Large-scale emigration is a defining feature of Irish history and continues to influence public narratives and attitudes around migration. Significant immigration only began in the late 1990s and has transformed Ireland into a multicultural society in a short space of time. Public attitudes to immigration have remained open and are amongst the most positive in Europe. Immigration has not been politicised and Ireland is mainly free of the divisive political rhetoric seen in some other European countries. However, a handful of far-right organisers, seeking to manipulate Ireland's housing crisis, have increasingly been protesting against asylum seekers, with violent incidents around accommodation centres escalating in 2023-24.

Migration trends

Immigration and emigration closely track economic conditions, with immigration particularly increasing during Ireland’s ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic boom years. The global financial crisis ushered in a period of deep recession with dramatic declines in immigration and rising emigration in response to high unemployment rates. Immigration levels have since recovered. Ireland has also received very high numbers of Ukrainian refugees as well as experiencing a surge in asylum applications in 2022.

This data shows annual immigration, emigration and net migration figures. Source: Central Statistics Office (n.d.) 'Population and Migration Estimates'

Salience

Salience has remained low over the last two decades, with immigration rarely registering as a top issue of concern for more than 10% of the Irish public. Concern reached a minor peak of only 14% in 2007 as immigration rapidly increased but has declined to mainly low levels, with 2023 showing a slight increase in concerns registered.

This shows the percentage of people who see immigration as one of the two most important issues facing the country today. Source: Eurobarometer (n.d.) 'Standard Eurobarometer'. Brussels: European Commission. Data shown is taken from Autumn surveys, with the Autumn surveys of 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 shifting to Winter 2020/21, Winter 2021/22 and Winter 2022/23 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Perceptions

The Irish stand out for the high percentage of their population who perceive immigration as an opportunity (41%) compared to those who see it more as a problem (19%) according to survey data from 2021. Between 2017 and 2021 perceptions have become more positive in this area.

This shows the percentage of people that think immigration from outside the EU is more of a problem than an opportunity, or more of an opportunity than a problem, or equally a problem and an opportunity. Source: European Commission (2018) 'Special Eurobarometer 469. Integration of immigrants in the European Union'; European Commission (2022) 'Special Eurobarometer 519. Integration of immigrants in the European Union'

Attitudes

Over the last two decades positive attitudes have always outweighed negative attitudes towards immigration. While positive attitudes dipped and negative attitudes rose between 2008 and 2010, during the country’s deep recession, the trend since has been strongly and increasingly positive. In 2022, 72.5% of the Irish population felt immigration made the country a better place to live, significantly higher than many European countries.

This shows how people have answered the question 'Do immigrants make Ireland a worse or a better place to live.' Those scoring 0-4 are classified as holding 'negative' views, those scoring 5 as 'indecisive' and those scoring 6-10 as holding 'positive' views. Source: European Social Survey (n.d.) 'Ireland.' Electronic Dataset Survey postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic.