Irish trust in Government and EU has halved since spring

IRISH trust in the EU and the Government has almost halved since the spring of 2011 and we are the most pessimistic when in the bloc when it comes to our national economy.

The latest Eurobarometer survey shows Ireland has second lowest levels of trust in the EU, with support dropping from 40% to 24%, well below the EU average of 34%.

The percentage who tend not to trust the EU has also risen by 21 points to 60%. Trust in the EU is highest in Bulgaria at 59% and lowest in Britain at 17%.

Trust in the Government has also dropped to 22%, a drop of 20% since spring, but is close to the EU average of 24%.

People in Luxembourg (68%) were most likely to trust their government and people in Greece least (8%).

However, trust in political parties in Ireland was up slightly to 13% compared EU average of 14%.

Only 3% of Irish people think the current state of the Irish economy is good, the second lowest in Europe after Greece, where only 1% think their economy is good, and just below Spain where it is 4%.

In total, 96% of Irish people think the economic situation is bad, the second highest in Europe after Greece at 99%.

Across the EU, 71% of people think the situation of their national economy is bad, but in some countries, such as Sweden (14%), Luxembourg (15%), and Germany (20%), rates are a lot lower.

There is a growing public realisation here that the solution to the crisis is a long way down the line, with just 29% feeling that its impact on jobs has reached its peak, while 65% think that the opposite is the case.

This compares to EU averages of 23% and 68%. People in Estonia (40%), Bulgaria (38%), Austria (36%) and Latvia (35%) are most likely to think the impact of the crisis had already reached its peak and respondents in Cyprus (16%), Britain (16%) and Portugal (11%) least likely.

In terms of policies to tackle the financial crisis, about 92% of Irish people believed the introduction of a tax on bank profits would be an effective measure.

When asked whether they were for or against a European economic and monetary union with one single currency, the euro, 78% of Irish people were for, well above the EU average of 53%.