. Eight out of 10 people said that if everything else were the same, they would rather buy a product made in Northern Ireland than a product made elsewhere. The poll was conducted from June 3rd to June 6th with 1,497 people participating. It was scientifically weighted to reflect the electorate. This is the fifth poll for Queen’s as part of a three-year (2021-2023) research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It showed that the protocol continues to be a deeply divisive issue with only a small percentage of respondents having no opinion on it. The government, led by Boris Johnson, was by far the least credible of all the key players in the ongoing conflict. About 84% of people did not trust him with only 5% saying they trusted London. Voters were marginally more willing to trust (47%) than distrust (43%) the European Commission / EU. They were also slightly more willing (45%) to trust (42%) the Irish government. Confidence in the executive for the management of Northern Ireland’s interests in the protocol was remarkably low at 19%. The most credible local political party was the Alliance (50%) followed by the SDLP (43%). Distrust levels were higher for DUP (68%) and Sinn Fein (50%). The protocol was important to most voters in the May Assembly elections, although a quarter said one candidate position did not affect the candidate they supported. About 52% of citizens are in favor of the MLA continuing to implement the protocol, while 40% want Stormont representatives to oppose it. The principal investigator for the Queen’s work, Professor David Finmore, said: “Many voters in Northern Ireland still clearly have genuine concerns about what the full operation of the protocol would mean. “However, this latest poll also shows that support for the protocol is moving upwards and almost two thirds of respondents see financial opportunities in it. “It is also clear that voters would very much prefer the outstanding issues between the UK and the EU to be resolved by agreement rather than by unilateral action by the UK government.” Co-researcher Professor Katy Hayward said: “People in Northern Ireland have clear views on the protocol and in some cases these views differ sharply. “But one of the things they most agree on (77%) is that the UK and the EU need to present well-documented information on the protocol. The lack of agreement between the UK and the EU on its true meaning and problems “The protocol is clearly exacerbating the divisive effects of the issue on the ground in Northern Ireland.” …