Using the services of banks, insurance companies and financial institutions is when Irish residents most commonly experience discrimination, according to figures released by the CSO today.
The Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) figures show that of the 112,500 people who claimed to have suffered this kind of discrimination, 60 per cent were men and almost a quarter were between 18 and 24 years old.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Bankers Federation (IBF) said that the organisation rejected "any suggestions implict or otherwise that banks are anything less than fully committed to ensuring that they fully meet their obligations in the area of equality."
"The figures show that the grounds most people cited for feeling discriminated against when using financial services are areas on which banks are required to ask questions such as gender, age, marital and family status. These would all impact on a person's financial situation," she added.
The workplace came a close second to the financial sector with more than 100,500 respondents reporting feeling discriminated against while doing their jobs. Over a quarter stated that the main focus of this discrimination was "bullying or harassment", while one in five said that the main focus was "working conditions".
Overall, nearly 12 per cent of those aged 18 or over have felt discriminated against in the past two years. Reporting levels varied widely with a range of socio-demographic factors such as age, economic status, nationality, religion and ethnicity influencing the results.
Those categorised as being from "other ethnic backgrounds" reported the highest levels of inequality with over 31 per cent feeling that they had been discriminated against in the past two years.
The unemployed (28.8 per cent), non-nationals (24.4 per cent), non-Catholics (21.6 per cent), persons with a disability (19.6 per cent) and young people (17.6 per cent) also reported higher than average rates.
The figures show that the reported incidents were not isolated with the majority of those who reported discrimination stating that they had experienced discrimination more than once.
Almost one in four people (24 per cent) from "other ethnic backgrounds" and just over 23 per cent of the unemployed believed that they had been discriminated against more than once.
Age and gender proved the most common grounds for discrimination with over 25 per cent of those experiencing discrimination reporting age as the basis for the treatment and almost 16 per cent naming gender as the reason. Age was the most frequently cited ground in relation to both work-related discrimination and discrimination accessing services.
Overall rates of discrimination reported by men and women were broadly similar (12.4 per cent and 12.5 per cent respectively) but there were significant differences in the types of discrimination experienced by the sexes.
It is when using the services of banks, insurance companies or financial institutions that men feel most discriminated against (4.4 per cent) while women mostly experience such incidents in the workplace (3.4 per cent). There were also variations in the grounds for discrimination experienced by men and women. Men most commonly believed that age was the reason behind the discrimination and for women family status was the most often cited ground.
The majority of those who reported discrimination (60 per cent) failed to act but the groups reporting the highest rates of discrimination were also the groups that were least likely to complain. Over 75.2 per cent of people from "other ethnic backgrounds" failed to act in relation to their experience while the 65-plus age group were the most likely to take verbal action.
Welcoming the survey, Equality Authority Assistant Principal Patrick O'Leary said that the authority planned to examine and analyse the implications of the results produced.
"Good representative data can inform and improve our knowledge of the extent of discrimination and illustrate how legislation can be used to promote equality," he said.