75 per cent of people surveyed in Ireland for a new European Parliament survey said they were “highly worried” about uncontrolled migration flows. That figure is higher than the average across the EU, where the figure was 65 per cent.
The figures come from the latest European Parliament Eurobarometer survey, showing that people in Ireland are more concerned about migration than their EU counterparts.
13 per cent of Irish respondents said they were “moderately worried” about uncontrolled migration flows, with 12 per cent telling the survey they were “not or slightly worried” about the issue.
For those in Ireland, uncontrolled migration flows was the top concern (75 per cent), followed by cyber-attacks from non-EU countries (73 per cent) and active conflicts near EU borders (72 per cent)..
More than 1,000 people in Ireland were interviewed for the survey last November. 26,453 face-to-face interviews were conducted across EU member states for the report.
Concerns around migration have long featured in the polls here. A Business Post who commissioned the poll from Red C published in November said that the response to the question on migration “showed is overwhelming public support for a crackdown on immigration”.
Some 72 per cent of voters said they supported recent justice department moves to make immigration more difficult for people coming or trying to stay in Ireland. Only 11 per cent said they were opposed to the proposals, while a combined 16 per cent said they felt neutral on the matter or were unsure.
That poll also showed strong support among the bases of both government parties for a tougher stance on migration; 77 per cent of Fianna Fáil voters said they supported the measures, along with 75 per cent of Fine Gael’s voters.
Elsewhere in the new EU survey, rising costs and inflation took priority, with the majority of EU respondents saying that cost of living should be tackled.
Overall across the bloc, the cost of living was seen as the issue that most people want addressed (52 per cent). The second biggest issue was public health (49 per cent) – rising nine points since the last survey.
However, migration and asylum seeking were the third highest priority overall in the EU (45 per cent) – up a total of seven points since the last report.
The European Parliament, publishing the survey’s findings, said that geopolitical turbulence is having a major impact on Europeans’ perceptions, with the majority (52%) saying they are pessimistic about the future of the world, compared to only 37% of Irish people surveyed.
Attitudes towards the EU and its institutions remain positive in Ireland despite small declines since May 2025.
Those surveyed in Ireland reported some of the highest levels of optimism within the EU, with 82 per cent saying they were optimistic about the future of their country, higher than their EU counterparts. On average, just 57 per cent of others in the EU felt optimistic about te future of their countries. 77 per cent of those surveyed in Ireland said they were optimistic about the future of the EU, while just 57 per cent of EU citizens said the same.