Does social deprivation influence inter-group contact outcomes for pupils in Northern Ireland?

The education system in Northern Ireland is characterized by division, with<br/>around 95% of the pupil population attending predominantly co-religionist<br/>schools. In a society that is transitioning from a thirty year conflict that has been<br/>framed by hostilities between the main Catholic and Protestant communities, reconciliation<br/>interventions in education have sought to promote the value of intergroup<br/>contact between pupils attending separate schools. Some qualitative research<br/>suggests that such initiatives are more likely to have positive outcomes for<br/>pupils from more middle class backgrounds than those from more disadvantaged<br/>communitiesand areas that experienced high levels of conflict related incidents and deaths during the pre-ceasefire years. Drawing on contact theory and empirical evidence from a large scale quantitative study, we seek to examine this theory. Using free school meals as a proxy for social class, our findings are consistent in finding that there is a differential impact of contact for those from less affluent backgrounds, and we conclude by arguing that this should be reflected in policy responses.