CLAIM: More men die by suicide in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
CONCLUSION: Accurate. For 2017, Northern Ireland had the highest rate in the UK (and Ireland) of registered deaths by suicide for men (29.1 per 100,000 men) (and women (8.5 per 100,000 women)). Also, the number of total suicides by year of actual occurrence in Northern Ireland for 2013 (306) is more than double that for 1995 (148). Continue reading Do more men die by suicide in Northern Ireland?
The Santa myth: A joyful act of confirmation bias
by Ferre WOUTERS for FactCheckNI
21 December 2018
At FactCheckNI we are interested in facts. Through the training we deliver, we also come face-to-face with many of the beliefs people hold dear. Here we unpack one of the most cherished beliefs, and show how even fact checkers can engage with a little bit of magic … Continue reading The Santa myth: A joyful act of confirmation bias
CLAIM: Nearly 1,900 jobs created by Belfast City Council in 6 months.
CONCLUSION: Inaccurate. 420 new jobs created plus 447 job vacancies filled. An unknown number of new jobs have been created from council’s City for Investment service. Continue reading Were 1,900 jobs created by Belfast City Council?
CLAIM: The number of homes in Northern Ireland that have had their housing supplementary payments removed has increased five times more in the past year.
CONCLUSION: Accurate with considerations. The 140 households whose top-up payments ceased in the past year is four times more than the 35 households in the previous year. Also, we do not know the current status of the 175 households whose top-up payments have ceased. As of 30/9/2018, there are 32,378 households who are receiving the supplementary payments. Continue reading Homes paying bedroom tax increased fivefold?
CLAIM: 77% of young people in the UK don’t want Brexit.
CONCLUSION: Inaccurate. Polls for Great Britain show support from those aged 18-24 for remaining in the EU at between 57% and 71%; for Northern Ireland, between 48% and 57%. Continue reading Do 77% of young people not want Brexit?
CLAIM: Over one million lights will illuminate Lisburn city centre during a seasonal festival.
CONCLUSION: Marketing material for Lisburn Light Festival considerably overestimates the number of lights in the organised display. Our visual estimate of the main components suggests that there are around 200,000 lights, far short of the “over one million lights” estimate. Continue reading Over 1 million lights in Lisburn?
