Life & Style

Ireland is more open and more equal than other countries

Global Trends survey: For the first time, the annual Ipsos study includes Ireland

One important trend that appears to have accelerated during the pandemic is the desire for a simpler, slower pace of life. Photograph: iStock

Damian Loscher
Sat Nov 13 2021 - 06:00

For the first time, Ireland has been included in the Ipsos Global Trends survey, providing unique insights into our position in the world according to our beliefs and values. The Ipsos Global Trends survey, conducted in August and September across 25 countries*, maps where each country is positioned on a range of belief and value statements, highlighting what makes Ireland different and identifying how our values align with global trends.

So what makes us different?

Ireland of the thousand welcomes may have a mythical quality to it, but this global study gives new meaning and relevance to this promise. The Irish are the least likely of the 25 countries surveyed to feel that we have too many immigrants in our country, or to hold the belief that there is more and more conflict on our island between people who don’t share the same values. These are remarkable findings when we consider how multicultural Ireland has become over the past two decades.

Ireland is not just more open, but we are also more equal, or aspire to be.

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There are also strong differences across countries in terms of the role of women in society. Just 20 per cent of adults surveyed in Ireland agree that the role of women in society is to be good mothers and wives, compared with 75 per cent to 63 per cent in India and 65 per cent in South Africa.

On agreement that transgender men and women should be free to live their lives as they wish, Ireland ranks just behind Canada. We appear to have moved from conservative to liberal as fast as we have moved from mono- to multicultural.

The Global Trends Survey is not just about a point in time. Because it has been conducted annually for almost a decade, it allows us to observe the direction and pace of change in global values.

We hear much nowadays about the “great reset”. The pandemic has provided the time and space to take stock, reassess what is important to us and set new goals. While this may be true at a personal level, there is no substantial evidence that key global macro trends have been interrupted. Trends that were evident pre-pandemic have continued or accelerated. Our concerns regarding the environment, eating healthier, losing privacy and social media companies having too much power all continue to grow.

In fact, some trends that we may have expected to reverse because of the pandemic have, like the proverbial oil tanker, proven difficult to turn. Our positive view of globalisation is one of these trends.

Each Global Trends Survey undertaken before the pandemic showed increasingly positive views towards globalisation. In most countries, the majority view was that globalisation is good.

Over the past two years we have been given ample reasons to change our minds about globalisation. Our globally interconnected world meant that the virus spread more easily. During lockdowns our focus shifted to local and the things we hold near and dear. Lately, global supply chain disruptions are driving up the cost of living. So how do we now feel about globalisation?

As it turns out, we still believe that globalisation does more good than harm, with no increased negativity.

We may also have expected a change in attitudes regarding the role of technology in our lives. The trend pre-pandemic had been one of growing concern that technology is ruining our lives. Even though we came to rely more on streaming, virtual calling and online shopping during the pandemic, our technology anxiety has deepened.

One important trend that appears to have accelerated during the pandemic is the desire for a simpler, slower pace of life. The Great Resignation may be the legacy of the pandemic, along with flexible working and improved gardening skills. What this means for global productivity, only time will tell.

For Irish people in particular, whatever worries we have about the pace of life and the expanding role of technology, there is no going back. We are towards the bottom of the list when it comes to believing the world is changing too fast, and second from the bottom when it comes to wishing for our country to be the way it used to be.

We are in a world that, despite the pandemic, continues to look ahead. And Ireland is looking further ahead than most.

Damian Loscher is managing director of Ipsos MRBI

The Ipsos/Irish Times data presents Ireland among its European counterparts and larger nations. The full survey includes 25 countries. ipsos.com

Ipsos