New Eurobarometer shows large Irish support for the EU’s response to the war in Ukraine and a rise in support for the EU

• 61% of Irish people trust the EU, up 3 percentage points from the Summer 2022 Eurobarometer and 6th highest in the EU after Denmark (71%), Portugal (65%), Lithuania and Malta (both 64%) and Sweden (63%). The EU average was 47% with trust lowest in France at 33%.
• 74% of Irish people have a positive image of the EU, the highest share in the EU, and up 4 percentage points since the Summer 2022 poll. The EU average was 45%, falling to 32% in Slovakia and 33% in Czechia.
• 84% of Irish people are optimistic about the future of the EU, the highest share in the EU, and up 1 percentage point since Summer 2022. The EU average was 62% dropping to 45% in Greece.

Support for the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

• 76% of Irish people are satisfied with the EU's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2nd highest in the EU after Portugal at 79%. On average, 56% of EU respondents are satisfied with the EU's response with people in Greece (37%) and Slovakia (39%) least satisfied.
• 90% of Irish respondents approve of providing humanitarian support to people affected by the war, just below the EU average of 91%. Support was highest in the Netherlands (99%) and lowest in Romania (71%).
• 86% of Irish respondents agree with the imposition of economic sanctions on the Russian government, companies and individuals, 6th highest in the EU. Respondents in Sweden (95%) were the most likely to approve the sanctions while those in Bulgaria (47%) and Slovakia (49%) were the least. The EU average was 74%.
• 80% of Irish respondents agreed with the banning of Russian state-owned media from broadcasting in the EU, 3rd highest in the EU after Poland (89%) and Lithuania (82%). The EU average was 67% falling to 39% in Bulgaria.
• 81% of Irish respondents agreed with the EU’s financing and supply of military equipment to Ukraine, 8th highest in the EU. Support was highest in Sweden (92%) and the Netherlands (90%) and lowest in Slovakia (38%), Greece (36%) and Bulgaria (33%).
• 89% of Irish respondents agree with the EU’s welcoming into the EU of people fleeing the war, just above the EU average of 88%. Across the EU, support ranged from 98% in the Netherlands to 72% in Czechia and Romania.
• 90% of Irish respondents also approved of the EU providing financial support to Ukraine, 6th highest in the EU. Finland and Sweden (both 94%) were the most likely to approve while respondents in Slovakia  (53%) were the least. The EU average was 77%.

Energy transition

• 90% of Irish people agree that the EU should invest massively in renewable energies, above the EU average of 86%. Respondents in Cyprus most likely to agree (96%) while those in Romania (69%) were the least likely.
• 91% of Irish respondents agree that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian sources of energy as soon as possible, above the EU average of 84%. Support was highest in Denmark and Sweden (both 96%( and lowest in Slovakia (55%).

More information

The “Winter 2022-2023 – Standard Eurobarometer” (EB 98) was conducted through face-to-face and online interviews between 12 January and 6 February 2023. 26,468 EU citizens were interviewed across the 27 Member States. Information about Eurobarometer and all surveys are available on the website: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2872