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A POLL HAS indicated that most Irish people want the State to take in more Afghanistan refugees than the 230 the Government has committed to.
A majority of Irish people are also in favour of family reunification for Afghan people.
In August, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman said that 230 Afghan citizens have been issued with refugee status.
Amnesty Ireland, the Irish Refugee Council, and Sister Stanislaus Kennedy are among the advocates that have said this number is not enough, and have called for Ireland to take in at least 1,000 Afghan refugees.
A poll carried out by Ireland Thinks on behalf of The Journal indicates that a plurality of Irish people want to take in more than 230 Afghan refugees and up to 1,000 in total.
Choosing from a list of options, 34% want to take in between 230-1,000 Afghan refugees; 27% said 230 is about the right number; 19% said we should take over 1,000 and the same proportion of respondents said we should take less than 230 or zero (8%).
Just 5% of respondents said they didn’t know.
A closer look at demographics
These numbers mostly corresponded across genders: the exception was that a higher proportion of men said that Ireland should take in zero Afghan refugees (12% of men vs 4% of women), and more women said that 230 was about the right number (32% of women vs 21% of men).
The poll also shows that a high proportion of young people think we should taken in more than 230 Afghan refugees: 76% of 18- to 24-year-olds think we should take in more than 230 Afghan refugees, while 68% of the 25-34 age group believe the same.
In those aged 65 and over, a plurality said that 230 is about the right number (33%) and 31% said that between 230-1,000 Afghan refugees should be taken in. In total, 45% of that age cohort said more than 230 Afghan refugees should be taken in.
On education, a high proportion of those with a third-level degree believe that more than 230 Afghan refugees should be taken in (40% say up to 1,000, 22% say over 1,000).
This compares to 24% and 13% respectively of those with less than a Leaving Cert-level education.
Those with a Leaving Cert-level education had the highest proportion of respondents saying that no Afghan refugees should be taken in by Ireland (12%), and the highest proportion of people saying that some but less than 230 should be taken in (10%).
The more religious a respondent is, the less likely they are to support taking in more than 230 Afghan refugees, a broad analysis of the poll data indicates.
Based on political leanings, those supporting Solidarity-PBP (60%), the Labour Party (32%), and the Green Party (28%) had the highest proportion of supporters who wanted Ireland to take in over 1,000 Afghan refugees.
Those supporting the Social Democrats (63%), the Green Party (58%), the Labour Party (49%), Fine Gael (44%) had the highest proportion of supporters who wanted Ireland to take in between 230 and 1,000 Afghan refugees.
Those who support Aontú (21%), Fianna Fáil (16%) and Sinn Féin (13%) had the highest number of respondents who said Ireland should take in no Afghan refugees, the poll indicates.
Other poll questions
Of the other questions asked, 62% said Ireland should open or expand its immigration programmes to allow Afghan people living here to bring family members to this country legally. 30% said Ireland shouldn’t, and 8% said they don’t know.
In response to the UK committing to resettle 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan in the next five years, and Germany warning against an EU target, 51% said the EU should not set a target for its member states.
33% said it should, and 15% said they didn’t know.
The EU has pledged to give funding to Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries to help manage the refugee crisis following the Taliban takeover, instead of putting a set number of refugees for EU member states to take in.
The UK has pledged to take in 20,000 Afghan refugees as part of its Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, but hasn’t mentioned over what timeframe. 20,000 Syrian refugees were resettled over a seven-year period from 2014.
This is separate to the relocations policy which aims to relocate 5,000 former Afghan staff members hired by the British government, and their families, to the UK by the end of the year.
When asked ‘Do you think the EU has handled immigration well in the past decade’, 60% of Irish respondents said it hadn’t, and 23% said yes.
One in seven would consider voting for an anti-immigration party, and one in four equate immigration control to holding a racist belief.
88% of people support the belief that the State should provide language and cultural classes to new migrants and refugees to help with integration.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been asked if there are future plans to grant more Afghan citizens refugee status.
The poll was conducted on Saturday 18 September 2021.
The sample size of 1,000 consisted of responses of a listed of invited respondents of 5,000 panellists selected according to their gender, age, region, political interest, past voting behaviour, religious adherence and educational attainment.
The responses were also weighted according to these variables in line with the CSO and exit polls to ensure adequate representation.
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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Only in Ireland would people vote and keep voting for the likes of Ned O’Keeffe….
The only thing he loves more than himself is money…
‘He raised quite a few eyebrows by suggesting, in an interview with the Evening Echo, that there had been too few businessmen and “too many intellectuals” the last Fianna Fáil-led coalition Cabinet’
Lol. I’d love to know what his defintion of an intellectual is. I’d say you would have to travel quite a way through the ranks of FF before you could find anybody who could even spell the word
His son very nearly got in the last time too. Only a couple of hundred votes in it.
Ireland does like her dynasties.
the system is twisted and those that use it know that lets have a new begining on the 10th dec sack the lot
Lowry is another example where Irish voters continue to vote for corrupt gombeen men…What fools they are
another entry to ff hall of shame .
surprise, surprise a politician gets power and lines his pockets, at least now that sort of thing does not happen ???? second home anyone from the country? I dare the journal to expose the members of the dail second home owners how much they are subsidised and when they bought
I know for a fact of 1 senior government minister has had a windfall when it came to buying a house in Dublin, despite living 1 and 1//2 hours away from the dail.
tip of the iceberg ladies and gentlemen
I think that there are grounds to cancel Mr. O’Keefe’s pension – come on now Enda good lad prove yourself worthy to be Taoiseach – or will we wait for the New Government ?
@paul i think if we get a half decent honest government in we should notallow these people vote, we do not need a Lowery or a Callery or any other thieving idiot who thinks his County willl vote for him.
And yet if I don’t pay my TV licence I’m jailed.
White collar crime does pay it seems.
What is the name of the judge that didn’t jail him ?
My brother got caught working and claiming the welfare for 2500 euro he got mountjoy for 6 months and served every day…That TD should have got jail time.
Your brother is a criminal
He should be made pay all of it pack. Plus interest.
Who said he isn’t
Judges appointed by politicians and kept behind the bench by banks not foreclosing on them. So politicians and bankers will never get a fair trial and their just deserts.
“My brother got caught working and claiming the welfare for 2500 euro he got mountjoy for 6 months and served every day…That TD should have got jail time.”
There are two laws in Ireland.
One for the little people.
One for all the rest.
You should know that by now.!
Actually considering there is automatic remission on sentences in this country your brother could not have served “every day”. But nice story.
@Denise…….After looking at the comments following your post, you have diverted the main story away, from what it should be, ie Another TOXIC incident from that ”TOXIC” party…
Hey citizen banker – so are the bankers found guilty who got community service – no jail there – yet !
Why wasn’t he jailed like the other rogue , Ivor? If that was the UK he would be locked up.
Headline should be FF appointed judge proves that the justice system is balanced towards corrupt politicians. Did ned or Ivory at least hand back their diplomatic passports. Two years investigation costing the taxpayer millions ends with a fine of 3500 not even a weeks pension.
He foresaw the economic collapse? It’s great how many people are so amazing at predicting events after they have happened.
He didn’t see this coming though! “Hindsight is the foresight of a gobshiite!”
A two year long case, the amount of wasted garda resources, he should be billed for the expense of those man hours
What a shower of langers
Greed driven politicians never have enough jail him
A politician abusing the system ..how strange ..what next? Ducks found in water ?
Lol.True.!
Soldier of Density…
Just goes to prove there is one law for the rich and another for the poor…..
Dirt bag should be doing hard labour…
It makes you wonder who appointed the judge and why politicians appoint judges.? Rotten to the core the whole political system feeds on greed.
Amazing and TV license dodgers will get jail.
What a corrupt bunch of politicians we had and have running this country.
Remember no FF, no FG and no Labour at the next general election !
