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Irish people are the most optimistic in Europe about the future of the EU, according to a new poll.<\/p>\nIrish people are the most optimistic in Europe about the future of the EU, according to a new poll.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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%.<\/p>\n
Only the UK (47%) and Greece (45%) had a confidence rating of less than 50%.<\/p>\n
The poll also showed that Irish people are the happiest with the way democracy works in the EU, at 77% \u2013 well above the average of 55%.<\/p>\n
The UK (46%), France (45%) and Greece (36%) were the only three countries in the EU where a minority were satisfied.<\/p>\n
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%.<\/p>\n
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%).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Asked about the three most important issues facing the EU at the moment, Irish people selected climate change (33%), immigration (28%), and terrorism (21%).<\/p>\n
The top three national concerns for Irish people were housing (54% \u2013 the second highest in the EU), health and social security (41%), and the environment, climate change and energy issues (17%).<\/p>\n
Three-quarters (75%) of Irish people think the national economy is good.<\/p>\n
32% think the country\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Just over 1,000 people were interviewed face to face for the survey in Ireland between June 7 and 18 2019.<\/p>\n