People in Ireland are the second most positive Europeans according to Eurobarometer Survey

The latest edition of the annual Eurobarometer survey reports that 75% of respondents from Ireland have a positive image of the EU, the highest proportion of Irish people saying this since autumn 2004, with Ireland ranking second highest across the EU Member States.

The Eurobarometer Survey focuses on citizens’ attitudes and trust in the EU, Irish people’s sentiments towards the economy in view of the pandemic, coronavirus related restrictions and evaluations of performance by the national government and the EU concerning the pandemic, as well as attitudes towards coronavirus vaccinations.

The data for this report was gathered in Ireland by Kantar who interviewed 1,094 respondents aged 15+ online between 17 February 2021 and 3 March 2021.

The report also found  that:

• 77% agree interests of Ireland are well taken account of in the EU, the highest proportion of any EU Member State
• 74% tend to trust the EU, with Ireland ranking the second most trusting nation of the EU
• 44% think the national economy will get “better”, the second-highest in the EU. Compared to summer 2020, pessimism about the economy’s prospects is down 29-points
• 88% think the restrictions implemented nationally to fight Covid-19 were justified, above the EU average of 73 per cent
• 56% are satisfied with how the EU handled the pandemic
• 70% trust the EU to make the right decisions in the future regarding the coronavirus
• 74% want to receive (or have already received) an authorized Coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible and a further 12 per cent say they wish to receive a vaccine by the end of 2021. Only 4 per cent of Irish people say they never intend to receive an authorized vaccine, among the lowest proportion saying this in the EU.

Standard Eurobarometer 94 - Public Opinion in the European Union: Ireland Winter 2020/21