Support for the Republic remaining a member of the European Union remains strong, but fewer than half of all people in the State believe that the bloc is “moving in the right direction”, according to a new survey.
Migration was the single greatest concern among voters who believe the EU is moving in the wrong direction, with almost a third (31 per cent) of respondents citing “immigration control issues” as the reason they believed that.
Asked about where the EU’s performance is weakest, almost half of voters (49 per cent) cited the area of migration.
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The poll was carried out by Amárach Research for the European Movement Ireland, a pro-EU think tank.
While a large majority of respondents (82 per cent) favour continued membership of the European Union, this represents a decline from a high of 93 per cent in 2019, at the height of Brexit negotiations, and from 88 per cent in 2023.
Just 45 per cent of respondents say that the EU is moving in the right direction, a decline from 58 per cent in 2023, with 26 per cent believing it is not moving in the right direction and 28 per cent expressing no opinion.
Aside from immigration, 27 per cent cited “economic and regulatory issues” and 26 per cent cited “federalism and national sovereignty” as reasons for believing that the EU is moving in the wrong direction. Ten per cent cited “militarisation concerns”.
However, almost half of respondents said the Republic “should be part of increased EU defence and security co-operation”, with 32 per cent opposed and 20 per cent expressing no opinion.
Asked which issues they were “most concerned about at an EU level”, 58 per cent of respondents nominated the cost of living, while 48 per cent mentioned migration and 41 per cent housing.
A large majority (71 per cent) say that the EU should “seek greater independence from the US”.
Just half of all those polled said the European Union is effectively upholding its core values, described as “respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights”, in its policies and actions. A third said they did not believe the bloc was upholding its values.
A simultaneous survey was also carried out in Northern Ireland. It found that if there was a referendum on the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) would vote in favour. A similar proportion felt that because some EU laws still apply in the North, it should have “a greater say in EU decision-making”.
Asked if they would vote for a “united Ireland in the EU”, 63 per cent said they would vote in favour. In the Republic, a smaller proportion but still a clear majority at 59 per cent said they would vote for it.
The online poll was carried out by Amarách Research and is the latest phase of research commissioned by the European Movement Ireland on an annual basis since 2013.
Two simultaneous surveys, each conducted among 1,200 people, were carried out in the Republic and Northern Ireland between March 26th and 31st last. In both jurisdictions, the results have been weighted to reflect the demographic structure of both jurisdictions. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 per cent.