A MAJORITY OF migrants living in Ireland believe that anti-migrant attitudes are “a significant issue in Ireland”, according to a report compiled by polling company Ipsos B&A for the Department of Integration. 

A draft of the unreleased report, dated April 2024, was released to The Journal under Freedom of Information legislation showed that 72% of migrants “generally agreed” that anti-migrant attitudes are a “significant issue”, with almost half saying they “strongly believed” it.

Over 7,500 responses – from individuals and organisations – were recorded as part of an online survey that specifically sought input from migrants living in Ireland and people with a migrant background on the challenges of integrating into Irish society. 

The vast majority of responses came from individuals, with just 82 completed on behalf of an organisation.

Of the 4,750 migrants who responded to the survey, almost half (47%) were born in Brazil, with 9% born in India and 4% born in Ukraine. A large number of responses were also received from people who were not from a migrant background. 

The report also found that 87% of the migrants who responded moved to Ireland between 2010 and 2023 and that 73% were in full-time employment.

As well as the online survey, two workshops were organised at the Department of Integration that included various migrant groups and non-governmental organisations.

The report forms part of the public consultation on migrant integration launched last October.

It’s intended the report will inform “the design and development of a national strategy for migrant integration”.

The consultation was launched in October last year and submissions to the online survey were made by the public through the Department website until the end-November 2024.

At the time of publication, the Department had not provided a response to a question from The Journal on why the final version of the report had not yet been published.

‘Multiple challenges’

The report found migrants face a number of challenges in areas such as housing, employment, education and accessing public services, with many reporting that they face unequal or unfair treatment because of their background.

One issue highlighted in the report is the lack of mobility afforded to migrants due to visa limitations and the power imbalance this can create with employers.

Many migrants report facing difficulties finding work in their area of expertise with short visa terms discouraging employers from hiring them despite their qualifications and experience.

Despite these barriers, the vast majority of migrants believe that Ireland is a generally welcoming place, mirroring similar research published by the ERSI in March showing attitudes in Ireland towards refugees and immigrants remain “largely positive”.

However, a large percentage of migrants also report facing discrimination and stereotyping.

Two-thirds of migrants report having faced racial or ethnic discrimination and almost 60% have faced hate crimes and harassment.

This discrimination and hate presents itself in microaggressions as well as physical attacks, threats, and other forms of violence, leading to significant stress and anxiety among some migrants, according to the respondents.

One woman from the Philippines told the survey that she is afraid to leave her apartment and travel into the city centre due to previous abuse and threats of violence.

The report states that “Ukrainian migrants stand out” compared to other migrant groups as receiving significantly less harassment and discrimination.

70% of Ukrainian migrants say that they have never experienced hate crimes, while 40% say that they have never experienced stereotyping. Both figures are higher for other groups. 

Alongside the responses received from migrants, a significant number of responses to the survey included anti-migrant views and sentiments.

One survey response from an Irish woman published in the report said that migrants in Ireland are “provided with free accommodation, free education, free medical cards” and that Irish people are not.

Another response to the survey also claims that migrants “are offered more help than Irish people, and requirements are often lowered to help them”.

And of the roughly 300 migrants that “strongly disagreed” that anti-migrant sentiment was a “significant issue” in Ireland, the report identified that within this number there was a cohort of 44 people who considered themselves as ethnically Irish and that most of these were born in the United Kingdom.

Many of the comments received from the latter group were highly critical of the government’s immigration policy. Many of the members of this group, according to the report’s authors, believed “the policy needs to be stricter, particularly in terms of vetting and integrating migrants”.

Others say that the current level of immigration is causing social and economic problems and that these criticisms “should not be mistaken for anti-immigrant sentiment”. Migrants are also are accused of “coming [to] cause trouble and living off the state” by some of those quoted in the report.

Another view that is repeated is that diversity quotas put in place by large businesses have meant that migrants are favoured for jobs “simply based on nationality or race rather than skill and talent”.

This is despite the report showcasing that a majority of respondents believe that individuals with a migrant background have fewer opportunities than other Irish citizens.

In response to the report, a statement to The Journal from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said:  

The Department is in the process of further consultation to inform the development of a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, and plans to publish the consultation reports online when the consultation process is complete.

Recommendations 

The report concludes by offering a number of recommendations from Ipsos informed by the responses, including reiterating the government promise to end the Direct Provision system and introduce stronger hate speech legislation.

A White Paper published in 2021 promised to introduce a new international protection system by 2024. However, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman said last year that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine had “an unavoidable impact on the timelines and deliverables” of the changes.

The previous Migrant Integration Strategy was launched in 2017 and ran until the end of 2021. The views included in this public consultation will inform the new national strategy for migrant integration.

As a member of the EU, Ireland participates in freedom of movement, which allows EU nationals to live and work here without the need for visas. The majority who move to Ireland from outside the EU apply for permission to work, live or study here.

Over 100,000 people have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection directive since February 2022. In 2023, 13,000 people applied for for International Protection (asylum) here. 

In recent weeks tensions have flared in the Dublin suburb of Coolock over plans to house asylum seekers at the former Crown Paints factory, resulting in clashes with Gardaí and a number of fires being started at the site.

Similar incidents at other proposed accommodation sites have occurred across the country, including a fire which destroyed the Ross Lake Hotel in Rosscahill, Galway late last year following news that it was earmarked for asylum seekers.