A long-running public attitudes survey has found a mixed picture in Northern Ireland on refugees and people seeking asylum. Almost half of respondents said those seeking asylum should be allowed to remain, while a smaller share viewed Northern Ireland as a welcoming place for new arrivals.
The 2025 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey recorded 49% support for allowing asylum seekers to stay and 57% agreement that society has a duty to protect refugees. Twenty-seven per cent said Northern Ireland was welcoming, showing a gap between views about responsibility and perceptions of everyday experience.
Forty-one per cent agreed that refugees make a positive contribution. More than a third, 37%, said they would like additional opportunities to meet people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The survey also found 69% believed media coverage could have a negative influence on attitudes.
Northern Ireland Life and Times is an annual probability survey run through the universities' ARK research programme. It is designed to measure public opinion rather than administrative totals or individual experiences, and results should be read with the published sample information and question wording.
The Executive Office published the refugee and asylum findings as a thematic release. The figures do not amount to a single public verdict: they record different responses to distinct questions about protection, contribution, welcome and contact. The full tables allow readers to examine neutral, positive and negative responses separately.