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AHEAD OF THE one-year anniversary of the first Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland, the Irish public still believes that the country is re-opening at the right pace.
Polling carried out by Amárach Research on behalf of the Department of Health shows that despite being more angry frustrated in recent weeks than at any stage over the past 12 months, the largest proportion of the population believes that the current level of restrictions is about right.
The company has carried out weekly representative surveys of the Irish public since the beginning of the pandemic.
These polls have gauged, among other things, how Irish people feel about Covid-19 restrictions that are in place at a given time, which measures the public are complying with, and a range of positive and negative emotions that people have felt in recent days.
The first Covid-19 restrictions were introduced in Ireland on 12 March last year, in response to the country’s first death as a result of the virus.
Restrictions have been eased, re-introduced and altered in all kinds of ways over that time, but behavioural polling shows that most people are still reporting high levels of compliance with restrictions.
Out of 2,200 people who were asked on Monday of this week the extent to which they are obeying restrictions on a scale of 1 (indicating ‘not at all) to 7 (indicating ‘very much so’) , the average score was 6.3 – consistent with levels seen since last summer.
More than half (51%) of respondents responded with a 7, while a third (33%) responded with a 6.
This week, behavioural economist Dr Pete Lunn of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said that current trends showed that fears in March last year that people would soon become fatigued with having to comply with health restrictions.
“That argument, as it turned out, was very, very wide of the mark and when we looked for evidence for it at the time, we couldn’t find any,” he said.
“We now know that the public’s ability to respond to this disease and to change their behaviour to limit the spread of [Covid-19] is far in excess of what was predicted by those people at that time.”
However despite this positive polling, many are also reporting higher levels of negative emotions now than at any stage during the pandemic.
A higher proportion of respondents said this week that they felt angry, intolerant and desperate than at any point since last March. A large proportion of people also said they felt stressed (36%), frustrated (36%), sad (29%) and lonely (24%).
These feelings suggest that people are fed up with the pandemic, but Lunn explained that there was a “big difference between how people are feeling and how they behave”.
“Of course, it’s incredibly difficult time, but that does not necessarily mean that people are going to give up and they’re not going to stick with it,” he said.
Amárach’s polling also provides an insight into how people feel about easing restrictions after the vaccine rollout starts.
The Department’s poll poses this question in a ‘yes/no’ way: “Once people start getting the Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland should the Government lift Covid-related restrictions for everyone, including those who have not been vaccinated yet?”
Polling carried out on Monday this week shows that around one in four people (24%) believe this should happen.
Support for easing restrictions when the vaccine rollout has started is higher among under 35s, rising to almost one in three (31%), but overwhelming support across all ages is for restrictions to remain in place as the rollout continues.
The question is not without its limits; it does not indicate which restrictions people think should be lifted, or what time-frame people would like to see them lifted by.
However, it does allow us to see how people feel about the easing of current restrictions in light of the vaccine rollout.
Returning to normal
The Amárach polling also provides numerous insights into how people feel about the level of restrictions in ways that are not contingent on the rollout of vaccines.
Several questions in the weekly survey ask people what their preferences are in relation to various health measures in place right now.
People were asked about the pace at which Ireland is trying to return to normal and, separately, whether there should be more restrictions.
One question asks how people feel about the pace at which Ireland is “trying to return to normal”, with five options: much too quickly; a bit too quickly; at about the right pace; a bit too slowly; and much too slowly.
At almost every point in the polling, most respondents said Ireland is trying to return at about the right pace, including more than two in five (42%) surveyed on Monday of this week.
The only point at which that answer has not been the most common given was during October, when one in three people (35%) said Ireland was returning to normal too quickly. At the end of the month, Ireland introduced Level 5 restrictions for six weeks.
Polling carried out this week shows that the proportion of people who think Ireland is not returning to normal quickly enough, either ‘a bit too slowly’ (20%) or ‘much too slowly’ (9%), are higher than at any stage during the pandemic.
And the proportion of people who think that Ireland is moving too fast have fallen since Level 5 restrictions were re-introduced in January.
This week, the proportion of respondents who said that Ireland is returning to normal ‘a bit too quickly’ (20%) fell to its lowest-ever level. The number of those who think Ireland is moving ‘much too quickly’ (9%) also neared its lowest-ever level of 7% last June.
Interestingly, the number of people who said this week that Ireland is moving too quickly (29%) is the same as the number of those who said Ireland is moving too slowly (29%).
However, both are trumped by the higher number of those who think things are happening at the right pace (42%).
Level of restrictions
A general question also asks whether people think the reaction of the government to the “current coronavirus outbreak is appropriate, too extreme or not sufficient”?
Responses to this have also wavered over time, with higher proportions generally believing the response has been ‘appropriate’, aside from during the second and third waves in October and January.
On Monday, almost half of people surveyed (46%) said the government’s response was ‘appropriate’ – not far off the number of people who think things are going at the right pace as outlined above.
