Ireland has one of the most positive attitudes towards immigration of all the EU27 countries, according to new research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
More than 73 per cent of Irish people reported feeling positive about immigration, while three-quarters of people agree Ireland should help migrants seeking protection, regardless of whether they come from Ukraine or are asylum seekers, according to the Attitudes Towards Immigration and Refugees in Ireland study, carried out between March and April 2023.
Despite a national decline in positivity towards immigration last year, researchers found overall attitudes towards migrants in Ireland were more positive than the EU average. Sweden has the most positive attitude in the EU27 towards immigration, followed by Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland in fourth place.
The belief that immigrants make Ireland a better place to live, that the country’s cultural life is enriched by immigrants, and that immigration is good for the economy, reached a “historic high” in 2022, based on data going back to 2002, according to the report.
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However, Irish people’s positivity towards both EU and non-EU immigration has declined in recent years, particularly between June and November 2023. During those five months, people’s positivity towards non-EU immigration fell by 6 per cent, and feelings that immigrants contribute a lot to Ireland dropped by 5 per cent.
By November 2023, positivity towards non-EU immigration was at its lowest level since 2018. People’s positivity towards immigration from EU countries also dropped 10 percentage points between 2020 and 2023.
However, Irish people are “generally very comfortable having migrants of all types as neighbours, in their children’s classes or in love relationships with their children”, according to the report.
There was a sharp rise in the number of people who consider immigration one of the most important issues facing Ireland, increasing from 3 per cent in July 2022 to 14 per cent in November 2023, its highest level since 2007. This compares with 56 per cent of people who say housing is one of the two most important issues facing Ireland.
Irish people reported feeling happier to help Ukrainian refugees rather than asylum seekers, but admitted feeling most comfortable having European migrants in their everyday lives.
Support for refugees was also conditional on the potential costs. Some 56 per cent of people supported helping refugees when no costs were mentioned, but this dropped to 38 per cent when pressure on public services was referenced. Just 27 per cent said they supported helping refugees if it meant a rise in taxes.
People with lower qualifications, or who struggled to make ends meet, were less positive about immigration and believed protesting local international protection arrivals was more acceptable, according to the report.
People living in private rented accommodation were more positive about immigration when compared with those who own their homes, while people with children aged over 18 felt less positive, compared with people with no children.
People who felt the economic situation and cost-of-living crisis were the most important issues facing Ireland, or the world, had less positive attitudes towards immigration in general. Those who felt the environment, climate change, poverty or racism and discrimination were the most important issues, felt more positive.
A person’s political orientation also played a role in their views with those who identified as politically left wing more opposed to protests against housing people seeking protection.
People living in Dublin, the west of Ireland and those in the southeast had the most positive attitudes, while those in the midwest and midlands were the least positive.
The study acknowledges “it remains too early to say whether people’s perceptions of immigration will decline further, stabilise, or improve again”.
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