Irish people are most fearful about what a no-deal Brexit might mean for flights, food, fuel and future peace, according to research to be published on Wednesday.
More than three quarters of those polled for a "Brexit barometer" compiled by marketing agency Core said they believed the wider Irish economy would be significantly damaged once the UK leaves the EU.
However, the greatest concern that people have is the impact Brexit will have on peace and security on the island of Ireland.
All told, 69 per cent said they were anxious about the impact on travelling between the UK and Ireland as well as security at the border, while 67 per cent said they were concerned that a strained relationship between the UK and Ireland could impact the peace process.
The research suggests 68 per cent of Irish people are concerned about how Brexit will affect flights to the UK. While 58 per cent are concerned about purchasing groceries post-Brexit, 54 per cent expressed concern about buying petrol and diesel post-Brexit.
The Brexit barometer also shows that 58 per cent of the population is afraid prices will rise if supply issues become a problem, with many saying all Irish customers would be worse off due to Brexit, either by price, experience or choice. People believe they will be worse off when it comes to a range of purchasing behaviours, particularly flights, food and fuel.
Housing overtakes
That said, while Brexit has been a constant news item since 2016, and has even overtaken “creating jobs” as a priority, it is not the most important issue for people in 2019. Despite Brexit uncertainty, the top priority has switched to ‘providing affordable housing’, with 31 per cent of the population saying this should be the Government’s main concern.
“From the moment the Brexit referendum took place, the news story has been one of the most important news stories measured in our Core Cultural Index. However, given the absolute uncertainty, people have been unsure about why it is important and only now it seems that the general public are beginning to consider the impact it will have on their day to day,” said Finian Murphy, marketing director of Core.
Core’s Brexit barometer report was compiled based on analysis of three key pieces of data: The KBC Consumer Sentiment Index, the Core Cultural Index and Core’s State of the Nation. Each survey is based on a sample size of 1,000 Irish adults, representative of the population.
Meanwhile, the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has advised Ireland-based customers of UK-based banks to ensure they make contact with their bank about the status of their banking services in the event of a no-deal Brexit. If customers have not already heard from their bank, they should contact the bank directly as soon as possible.
For customers of UK-based banks, BPFI warned that in the event of a no-deal Brexit on October 31st, some Ireland-based and other EU-based customers of UK banks could experience disruption to their banking service; or potentially could see that service withdrawn.
This could arise as a result of differing legislative and/or regulatory provisions applying in the UK and elsewhere in the EU. The type of consumer banking service that could be impacted for customers of UK-based banks could include a savings or other bank account, a credit card, a loan or a mortgage.
