Support for Ireland remaining a member of the European Union remains high but has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a survey.
Some 82 per cent of people questioned as part of an annual poll, commissioned by civil society organisation European Movement Ireland, said the Republic should remain in the EU.
This is the lowest level of support recorded since the polling series began in 2013. Fewer than half of the respondents said they felt the EU was heading in the right direction.
The survey, conducted by Amárach Research and published on Thursday, involved a representative sample of 1,200 people. It was carried out via email between March 26th and 28th.
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Pro-EU sentiment in Ireland hit a high point in 2019 at the height of the post-Brexit negotiations, when 93 per cent of people backed continued membership. This was largely attributed to how the European political system rowed in behind the State while the terms of the UK’s exit from the union were thrashed out.
There has been a small but steady decline in support since, but the Irish public still consistently ranks among the most supportive of EU membership. A separate EU-wide survey carried out late last year found Irish people were the most optimistic about the future of the 27-state union.
Immigration control was cited in the latest poll as the single biggest reason why people felt the EU was going in the wrong direction.
Anti-immigration campaigners frequently target recent EU asylum policy reforms in online criticism. The Migration and Asylum Pact, due to come into effect next year, will mean faster decisions on asylum applications, but has been opposed by far-right parties as not going far enough on the issue.
Half of those surveyed want Ireland to be more involved in defence co-operation at EU level, while about one-third feel the opposite.
Some 56 per cent of respondents said they were in favour of more countries joining the union.
Noelle O Connell, head of European Movement Ireland, said the level of support for the EU in this State was still “incredibly high”.
The research showed Irish people valued being part of the large economic bloc, particularly given the uncertainty caused by recent moves regarding tariffs by US president Donald Trump, she said.
Ms O Connell said Ireland needed to be mindful of repaying the solidarity it received during the Brexit crisis.
