Almost three-quarters of people in Ireland believe the country’s wealth is unfairly distributed, according to new research carried out for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
Published to coincide with the organisation’s inaugural annual conference on Leadership for Human Rights and Equality in Croke Park on Tuesday, the survey found 80 per cent of respondents believe that everyone should be treated equally but the number has declined over the past couple of years, from 85 per cent in 2023.
Among the 1,243 adults surveyed by Ipsos B&A, more than four in every five, 84 per cent, said the cost of living is a big concern but fewer than one in seven respondents said they thought the Government was doing enough to address it. Almost half of respondents said they were concerned they would not be able to pay their bills over the year ahead.
Of the 72 per cent who said they did not believe Ireland’s wealth is distributed fairly, the numbers were highest among younger men.
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Just over 60 per cent of respondents agreed they have equal opportunities, down slightly on a year ago, while 21 per cent actively disagreed with the suggestion. Males and those aged over 65 are more likely to believe they have equal opportunities in Ireland, the research found, compared to females or younger-aged cohorts.
With reports of racist attacks receiving increased attention recently, the survey found two-thirds of non-white Irish had first-hand experience of racism during the past year.
Overall, 14 per cent of respondents generally said they had experienced at least one such incident, up from 10 per cent a year earlier, but the proportion was more than twice that among non-Irish respondents, at 35 per cent.
Experience of discrimination was also substantially up among disabled people at 16 per cent with the rate among younger people roughly twice that.
Four in 10 people, meanwhile, said efforts currently being made to combat discrimination in Ireland are working.
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IHREC chief commissioner Liam Herrick said the poll “shows an Ireland pulled in two directions. On one hand, growing inequality and increasing reports of discrimination. On the other, a resilient and deep commitment in our society for values of fairness, solidarity and justice.
“The lived experiences behind those perceptions are stark. These are not abstract percentages. They represent adults excluded from employment, children bullied in classrooms, neighbours harassed on the street. They reveal an Ireland where the promise of equality is receding.
“The future we move toward will depend on leadership. Economic inequality, racism and democratic erosion are not forces of nature. They are outcomes of policy, and the consequence of political choice and political rhetoric. And they are outcomes that can be changed by courage, action and solidarity.”
