Study finds one in five would deny citizenship to Travellers

ONE IN five Irish people would deny citizenship to Travellers, a new survey has found. This result was described as “frightening” by report author Fr Michael Mac Greil SJ. It marks an increase of 10 per cent over the last 20 years and shows a “growing polarisation in public attitudes towards Travellers”, he said.

He was speaking last night as he published Emancipation of the Travelling People which monitors changes in public attitude towards Travellers over the past 35 years.

Three-quarters of people would be reluctant to buy a house next door to a Traveller, the survey of over 1,000 people by the Economic and Social Research Institute in 2007/2008 found.

This finding has increased since a similar survey 20 years ago. It indicates a “negative mood” in Irish society towards having Travellers in the immediate area, said Fr Mac Greil. A change in the main reason for this answer moved from “not socially acceptable” in the 1988 survey to “way of life” in the 2008 survey. This was welcomed by the author.

At almost 40 per cent, those who would welcome Travellers as a member of their family was the highest ever measured. It was triple the 1988 finding. While the percentage was still too low, it took Travellers out of the “lower-caste” status in the minds of a significant portion of people, Fr Mac Greil said.

The report’s most positive finding was that three-quarters of people felt that Travellers were competent to sit on a jury. This marked an increase of 20 per cent compared to 1988.

There was also a slight improvement in the number of people who would be willing to employ a Traveller, which stands at 60 per cent.

Respondents with third-level occupations were least in favour of this which was “disappointing” according to the author.Respondents in unskilled occupations and those with least education were the most tolerant towards Travellers, pointing to solidarity, the report said.

Among the main recommendations of the report were the removal of the culture of poverty and deprivation, creation of a unique ethnic group status and a statutory commission to review Traveller policy.

Fr Mac Greil said there needed to be a pluralist approach by the State as the policy of “settling” Travellers had not succeeded.

Minister for Equality Pat Carey said conflict resolution in the Traveller community would be his priority.