The number of Northern Ireland voters who identify as neither nationalist nor unionist has made that group the largest single category since 2006, according to Northern Ireland Life and Times surveys.

The Alliance Party, which does not align with nationalism or unionism, ranks as the third-largest party at Stormont, after Sinn Féin and the DUP.

Arins research records support for Irish unity in Northern Ireland rising from 28 percent in 2022 to 34 percent in 2024. Support for remaining in the United Kingdom fell from 50 percent to 48 percent over the same period.

Among Protestants in Northern Ireland, 82 percent would vote to stay in the UK, while 7 percent would choose unity. In the Republic of Ireland, 64 percent would vote for unity, 16 percent against, and 13 percent undecided.

Catholics in Northern Ireland back holding a unity referendum at 81 percent, compared to 40 percent of Protestants.

Mary C Murphy, professor of political science and director of the Irish Institute at Boston College, and Cera Murtagh, associate professor of political science and Irish studies at Villanova University, analyze these identity shifts in their chapter for Political Change Across Britain and Ireland, published by Edinburgh University Press in 2025.