In the early 1970s, there were huge forced population movements as families, mostly but not exclusively Roman Catholic, living in areas dominated by the other community were intimidated from their homes, either directly or indirectly through general fear. The general decline in European manufacturing industry of the early 1980s, exacerbated by political violence, devastated the city's economy. As recently as 1971 the city and surrounding area had a large Protestant majority, but as of 2011 is almost evenly balanced. This fundamental change in balance has been attributed to higher Catholic birth rates and rising prosperity, together with Protestant emigration (both internal, e.g., to North Down and external).