Women and young adults increasingly feel disadvantaged as confidence in equality falls

Just 53% believe they have equal opportunities to get ahead in life, compared with 62% last year. File picture: iStock

Ireland is becoming increasingly unequal in how people perceive fairness and equality, with women and young adults feeling particularly disadvantaged and more acutely aware of persistent inequalities, a new poll from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has found.

Only 39% of respondents believe that everyone in Ireland enjoys the same basic human rights – down from 48% in both 2025 and 2024, according to the 2026 IHREC Annual Public Attitudes Poll, published today.

Just 53% believe they have equal opportunities to get ahead in life, compared with 62% last year.

And only 26% believe efforts to combat discrimination are effective, down from 40% in 2025.

Women were consistently more likely than men to express concern about discrimination, economic insecurity, fairness and the adequacy of Government responses, according to the research. Women were also significantly less likely to believe that efforts to combat discrimination are effective.

Gender divide over economic fairness

The gender divide is particularly visible in perceptions of economic fairness.

Just 8% of women believe wealth is distributed fairly in Ireland, compared with 15% of men.

Men are also significantly more likely than women to believe that everyone enjoys their basic human rights equally, that the Government is doing enough to address racism, and that Ireland welcomes diversity.

And while 65% of adults say they have a strong understanding of human rights, the proportion is highest among 18–24-year-olds at 75%, while adults aged 50 and over had the lowest level, with 63% reporting a strong understanding.

Yet younger people are much less confident about their ability to experience equality in practice. Only 40% of 18–24-year-olds believe they have equal opportunities to get ahead in life, down from 60% last year. By contrast, adults aged 65 and over remain the age group most likely to believe they have equal opportunities.

Younger adults are also significantly more likely to have witnessed racism and disability discrimination. Around 26% of 18–24-year-olds witnessed disability discrimination in the past year, compared with just 4% of those aged 65 and over.

Cost-of-living pressures

Although people in Ireland continue to strongly support human rights, equality and fairness, a growing gap is emerging between support for these principles and confidence that they are being realised in everyday life, according to the IHREC research.

The nationally representative poll of 1,205 adults, conducted between May 12 and 24, 2026, found that 84% believe everyone should be treated equally regardless of background, while very high majorities regard economic and social rights such as affordable healthcare, housing and adequate earnings as important.

At the same time, confidence that equality and human rights are being delivered fairly has fallen sharply.

The findings suggest that public opinion is not turning away from human rights and equality. Rather, people increasingly want to see those principles translated into tangible improvements in their lives, the IHREC said.

The poll also demonstrates that people understand human rights and equality through the realities of everyday life.

Around 87% of respondents are worried about the cost of living. Yet only 12% believe the Government is doing enough to address cost-of-living pressures, while 72% disagree. Similarly, only 11% believe wealth is distributed fairly in Ireland.

• 94% consider affordable healthcare important 
• 91% consider affordable housing important 
• 91% consider adequate pensions important 
• 90% consider adequate earnings important 
• 90% consider public transport important 
• 89% consider disability benefits important 

Women and older adults consistently place greater importance on these rights.

Racism and discrimination

The poll also finds widespread recognition that discrimination continues to affect particular groups.

Three quarters (74%) agree that refugees and asylum seekers experience racism and discrimination. However, confidence in their treatment is considerably lower: only 49% believe they have access to adequate accommodation and 47% believe they are treated fairly.

Among non-Irish respondents, 25% report personally experiencing racism in the previous year, while 42% say they witnessed racism.

Women and younger adults are less likely to believe refugees and asylum seekers are treated fairly, while younger people are significantly more likely to report witnessing racism.

Some 42% of respondents do not believe the Government is doing enough to address racism, while 31% believe it is sufficiently tackling the problem.

Regarding artificial intelligence, 80% believe public bodies should register AI systems used in delivering public services and 81% believe the Government should regulate AI. Only 13% believe the Government is currently regulating AI effectively.

‘Rights in principle’ and ‘rights in practice’

Liam Herrick, chief commissioner of IHREC, said the findings from this year's poll point to a very important distinction.

"The vast majority of people in Ireland continue to strongly support human rights, equality and fairness. But increasingly, they are questioning whether those principles are being realised in practice.

“That gap between rights in principle and rights in practice should concern all of us. It is particularly striking among women and younger people, who are more likely to identify discrimination, inequality and economic insecurity, and less likely to believe that current responses are working effectively.

“The message from the public is not that human rights and equality matter less. It is that they matter deeply, and people expect to see them reflected in their everyday lives.

“Whether someone can afford a home, access healthcare, earn an adequate income, participate fully in society or live free from discrimination are all questions of fairness and human rights. The challenge now is to turn Ireland's very strong commitment to equality into greater confidence that people are actually experiencing those rights equally in practice.”