Irish people remain the most optimistic about the future of the EU: Eurobarometer

This national report covers the period October to November 2023 and was prepared by Luke Reaper, CEO Ireland, Ipsos B&A. It is based on the findings of the latest EU-wide standard Eurobarometer survey (SEB100), which was published on 13 December 2023.

Ireland holds its position as the member state that is most optimistic about the future of the EU at 83%, compared to the EU average of 61%.

While there has been a softening in positive sentiment towards the EU across all member states since earlier in 2023, Ireland remains the most positive, together with Portugal, at 64%. This is down from 71% in Spring 2023.

Overall, the report covers four core themes:

• Trust in the EU and EU direction for the future
• Attitudes towards immigration and EU enlargement
• Important contextual issues including key national concerns such as housing and the cost of living, financial difficulties, and the EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Trust in the Media
   

Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland said:

“This report highlights the enduring pro-European attitudes of the Irish public, notwithstanding a slight drop in positivity across the board compared to the Spring 2023 survey. This could in part be attributed to concerns around housing, the increased cost of living, the war in Ukraine and disinformation. However, Ireland remains optimistic for the future and markedly surpasses the EU average when it comes to positivity towards immigration and EU enlargement.”

Key findings: Ireland

Trust in the EU and EU direction for the future

• 83% of Irish people are optimistic about the future of the EU, the highest ranking among the 27 EU member states where the average is 61%. This is a 2% drop from 85% in Spring 2023.
• 64% of Irish people have a positive view of the EU (down from 71% in Spring 2023), taking the joint top position with Portugal, compared to the EU average of 44%.
• 57% of Irish people trust the EU (ranking 7^th), down from 64% in Spring 2023 compared to the EU average of 47%.
• 62% of Irish people claim to feel informed on European matters (down from 63%), ranking 4^th compared to the EU average of 36%.

Attitudes towards immigration and EU enlargement

• 70% of Irish people support a common EU foreign policy, down from 78% in Spring 2023.
• 73% of Irish people support a common European policy on migration, down from 79%, the EU average is 69%.
• 58% of Irish people are in favour of further enlargement of the EU, down from 62% in Spring 2023, while the EU average is 51%
• Immigration of people from outside the EU generates a positive feeling among 65% of Irish people, down from 71% in Spring 2023 but notably higher than the EU average of 43%.
• 75% of Irish people agree that immigrants contribute positively to their country, down from 80% in Spring 2023, but again notably higher than the EU average of 52%.

Important contextual issues 

• For Irish people, the most important issue facing Ireland is housing with 56% citing this as a key concern, down from 61% in Spring 2023. On average across the EU, only 10% of respondents said housing was a key national concern.
• Rising prices/inflation/cost of living is the second most important issue facing Ireland with 55% of Irish respondents citing this as a key concern. This is up a dramatic 11% since Spring 2023. The EU average here is 44%.
• When asked if they had difficulties paying their bills at the end of the month, 11% of Irish people said they do ‘most of the time’, while 38% said they do ‘from time to time’.
• 71% of Irish people are satisfied with the EU response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, down from 77%, compared to the EU average of 57%.
• 88% of Irish people agree with the measures taken by the EU to welcome those fleeing the war in Ukraine into the EU. The EU average is 84% 

Trust in the Media

• 70% of the Irish public agree that misinformation is a problem in Ireland (no change since Spring 2023), while the EU average is 77%. 66% of Irish people agree it is easy for them to identify misinformation, down from 69%.
• 74% of the Irish public believe the national media provides trustworthy information (no change) compared to the 60% EU average.
• When asked if they believe the national media in Ireland provides information free from political or commercial pressure, 60% of Irish respondents agree, a marked decrease from 68% in Spring 2023.
• 61% of Irish people agree that information on political affairs from online social networks cannot be trusted, down a significant 10% since Spring 2023, TV (general channels) remains the primary information source for information on European political matters in Ireland (56%) and across the EU average (57%). 31% get their information from social networks, down from 36%.

 More information:

The fieldwork for the survey was undertaken by Ipsos B&A Ireland between 23 October and 17 November 2023, and 1,016 people aged 15+ were interviewed. 

The data for the Irish report forms part of the Standard Eurobarometer (SEB) 100^th edition.

The National Eurobarometer report for Ireland.