New research published today reveals the gap between what people say in public about their attitudes to minorities in Ireland, and what they say when afforded anonymity. The study challenges previous assumptions about people’s views, and has implications for policy approaches to foster interculturalism.
This study published by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) entitled “Hidden versus revealed Attitudes: A List Experiment on support for Minorities in Ireland” uses an innovative research technique to survey a nationally representative sample of just over 1,600 people.
This ‘list experiment’ approach compares anonymously expressed attitudes to those expressed more openly, to seek to understand the extent to which people are concealing controversial opinions when polled.