claim: Three-quarters of non-voters in Northern Ireland are pro-Union.
evidence: More than three quarters of the half a million people who do not vote in elections in Northern Ireland support the Union, a major academic survey has found. [...] In a report setting out the findings, the lead author of the research project, Professor Jon Tonge from the University of Liverpool, said: "In terms of a border poll, election results may be a less accurate a guide to the desire for reunification especially when it is considered that 76.9% of non-voters who stated a preference are pro-Union. [...] As well as non-voters, a critical group in deciding the outcome of any border poll will be Alliance voters. The survey found that 58.8% of Alliance voters support the Union and 25.6% want Irish unity.