PoliticsAnalysis

Housing, immigration and the Leinster House bike shed top public concerns about Government

Public not convinced Government has been effective enough at ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with needs

A bike shed that cost as much as a house is not helping to convince the public that the Government knows how to spend its money wisely. Photograph: Arthur Carron/Collins
A bike shed that cost as much as a house is not helping to convince the public that the Government knows how to spend its money wisely. Photograph: Arthur Carron/Collins
Damian Loscher
Mon Sept 30 2024 - 06:00

Housing is once again the topic that is most impacting public perceptions of Government performance. The issue is first mentioned by 18 per cent of respondents (down 1 point) in the latest Snapshot poll.

Immigration has been pushed down the agenda somewhat (down 9 points to 12 per cent) by, of all things, the Oireachtas bike shed controversy (12 per cent).

Each monthly Snapshot poll, conducted for The Irish Times by Ipsos B&A, canvasses the opinions of 1,000 Irish adults, asking what they have seen or heard about the Government that makes them think the country is moving in the right or wrong direction. All answers are recorded verbatim and later coded into answer categories.

Housing is a permanent feature in Snapshot polls, emerging as the first or second most concerning issue on a consistent basis. It is an even more important yardstick for Dubliners, attracting 26 per cent of first-mentions among those living in the capital, eclipsing all other issues.

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Ireland’s population has expanded dramatically since the financial crisis, so an infrastructural deficit was bound to emerge eventually. That said, the public is not convinced the Government has been as effective as it has needed to be at closing the gap.

An analysis of all Snapshot comments over a six-month period provides a useful summary of the key themes sitting under the housing umbrella. The core gripe, not surprisingly, is a simple lack of housing, which has reached crisis level, with one respondent saying: “housing crisis is a big concern – no planning, numerous reports but no forward planning [and now a] constant crisis”.

Specifically, the cost of housing is frequently cited, with references to how damaging it may prove to a younger generation priced out of the market – one respondent captured the mood by saying: “houses too expensive, more young people leaving the country than ever before. Wages are high but cost of living too high, can’t afford to stay here”.

Vulnerable groups being forced into inappropriate accommodation or homelessness is also a concern often expressed, with one respondent summing things up by saying: “I think it’s a disgrace to have families and children living in hotel bedrooms.”

Lastly, on housing, some respondents sense that progress is being made and that the seriousness of the problem has been grasped, with “Government starting to turn a corner on housing” being among the replies.

After housing come, jointly, immigration (12 per cent) and the bike shed controversy (12 per cent). While Immigration has featured prominently in Snapshot polls since late last year, the Bike Shed story is a new entrant. It has captured the imagination of the under 25s in particular, among whom the cost of Leinster House’s new addition is their number one Government talking point.

Healthcare/HSE has crept into fourth position on 5 per cent (up 1 point), as a result of the planned ban on single-use vapes, which is mentioned specifically by 2 per cent of respondents, all of whom regard it as a positive move.

Also on 5 per cent are “social policies”, which together with budget (4 per cent) will probably attract a higher profile in the next poll as the merits of this year’s fiscal decisions are debated in the weeks ahead.

Finally, taxes, as a category, is up 1 point to 3 per cent, aided by talk of the Apple tax ruling. The Apple windfall would probably have made more of an impact on Snapshot this month had most of the interviewing for the September poll not been completed before the announcement.

Looking at the verbatim comments made about the Apple tax billions, it is clear that citizens are anxious about how the money will be spent, if it is spent at all. For sure this is a first-world problem, but it is a problem nonetheless, and a bike shed that cost as much as a house is not helping to convince the public that the Government knows how to spend its money wisely.