Irish people more concerned about the cost of living than any other Europeans, EU report says
Seán McCárthaigh
Irish people are more concerned about the cost of living than any other Europeans with seven out of 10 claiming it is the main issue facing the EU, according to a new report published by the European Commission.
The Eurobarometer poll shows 70 per cent of Irish adults cited the cost of living as the number one challenge facing the bloc compared to the EU average of 39 per cent.
Greece and Croatia were the only other countries where a majority of citizens identified the cost of living as a major issue.
The scale of the problem appears to be growing among Irish people as the number identifying rising costs as their main worry has increased by 17 percentage points since a similar poll was conducted last year.
The report revealed that 32 per cent of Irish people had cut back on their heating in response to the increase in energy prices that followed the beginning of the war in Iran in February 2026.
The second most important challenge facing the EU, according to Irish voters, is irregular migration, with 36 per cent identifying it as an issue.
However, the level of concern about immigration among Irish respondents was down 5 percentage points compared to 2025.
Nevertheless, irregular migration was identified by Irish people as the issue which should be given the top priority ahead of other subject matters including the economy and public finances.
Almost one in three Irish respondents (32 per cent) listed immigration as the area that should be addressed as a priority.
The other main challenges for the EU in the view of Irish citizens are climate change, the war in Ukraine and crime and terrorism.
The survey of over 25,900 people across the 27 EU member states, including over 1,000 in the Republic sought to assess public opinion on the EU’s main challenges and priorities.
It also revealed that 53 per cent of Irish respondents agreed that they felt the security of Ireland is threatened, although the figure is down 15 percentage points from the previous poll in 2025.
Almost three-quarters supported the view that the EU should strengthen its capacity to defend itself autonomously against potential external threats.
Asked how they felt about respect for the rule of law in Ireland, 57 per cent said they were satisfied with current levels – only the 12th highest rate within the EU where levels ranged from 91 per cent in Luxembourg to 29 per cent in Bulgaria.
The survey also revealed that 80 per cent of Irish adults said they were concerned about their children being exposed to harmful content on social media and the risk of online grooming or sexual exploitation.
The findings come as the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has signalled that the EU will introduce measures to limit children’s access to social media platforms.
Ms von der Leyen has claimed there needs to be “age-appropriate restrictions” for digital platforms.
The report showed 44 per cent of Irish people supported EU rules being adopted which prohibit social media companies from offering their services to children below a certain age – the joint second highest rate in the EU.
Six out of 10 Irish respondents said they had come across information online in the previous week which they believed to be false or misleading, including 25 per cent which said it was occurring on a daily basis.
Four out of 10 said they had come across online content which they felt was an attempt by a foreign country or organisation to influence their opinion.
Irish people expressed a preference for stronger rules to regulate social media platforms as well as more education and media literacy to tackle the problem of false or misleading information online.
They also indicated strong support for clear labelling of AI-generated or manipulated content.
