ESRI: Most Irish people have positive views on immigration

Tens of thousands of people took part in the Ireland For All rally in support of migration and diversity in Dublin in February 2023. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The majority of Irish people have a positive view of migrants coming into the country, according to a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

However, it also found “people with lower qualifications and those who find ‘making ends meet’ more difficult are less positive about immigration overall, believe protesting local international protection arrivals is more acceptable, and feel less comfortable with most migrant groups”.

The report also expresses concern that support for helping refugees fell in the last six months of 2023.

Overall though, it finds that 73% of people feel comfortable with having migrants as neighbours, and that attitudes towards the community has improved in the last 10 years.

In fact, it finds that attitudes towards migrants are more positive here than anywhere else across the EU27.

“Indeed, this gap has widened over time, and in November 2023 Ireland had some of the most positive attitudes towards immigration of all EU27 countries,” states the report.

The study comes on the back of increased tensions around the housing of asylum seekers across the country.

Last year's Ireland For All rally. The new ESRI study found that 73% of Irish people feel comfortable with having migrants as neighbours. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The 125-page ESRI report also found that the majority of people believe it is unacceptable to start a petition online and to protest at the housing of either Ukrainian refugees or asylum seekers, and that attitudes towards immigrants are also driven by education and perceived financial strain.

Using Eurobarometer and European Social Survey data, the study also revealed that Irish attitudes towards people coming to live here, “significantly improved over the last 10 years”.

The report shows that, in the most recent period, from 2020 to 2023, “feelings towards immigration are generally positive”.

“For example, the proportion of people who were positive about both EU and non-EU immigration was at least 16 percentage points higher by the end of 2023 than it was in 2014 [Eurobarometer data].”

However, the report did say that, “despite longer-term improvements in attitudes, people’s positivity towards immigration from EU countries was 10 percentage points lower in 2023 than in 2020 (albeit still higher than 2014-2016)”.

“Several attitudes declined especially between June and November 2023, including people’s positivity towards non-EU immigration (declined by six percentage points) and people’s feelings immigrants contribute a lot to Ireland (declined by five percentage points).

“While the overall trend in the last 10 years remains positive, this mirrors similar declines in positivity towards immigration across the EU27, and it is too early to tell if it will continue, plateau, or reverse.”

The study also found that people in Ireland are more positive about immigration from other EU countries and  Ukraine than immigration from outside the EU/Ukraine, and are more supportive of helping Ukrainian refugees than they are of asylum seekers.