REVEALED: Irish people remain 'largely positive' towards immigrants and refugees

Research has revealed that attitudes towards immigration and refugees remain largely positive in Ireland, despite some recent declines.

A report, conducted by the ESRI, has found that attitudes in Ireland towards refugees and immigration remain largely positive, both compared with previous data in Ireland and compared with other European countries.

However, the research also found that some attitudes became less positive in the last six months of 2023, and that attitudes are more positive towards some groups than others.

There has also been an increase in the proportion of people who feel immigration is one of the top two issues facing Ireland today.

Report author, Dr James Laurence, said: "Understanding attitudes to immigration are important for migrant integration.

"Despite concerns regarding an escalation of anti-immigration activities, evidence suggests that most people in Ireland are supportive of immigration and are comfortable with different immigrant groups. Attitudes are likely influenced by people’s social and economic conditions."

The research examined attitudes towards immigration over the past 20 years and using a large representative survey of 3,008 adults in Ireland in 2023, it also examined what factors are associated with more or less positive attitudes and comfort levels with different migrant groups.

 Trends in attitudes

• Over the last decade, Irish positivity towards immigration has significantly increased. In 2022, beliefs that immigrants make the country a better place to live, that the country’s cultural life is enriched by immigrants and that immigration is good for the economy were at a historic high, based on data going back to 2002.
• However, in recent years, there have been declines in some indicators: positivity towards immigration from EU countries was 10% lower in 2023 than in 2020. Several attitudes declined, especially between June and November 2023, including people’s positivity towards non-EU immigration and people’s feelings immigrants contribute a lot to Ireland.
• Despite very recent declines in support for immigration in November 2023, Ireland had the fourth most positive attitudes towards immigration of all EU countries and the UK.

Attitudes towards different groups

• The research also found that people in Ireland are more supportive of helping Ukrainian refugees (87%) than asylum seekers (76%).
• People in Ireland are also more comfortable with having European migrants in their everyday lives (as neighbours, in their child’s class in school, in a romantic relationship with their child). They are somewhat less comfortable with Ukrainian refugees, and least comfortable with asylum seekers.

Factors associated with different attitudes

• Education and perceived financial strain are some of the most consistent predictors of how comfortable people feel with different migrant groups: people with lower qualifications and those who find ‘making ends meet’ more difficult are less positive about immigration.
• Living in private rented accommodation is associated with more positive attitudes to immigration, compared to living in owner-occupied accommodation.
• A survey also showed that those who identify as politically left wing are more positive across some indicators.
• People’s perceptions of the past and future are also associated with their immigration attitudes. Those who feel that their quality of life was better in the past or who have less confidence in the future are less positive about immigration overall.
• People concerned about access to housing and access to services are also somewhat less positive towards immigration than people concerned about racism, climate change or poverty in Ireland.