Irish people have retained their faith and confidence in property as an investment, despite the collapse in the market from 2008 to 2010, according to a survey carried out for investment firm iCubed by researchers Opinions.ie.

When asked what they would do with a lump sum to invest, property emerged as the top-ranked choice, the survey of a national panel of households with income of €75,000 or more indicated.

"It is surprising that it has survived the relatively recent property market crash, to remain the top investment choice," said Gary Connolly, managing director of iCubed, which is owned by stockbroking firm Davy.

Real estate came in ahead of pension top-ups and unit-linked funds, which iCubed said backed up the idea that Irish people have strong emotional ties to property. “Emotion and other factors trump logic in many instances,” Mr Connolly said.

Its research also found that a little more than half of respondents would accept an even-odds bet that pays out at 2:1.

When asked if they would bet €50 on a coin toss paying €100 (plus their stake) for a correct call, 53 per cent said they would accept it. The finding is an example of “loss aversion”, whereby losses loom larger in the mind than equivalent gains, according to iCubed.