Public perceptions in Ireland

Peregrine

These are some figures from a study conducted by Ipsos MRBI on public perceptions in Ireland which I found rather alarming.

Sorry about the long quote.

Q. 2
What percentage of the total income tax intake do you think is paid to the Revenue by the top 10 per cent of income earners in Ireland?

Average answer given: 28%
Correct answer: 59%

Q.4
Which of the following groups get the biggest portion of Department of Social Protection (ie Welfare) spending?

Answers given
The unemployed: 62%
Pensioners: 16%
Child benefit recipients: 17%
Don’t know: 5%

Correct answer: Pensioners


Q.7 - Health, Crime and Welfare
Has the crime rate increased, decreased or stayed the same over the past five years?
Increased: 68%
Decreased: 14%
Stayed the same: 16%
Don’t know: 1%

Correct answer: Decreased

Have politicians’ salaries increased, decreased or stayed the same over the past five years?
Increased: 42%
Decreased: 34%
Stayed the same: 22%
Don’t know: 2%

Correct answer: Decreased

Q.8 - Social
Out of every 100 people in Ireland about how many do you think are foreign nationals?

Average answer given: 25%
Correct answer: 12%

All 21 questions and answers can be read here: http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/the-irish-times-ipsos-mrbi-public-perceptions-poll-1.1613452
Analysis: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/public-perceptions-what-do-you-know-1.1612243

So what do you think? Are the general public ill informed about key facts? I know it would be hard for anyone to give completely accurate percentage answers to some of those questions but most of it are three choice questions.

I've come across many people who offer their opinions on anything and everything with no relevant knowledge on the topic but I didn't want to make generalisations with that.

BurnsCarpenter

:eek:

Q.3
Which of the following groups receive the most from the public purse in terms of direct payments to them?

Answers given
Welfare recipients: 25%
Public servants: 26%
Politicians: 48%
Don’t know: 2

Ted_YNWA

you have just broken AH

From that article:

The government is being paid less than 5 years ago.
There is less being spent on the dole than we think
There are less foreign nationals than we think.
Crime rates have decreased.

What can we complain about now ?

wp_rathead

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

you have just broken AH

From that article:

The government is being paid less than 5 years ago.
There is less being spent on the dole than we think
There are less foreign nationals than we think.
Crime rates have decreased.

What can we complain about now ?

Since when have facts mattered on AH :pac:

Sunnyisland

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

you have just broken AH

From that article:

The government is being paid less than 5 years ago.
There is less being spent on the dole than we think
There are less foreign nationals than we think.
Crime rates have decreased.

What can we complain about now ?

The English :)

Stinicker

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

What can we complain about now ?

The Weather and Begrudgery

Ted_YNWA

wprathead wrote: »

Since when have facts mattered on AH :pac:

realies wrote: »

The English :)

Stinicker wrote: »

The Weather and Begrudgery

False alarm

AH is open for business

Continue ..

Peregrine

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

you have just broken AH

From that article:

The government is being paid less than 5 years ago.
There is less being spent on the dole than we think
There are less foreign nationals than we think.
Crime rates have decreased.

What can we complain about now ?

It's not that bad, we still have plenty of topics to complain about.

I think I could have even added fuel to AH's fire for burning public sector workers and pensioners..

dxhound2005

Q.8 - Social
Out of every 100 people in Ireland about how many do you think are foreign nationals?

Average answer given: 25%
Correct answer: 12%

In the 2011 Census 17% of the population were born abroad. Which of course does not mean they are all non Irish nationals. But I wonder where the 12% figure came from. How would it be measured without doing another census?


http://cso.ie/en/newsandevents/pressreleases/2012pressreleases/pressreleasethisisireland-highlightsfromcensus2011part1/

Born abroad

The number of Irish residents who were born outside Ireland continues to increase and stood at 766,770 in 2011 an increase of 25 per cent on 2006, and accounting for 17 per cent of the population.

The groups which showed the largest increase were those already well established in Ireland. The fastest growing groups were Romanians (up 110%), Indians (up 91%), Polish (up 83%), Lithuanians (up 40%) and Latvians (up 43%).


Edit. I see the number of non nationals now in my link and it is 12%

Peregrine

I'd say there were some differences in people's definitions of a foreign national.

Seachmall

People hardly believe that 1/4 people in Ireland are foreign nationals...?

Seriously?

Seriously?

dirtyden

Seachmall wrote: »

People hardly believe that 1/4 people in Ireland are foreign nationals...?

Seriously?

Seriously?

Yes, it seems like an extreme overestimate. However, I would like to see the demographics of the poll. A poll of taxi drivers might have put that figure at 75%.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

The foreign national question is a little silly when you consider they mainly reside in certain areas within urban areas. You could get 4% in one place and a much higher % in others. I assume, people in Dublin would perceive that there are more foreign nationals living in the country than someone from outside the Pale. I haven't been in Dublin for about 8 years so I don't know if this is true or not, just pointing out how a big discrepancy could happen with these stats.

Peregrine

Seachmall wrote: »

People hardly believe that 1/4 people in Ireland are foreign nationals...?

Seriously?

Seriously?

The analysis says some people even said it was around 48%.

It's quite shocking to be honest.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

The foreign national question is a little silly when you consider they mainly reside in certain areas within urban areas. You could get 4% in one place and a much higher % in others. I assume, people in Dublin would perceive that there are more foreign nationals living in the country than someone from outside the Pale. I haven't been in Dublin for about 8 years so I don't know if this is true or not, just pointing out how a big discrepancy could happen with these stats.

I agree. It all depends on where you ask the question.

But nowhere in Ireland has a 48% foreign national population :eek:

jammy_doughnut

its the classic difference between reality and " received wisdom "

take the pensioners , the received wisdom is that they are not only penniless but constantly being cut by government

the reality is that the over sixties are the wealthiest age demographic and saw their first cuts in the very recent budget a month ago

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

you have just broken AH

From that article:

The government is being paid less than 5 years ago.
There is less being spent on the dole than we think
There are less foreign nationals than we think.
Crime rates have decreased.

What can we complain about now ?

Protestors, apparently.

Someone will till come out and tr to point out that although crime has gone down and there are less non-nationals here, they are still responsible for most of it.

Oh, and gay marriage.

stefan idiot jones

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

False alarm

AH is open for business

Continue ..

Travellers, Vinegar, Superquinn Sausages, Horses and Men On Fire, Cyclists, Buses, The Luas, The All Blacks, Bono, The Late Late Toy Show, That Gimp On I'm A Celebrity, Christmas Music, Christmas, Drinking Alone.......etc..etc

There is plenty of mileage left in there.

danniemcq

While I get the point of the poll there are a few things that are annoying me about it.

for example, has politicians wages gone up or down, they've gone down but it doesn't mention by how much by and if expences are included in it.

They also don't include the actual numbers of people who answered just say a poll and they also don't include a breakdown which i find very important. For example what percentage of under 25s thought X or Y comapared to what percentage of pensioners.

Still interesting reading though

GBXI

danniemcq wrote: »

While I get the point of the poll there are a few things that are annoying me about it.

for example, has politicians wages gone up or down, they've gone down but it doesn't mention by how much by and if expences are included in it.

They also don't include the actual numbers of people who answered just say a poll and they also don't include a breakdown which i find very important. For example what percentage of under 25s thought X or Y comapared to what percentage of pensioners.

Still interesting reading though

That's what is annoying me also. Really interesting article but I need to know how many people were polled and where were they polled.

WoollyRedHat

Did they survey people on their tea of prereference, what's the most popular tea? Everything else is irrelevant.