Study: Irish religious bigotry begins early

LONDON — Sectarian attitudes — religious bigotry — start becoming manifest in children in Northern Ireland as early as the age of 3, a study conducted by academics from the University of Ulster on behalf of the province’s Community Relations Council has found.

By the age of 3 Roman Catholic children are twice as likely as Protestant children to say they do not like either the police or Orange marches, while their Protestant contemporaries express a strong preference for the Union Jack over the Irish Tricolor.

While only a very small minority of 3-year-olds made sectarian comments, by the age of 6 — toward the end of the first two years of primary school — 15 percent were doing so.