However, this has fallen significantly ever since November, when almost two in three (65%) felt the government’s response was ‘appropriate’.
The decline has meant a rise in the number of people who believe the government’s response is ‘not sufficient’.
This figure generally increases when rates of infection are higher: more people said the response was ‘insufficient’ during the second wave last October and after Christmas than those who said the response was ‘appropriate’.
Although more of those polled on Monday say the current response is ‘appropriate’, almost four in ten (39%) people still believe the response is ‘not sufficient’.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those who believe the response is ‘too extreme’ – while much smaller – is also on the rise.
On Monday, one in seven (15%) of those polled said the current response is ‘too extreme’ – its highest-ever level and an increase on 10% of respondents saying this in February and 6% saying it in January.
Most people, however, do not believe the government should introduce more restrictions (although a sizeable proportion do).
Polling over time shows that the number of people who think there should be more restrictions rises when infection rates increase, and drop at times when Ireland is living under more restrictive guidelines.
This week, almost half (47%) of respondents told Amárach Research that there should be no further restrictions, with two in five (40%) saying there should be.
Support for more restrictions has fallen the longer Level 5 has gone on, dropping from 59% in January and 46% in February to 40% this week.
Conversely, those saying there should not be more restrictions has increased from 26% in January to 40% in February to 47% this week.
However, one should be cautious not to gauge public support for a Zero Covid policy from this data: the poll does not ask respondents what type of restrictions they want if more were introduced – ultimately, the survey only tells us about what was asked.
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The Rio cops are playing a blinder. They’re the best thing about these olympics.
What’s funny is how this started. Lochte’s ma was grilling him why he got back so late and hadn’t been in touch with her. He made up this bs to avoid the truth. Then she speaks to the American media about it and suddenly Lochte and the others are being questioned about it on camera in Rio and it gets completely out of control, becomes a national pride thing for Brazil etc. and is subsequently exposed as a cover-up for drunken muppetry.
Moral of the story….. never lie to your mammy!
Pity they couldn’t be so useful out of competition…as corrupt as anything
I was going to suggest an garda siochana send a delegation out there to learn about effective policing, but it would be just our luck that they would send over a few rotten apples to embarrass us internationally…
The cops in Rio are corrupt in the most corrupt country in Latin American ! Easy to see that they are trying to appear clean as the eyes of the world are on them ! There is NO Ticket scandal S you could not give the tickets away for free ,due to the zika virus and lack of credibility in the Olympic ideal . Records being broken by huge margins and we point the finger at others without suspecting our own ! When it’s all over we will see there was absolutely no ticket scandal
Yeah, ok, are you a person or a bot?
Ridiculous carry on by people meant to be representing their country. And the whole Lochte refusing to get down on the ground bit is a sign of his arrogance. They should have got a night in the cells for wasting police time. Delighted they’ve been shown up for what they are.
Ryan Lochte is a 32 year old multiple Olympic medallist. Hardly a kid. I wouldn’t be so forgiving.
The Olympic spokesman guy chose the use of the word “kid” deliberately apparently as a deliberate sarcastic dig at Lochte. The other swimmers are young guys.
Yes, they are young. They are also in their 20s and representing their country.
Ever seen Ryan Lochte be interviewed…….
As someone said yesterday, it’s like an outtake from Bill and Ted.
By the way, that is in no way an attempt to defend him.
Lad is a total muppet.
These swimmers and Tricky Hickey very much failed to put the Brazilian authorities back in their box. At least these yank lads got the gold medals in the bag. Heartache for tricky just missing out in the Olympic hide and seek the other morning.
Lightweight yanks. Probably OD’d on 3 bud lights.
I am sure they did not think that Brazil was sophisticated enough to have CCTV and therefore they would get away with it. In crime ridden countries such as this they have many more security devices as danger is part of every day life.
They’re not sophisticated enough to let the law take it’s course instead of demanding money on the spot for an alleged crime, while holding the suspected vandals at gunpoint. Who’s to say there was any damage to the bathroom. Is there cctv footage of them even doing that? I suspect not! The whole story may or may not be true but it gives an insight into the law in Brazil and I wouldn’t fancy it at any rate. Who wouldn’t retract their story, pay thousands to an “institution” , agree with the police’s version of events and just get the hell out of there? I’d want to get back to safe ground as quick as possible!
Why are comments closed on the other Rio Irish story
Comments are closed because people in high places are calling the shots. This is how democratic societies work in times of possible huge embarrassment to the cartel at the very top!!
I only have one question on Our Rio Story. Did Minister Ross fly on the Government plane???
He didn’t fly on the government jet!
He swam over. Beat the national record as well
Thanks rodrigo
Not sure govt jet would have range?
The demon drink. Too many lemonades
Feigend a robbery because they were on the Lochte
Lochte out of his tree.
