A significant majority of people have generally favourable attitudes to immigrants arriving “to make a better life for themselves or their families”, a poll published on Thursday indicates.
Conducted by the Ireland Thinks company on behalf of the Migrants Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI), it finds 64 per cent of people agree Ireland should welcome people who move here to make a better life, with 18 per cent disagreeing and 19 per cent saying they neither agree nor disagree.
The poll was conducted on July 4th and 5th, via text message polling of 1,465 nationally representative adults. The margin of error is plus/minus 2.6 per cent.
It finds 82 per cent agreed with the proposition that Irish companies should continue to be able to recruit people from outside the EU to work in sectors experiencing skill and labour shortages, with 11 per cent disagreeing and 6 per cent saying they neither agree nor disagree.
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On the issue of whether people from outside the EU recruited through the work permit system should be allowed to bring their spouse and/or children with them, 65 per cent agreed they should, 24 per cent said they shouldn’t and 11 per cent had no opinion.
Asked whether people from outside the EU recruited through the work permit system “should have freedom to change to any job after two years”, 66 per cent agreed, 21 per cent disagreed and 13 per cent had no opinion.
In a longer question on policy, people were asked: “Being undocumented means living in a country without all the necessary legal permissions. The vast majority of undocumented people in Ireland (including many with children) have been living and working here for a long time supporting themselves. They do not receive any State welfare supports or accommodation. What do you think Government policy should be towards these migrant workers?”
Given a choice of two policy responses, 69 per cent selected: Government should: “Give people the opportunity to come forward and legalise their status provided they can show they have been living and working here long term”, while 25 per cent chose: “Require all undocumented people to leave the country immediately”. Six per cent said they didn’t know.
A final question about the cost to immigrants of annually renewing their identification card found 88 per cent felt “less than €100″ was “fair and reasonable”.
Neil Bruton, campaigns manager with the MRCI, said the results showed the dominant attitude of the public was “positive and welcoming” towards immigrants.
“The majority are welcoming and recognise that people who make Ireland their home should be treated fairly. People clearly support progressive policy changes that address the persistent challenges people face when moving to Ireland to make a better life.”
The findings echo those published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in May that 73 per cent of people reported feeling positive about immigration, while three-quarters agreed Ireland should help migrants seeking protection, regardless of whether they came from Ukraine or were asylum seekers.
The Attitudes Towards Immigration and Refugees in Ireland study, conducted between March and April 2023, found, however, a decline in positivity towards immigrants, which had been at a “historic high” in 2022 based on data going back to 2002.
Commenting on the MRCI poll, Shiji Joseph, originally from India and working as a healthcare assistant in a nursing home in Dublin, said: “It is heartwarming to see that most people understand how hard it is to live without your family and support change. It’s deeply painful for me not being able have my children and husband with me here.”
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