Queen’s survey shows financial security and stronger economy as top future priorities

Almost a third of companies in Northern Ireland list financial security and a stronger economy as their most important concern, a view echoed by a similar percentage of students, a poll by Queen’s University shows. 

The results came in an online poll conducted in October, with 108 businesses and 96 students responding to the survey. 

However, beyond that shared concern, the poll showed a divergence of views between students and businesses. Affordable housing was the second most important concern for students, selected by 26 percent of respondents, compared to eight percent from the business community. 

READ MORE: TEDx at Queen’s 2026 Asks `What If, What Next’, in a Rapidly Changing World

The findings suggest that access to affordable housing is a particularly pressing concern for younger people, with students more than three times as likely as business respondents to identify it as the change that would make the biggest positive difference to their lives.  

The poll asked which one change would make the biggest positive difference to your life by 2035and presented a number of options, including: 

AI and technology, better healthcare, more affordable housing, a cleaner environment, greater peace and stability, more flexible ways of working, better education, stronger communities or something else. More than a quarter (28 percent) of business respondents selected improved healthcare as their priority, compared with just 10 percent of students, highlighting competing demands on public services.  

The divergence continued when it came to the environment, with four times as many students prioritising a clean environment (16 percent) as business respondents. 

Despite the prominence of AI in recent public discourse, just six percent of students and three percent of businesses selected it as a top concern. 

READ MORE: Queen's receives £7.5m from UK Government to accelerate growth of Northern Ireland’s Cyber Sector

Peace and stability was the third biggest priority for businesses (16 percent), compared to 10 percent of students. 

The findings offer an insight into concerns among two distinct groups in Northern Ireland and will provide a backdrop to next month’s TEDxQueen’s University Belfast 2026 event. 

Under the title “What If? What Next?”, the event will explore the questions, possibilities and innovations shaping the future.  

Tickets for the live event sold out in less than 24 hours but a waitlist is available on Humanitix. The event will also be available to watch live on YouTube from 4pm on Wednesday 2 December, with the option to receive a notification when the broadcast begins. In-person watch parties are planned in Belfast and in GIFT City, India. Further details will be available on the Queen’s University TEDx page.