Seriously .. What were they thinking .. They must have been jealous of all the attention phelps was getting so they decided they wanted some of there own … Muppets
I can bet you my parent’s mortgage that Lochte’s arrogance stems from being Phelps’s understudy for some time and is sick of it. Much like Blake probably is of Bolt. These guys would deep down wish for these stars to fall.
Lochte’s arrogance, although I’d be more inclined to call it ignorance, stems from him being dumb as shit. Watch an interview with him, It’ll all start to make sense.
Get out ye pair a cowboys. Something a paddy would…oh, me ticker !!!!
The ugly American abroad sticks to type. No surprise there.
I am surprised. Americans abroad are usually polite well mannered law abiding
On their own maybe. But when they’re in a group their notorious inferiority complexes go into overdrive. It’s the result of the society they’re brought up in. ‘America’ über alles!
“…vandalising a gas station bathroom…”. ‘Gas’ station? It’s one thing to quote American usage, it’s another to actually use it in your article.
The author of the report is ‘AFP’ which stands for ‘American Foreign Press’. The article was written by an American journalist, hence the use of the phrase ‘gas station’. Does that soothe your indignation?
AFP stands for Agence France-Presse, not American Foreign Press. Although the original article was written by an American journalist as you say, it is hardly too much to ask that it be adapted for Irish readers before being published on an Irish news site.
LMAO!!! @ Just2comment
you come across as so righteous and indignant in your comment, that so far almost everyone has agreed with you
It is NOT “American Foreign Press” the image for AFP should b a dead giveaway for a start
AFP stands for “Agence France-Presse” and AFP is the third largest news agency in the world, after the Associated Press and Reuters.
If you are going to admonish someone and try and belittle them, at LEAST DO IT RIGHT……Like i just have……….hope that soothes your indignation…
l
American foreign press you say?
That’s interesting. So it’s definitely not the Agence France Presse which is linked at the end of the article?
Either you’re just making up news agencies or the journal can’t link correctly.
Lochte was definitely locked. Then deserted his pals.
Can thick as shit shit up in a blood sample?
The lads were vandals at the petrol station who are now found to be liars as well. Then Ryan Lochte lied to Billy Bush, and then to Matt Lauer. As recently as 24 hours ago NBC on the Today show was still defending Lochte after showing a stern-faced Brazilian official who explained the detention of the swimmers as due to court order.
A good portion of the Olympic athletes of all nations are hard-working, focused people who excel at particular sports. Most respect the laws of the host country.
I respect all of these people, winners and competitors alike.
KIds??
That IS a mugging isint it? Stopping off for a slash,probably pebble dashed the toilet bowl after a dodgy Curry. That was their act of vandalism,Garage attendants pull guns on them demanding compensation and got money from them.Thats illegal.why didn’t They call the cops? Finally they were released when they made a forced statement admitting they made it all up.what a load of Shi*e.Brazillian justice?wouldn’t go near the Kip.! If you get into any difficulties there you’re in big trouble.
They kicked in a door – why wouldn’t the filling station expect the damage to be paid for?
Head down to your local Topaz and kick in the jacks door, if the attendant pulls a gun and takes you money at gun point instead of calling the gards lets us know if you think it was fair
Brazil isn’t Ireland – things work differently there.
Rio 2016 been brilliant for new records – record new lows in cheating/doping,bribery, corruption, lies ,deceit Etc
They should all have their medals stripped. Absolutely disgusting behavior and that Locte fella is grade A d**che for leaving his team mates out to dry.
D!ckheads. Rich kid mommys boys who got caught and as usual are paying themselves out of the pickle they got themselves in
They must have been absolutely Locht
What was their game?
Swimming
I blame the chlorine in the water. Its worse than alcohol.
What suspicious-minded MONSTER actually checked out their story? Are we not supposed to just #Listenandbelieve??
Punishing this guy will discourage victims from coming forward in future, thereby re-enforcing robbery culture
It seems to me that they could have had manners in the first place, and waited for the police. Instead threw fifty dollars at the staff and off they went. Then there was talk of $400 and everything being stolen from them all. I wouldn’t want to be Lochte making an insurance claim in the future.
Those yanks just can’t handle their licker
Money talks
This is nothing to the shocking behaviour of Mc Gregor at the press conference. A thug with money is the worst sort.
What? Mc Gregor is a paid fighter and last time I checked he did not fabricate stories to the police. I do detect a bit of classism from you as this story deals with a privileged WASP yet you feel the need to blame Mc Gregor.
Press conference stunts like that are all pre-planned and part of the game – it’s all about whipping up the hype and bringing in the $$$ baby!
Jamie “Feign”.
US swimmers create new Olympic event for storytelling: ‘The 10K’!
If the swimmers got such a hefty fine for a ‘misdemeanor’, what will the Brazilians do with ticketmaster #Hickey?
Now I’m going to have a hard time believing a man when he says he has been robbed.
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