Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and ESRI Publish Findings
New research, published today, has shown that attitudes to immigration in Ireland became more negative during the recession, and are now lower than the Western European average. Personal experience and social contact are found to promote positive attitudes to immigration and migrants in Ireland.
The new study entitled “Attitudes to Diversity in Ireland” draws on a survey of attitudes from the European Social Survey collected since 2002. It has found that the attitudes of Irish-born people to immigrants and immigration vary significantly over time, depending on the ethnicity of the migrants, on respondents’ education and financial security, and on the level of individual contact people have with those from different ethnic backgrounds.
The research published jointly by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) looks at Ireland’s increasing diversity and monitors attitudes for the period from 2002-2014. The results for Ireland are also compared with averages from ten other Western European states.
Key findings include:
Attitudes to immigration and migrants have been impacted by recession and recovery. The positive perception of immigrants’ contribution to the economy increased between 2002 and 2006, before decreasing in 2008 with the onset of the recession. The most negative attitudes towards migration were registered in 2010, with attitudes becoming more positive as the economic outlook improved.
Attitudes vary significantly towards specific groups. With 58% of those surveyed showing support for immigrants of the same ethnic group as the majority population in Ireland, contrasting with 41% support for Muslim and 25% support for Roma migrants. Support for Muslim and Roma immigration is lower in Ireland than the average for ten other Western European countries surveyed.
Frequent contact with people of different races/ ethnic groups is directly associated with more positive attitudes, if the contact is positive. Around one in four Irish born people have contact with someone from another race or ethnicity every day, with 58% reporting contact at least weekly.
No age, rural/urban or ideological divide. There was no statistically significant difference between the attitudes of people of different ages, in rural or urban areas in levels of support for immigration. Similarly, there is no clear link between left-right political views and support as is seen in other European States.
Regarding beliefs about race and ethnicity, just under half of adults born in Ireland believe some cultures to be superior to others while 45% believe some races are born harder working than others. Both figures are somewhat above the European average measured in ten other States.
The report’s analysis includes lessons stemming from the findings for Ireland:
- Facilitating meaningful and positive interactions between the Irish-born population and immigrants is likely to reduce anti-migrant sentiment, for example, through community-based initiatives and inclusive urban planning.
- Providing accurate information on the characteristics of migrants, for example, levels of education, rates of employment, has an important role to play in informing the public about migration and in challenging perceptions of migrants as a uniform group.
- Tackling poverty and promoting educational achievement in Ireland are likely to promote greater social cohesion and understanding of ethnic minority groups.
- Attitudes monitoring is a vital tool for the future in understanding the social context of migrant integration.
Ireland is also due to be examined by the UN under the State’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) and this report’s findings will also inform the Commission’s submission to this UN expert committee.
Emily Logan, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission stated:
“To support an integrated society, it is important for us to know how people in Ireland feel about changes in the population, and to understand the kind of social, economic and cultural factors which influence attitudes to diversity.
“This report offers an understanding of the prevailing attitudes to diversity and how those attitudes are formed, and will help the Commission in its mission to build a fair and inclusive society that protects and promotes human rights and equality.”
Lead author of the report, Frances McGinnity of the ESRI stated:
“Attitudes to minority groups are important as they can influence behaviour like recruitment decisions and voting, as well as how welcome minority groups feel. Given recent negative public debate about immigration in parts of Europe and the US, the ongoing monitoring of attitudes to migrants remains important as an indicator of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to support migrant integration and social cohesion in Ireland.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Brian Dawson, IHREC Communications Manager,
01 8589601 / 087 0697095
Follow us on twitter @_IHREC
Frances McGinnity (Associate Research Professor, ESRI), 01 8632066 fran.mcginnity@esri.ie;
Helen Russell (Associate Research Professor, ESRI), 01 8632065 helen.russell@esri.ie.
Editor’s Note:
Attitudes to Diversity in Ireland by Frances McGinnity, Raffaele Grotti, Helen Russell and Éamonn Fahey of the ESRI is available online on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission website at the following link:
https://www.ihrec.ie/app/uploads/2018/03/Attitudes-to-diversity-in-Ireland.pdf
The report Attitudes to Diversity in Ireland was prepared for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission by the Economic and Social Research Institute as part of the Research Programme on Human Rights and Equality.
The study is jointly published by The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Economic and Social Research Institute. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and are not attributable to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission or the ESRI.
The ten Western European countries selected for the analysis are: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The European Social Survey is a high quality cross-national survey carried out every two years across Europe, which is supported by the EU and national governments. In Ireland the survey is funded by the Irish Research Council, and interviews a nationally representative sample of approximately 2300 respondents per round.
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission,
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is an independent public body, appointed by the President and directly accountable to the Oireachtas. The Commission has a statutory remit set out under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act (2014) to protect and promote human rights and equality in Ireland, and build a culture of respect for human rights, equality and intercultural understanding in the State. As part of its statutory remit, the Commission has a specific function to work towards the elimination of discrimination.
The Economic and Social Research Institute,
The Economic and Social Research Institute is an independent research institute working towards a vision of ‘Informed policy for a better Ireland’. The ESRI seeks to support sustainable economic growth and social progress in Ireland by providing a robust knowledge base capable of providing effective solutions to public policy challenges.
