The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) reports that among all ethnic groups in Ireland, members of the Traveller and Roma communities experience the greatest levels of hostility, reports RTE.
According to a report by the ESRI, their research indicates that residents of wealthy neighbourhoods were less at ease with having Traveller neighbours than residents of underprivileged neighbourhoods.
Additionally, the study found that, on average, parents felt most at ease with Roma and Travellers attending their child’s school. Having them in a relationship with their child, however, made people the least comfortable, reports RTE.
The paper was released as a component of a collaborative research project between the Department of Equality and Integration and the ESRI.
According to the ESRI study, the midlands and west and south-west regions of the nation had especially unfavourable opinions towards travellers. The study found that attitudes towards Roma were most unfavourable in the midlands and south west.
According to the study, those who “also have tolerant attitudes towards the most stigmatised groups in Irish society” are more likely to have tolerant views towards Roma and Travellers, reports RTE.
According to the ESRI, favourable opinions of Roma were occasionally linked to favourable opinions of a wider variety of national and ethnic groups.
But according to the ESRI, this isn’t the case for travellers, reports RTE.
According to the report’s author, Frances McGinnity, the study reveals significant levels of both bias.
“In some ways, factors associated with higher levels of comfort towards Travellers and Roma are similar to migrant minority groups, for example, having third level education. Yet people finding it more difficult to make ends meet, those living in social housing and those living in disadvantaged communities are generally more comfortable with Travellers, in contrast to findings for migrant groups, suggesting anti-Traveller racism may be distinct from other forms of prejudice in Ireland,” she said, reports RTE.
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