Might respondents say "no" to racism but then nurture private grudges, asks Carl O'Brien
The outcome of research into the attitudes of Irish people towards immigrants can probably be best summed up with the phrase, "I'm not racist, but . . ."
On first examination the results are positive and encouraging. There appears to be a significant shift in understanding and awareness of immigrants and their contribution to society in the last three years.
Once people mix with newcomers, their attitudes towards them are likely to be warmer, a fact borne out in the findings. We are mixing with immigrants in their neighbourhoods, on the streets, at work, during recreation and in the education system. In all, the proportion of respondents who have mixed with members of these new communities has almost doubled, from 36 per cent to 67 per cent.
The proportion of respondents who feel foreign nationals make Ireland a more interesting place, benefit the economy and do not threaten job prospects for Irish people has risen. So, too, has the number of people who say that having people from ethnic groups as a next-door neighbour wouldn't bother them.
So far, so positive. But, as in almost all opinion polls, people have a habit of presenting their nobler selves to the wider world.
In general election polls, respondents say health is the most important issue, but proceed to vote on economic issues. Similarly, could it be that respondents are keen to say "no" to racism, and go on to nurture their private grudges and grievances?
It is impossible to say, of course. What is clear is that the results throw up some contradictory findings, at odds with the rosy picture painted by some of the headline findings.
For example, 58 per cent of respondents say they do not feel insecure about the presence of so many new foreign nationals. Yet 45 per cent of people went on to say they are "very concerned or somewhat concerned" about the freedom of movement brought about by EU enlargement.
When the same respondents were asked about future levels of immigration, half said they were concerned or very concerned. The chief areas of worry are that there will be just too many immigrants (55 per cent), Irish workers will be displaced (44 per cent), crime will increase (29 per cent) and wages will be driven down (27 per cent).
If we have mixed feelings about large-scale immigration, our attitudes towards asylum seekers are less ambiguous.
For starters, we seem to think there are far more of them than there actually are. Some 23 per cent of respondents cited asylum as one of the main reasons for immigrants arriving here, yet the real number - as a percentage of overall immigration - is closer to 3 per cent.
Almost 70 per cent of people feel Ireland shouldn't take any more asylum seekers, while 40 per cent think the number of racist incidents against asylum seekers is increasing all the time. Almost half believe that most asylum seekers are abusing the asylum process and are really economic migrants.
We shouldn't let this overshadow what appears to be a broadly positive report. The softening of attitudes towards immigration in general and the apparent reduction in racist incidents are to be welcomed.
What is clear is that we have some distance to travel before we give ourselves a pat on the back for becoming a progressive and tolerant society that makes Ireland a place of genuine welcome for newcomers.