Irish people are the most optimistic in Europe about the future of the EU, according to a new poll.
In the Eurobarometer survey, Ireland came top for trust in the EU, confidence in its work, and identifying as European, with the UK and Greece consistently ranking bottom.
The study also found that trust in the national government is higher in Ireland than the EU average; however, housing remains the number one concern for citizens amid the ongoing accommodation crisis in the state.
Ireland topped the poll, with 85% of those questioned optimistic about the future of the EU, with Denmark second on 79%. The average across the continent as a whole was 61%.
Only the UK (47%) and Greece (45%) had a confidence rating of less than 50%.
The poll also showed that Irish people are the happiest with the way democracy works in the EU, at 77% – well above the average of 55%.
The UK (46%), France (45%) and Greece (36%) were the only three countries in the EU where a minority were satisfied.
85% of Irish people, the fourth highest total after Luxembourg (93%), Germany (88%) and Spain (87%), feel they are citizens of the EU, compared with an average of 73%.
Irish citizens also continued to be the most likely, at 63%, to have a positive image of the EU, and are more likely (54%) to trust the EU than the EU average (44%).
Trust in the national government is also higher in Ireland (42%) than the EU average (34%), the survey found, with Luxembourg citizens the most likely to trust their government at 76%) and those in Croatia (13%) and the UK (19%) having the least trust.
Asked about the three most important issues facing the EU at the moment, Irish people selected climate change (33%), immigration (28%), and terrorism (21%).
The top three national concerns for Irish people were housing (54% – the second highest in the EU), health and social security (41%), and the environment, climate change and energy issues (17%).
Three-quarters (75%) of Irish people think the national economy is good.
32% think the country’s economic situation will improve over the next 12 months (down 6 percentage points on autumn 2018), while 16% think it will worsen (up 6 percentage points), with 46% (down 2 percentage points) believing it will stay the same.
Just over 1,000 people were interviewed face to face for the survey in Ireland between June 7 and 18 2019.