Bill, definitlely no F.F google Ray Burke go down 2pages and read an article by Alan O Brien 50 reasons not to vote for F.F you must wonder what the opposition was doing with the corruption that was going on. Mr O. Keeffe was caught only on mobile phone charges I wonder what else was he and other T.Ds (parasites) up to ? I have yet to hear any T.D mention their expenses to go to work not to mention their fat salaries and pensions. This country is broke and we the taxpayer are footing the bill,how can we stop it? I agree the sentence is insulting to the decent people of this country. Shame on everybody in Leinster House
No FF, FG or LAB and leave siptu and join another union.
Soldiers of Fortune more like
Did his son get elected if so cork needs to be locked up not just him
Yes Tax Slave, Junior got elected to Fermoy Council Electorate area on the FF ticket…Ned was not exactly popular in one village before the last Election as he refused to assist a constituent on the basis that the area had not given him enough First Preferences at the previous election. Put it this way, very few were sorry to see the fall from grace but were surprised at the suspended sentence.
“Did his son get elected if so Cork needs to be locked up not just him”
Right you are.!
We need to come down hard on these thieves. No revolving door in this case. It’s indeed a sinister development as the place seems to be awash with these low life types on the make. He should do the right thing and name anyone else he knows is up to any unlawful behavior. Thank god he was caught.
Caption in the above photo should read “but I built the roads”
The picture on the caption is too good for him. Should have been fatter. Spoke to a lady from Fermoy today and she said that he had a pig attitude to women. Should have got 7 years!
I had moved to the Cork East constituency before that whole pig feed controversy broke which was a short time before the 2002 general election. As I was not familiar with the candidates in this constituency, I wrote to FF head office asking if they would be fielding another candidate after Ned O’Keeffe’s transgression. The reply I received was that ” Deputy O’Keeffe is a proven vote getter and we see no reason not to remove him “.
To remove him – sorry !
Ivor Callely must be wondering how O’Keeffe avoided jail ?
The best thing about today’s events is that it allows us to call him what we all knew him to be – a criminal. But like all ff pols when they do something wrong they can’t do it right.
WIKI:
‘He was educated at Darra College, Clonakilty where he received a diploma in Social and Rural Science. O’Keeffe was a pig before becoming involved in politics.’
Looks like politics didn’t change him much
and around it goes like a circle this crowd will slowly be back in the top seat. we dont even have “the best of a bad bunch” in irish politics
Forgot to mention the time he offered his land FOC (because apparently it was worthless) to anyone who wanted to build a nuclear reactor
How many more politicians have their snouts, like O’Keeffe gulping from the fiscal trough ?
Calelly was another shameful wretch and now O’Keeffe. They should both be hand-washing underwear in the laundry in Wheatfield.
But the culture of ripping off the tax payer is endemic in the Irish politican since Haughey starting the ball rolling.
Trust none of them until they have earned our trust.
Disgrace!!
No mention of Ned’s being accused of drunkenly groping RTE’s Una Claffey a few years back?
Right Bernie, and remember that both Calelly and O’Keeffe are both receiving hefty pensions AT OUR EXPENSE.
Isn’t galling that we actually have to continue paying these 2 self-serving scoundrels. There are people, 10 times better than them, languishing in prison cells for nonpayment of fines.
We voted them in so we probably deserved them….and we’ll continue to vote in plenty more like them.
Does politics bring out the greed and avarice in otherwise decent people or were they putrid to begin with?
I don’t know
Disgusting! And a groper as well? No financial worries like the rest of us so he harasses women to occupy his mind.
the system is in with the rogues
30 years in fianna fail and never held a ministerial position. When you think of some of the head da balls that were at the top of that party in that time it’s not a good indicator of ol Ned.
Shake hands with the devil
Pay ur TV license!
But he fixshed the road!
Is that Ned.!
On the right side of your picture.?
if there was a trough in the foreground.. you might be accused of encouraging greed, among politicians..
How anyone could vote for such a loathsome creature baffles me. O’Keeffe joins a rogues’ gallery of thieves like Burke, Callely and Lawlor – all overstuffed clowns for whom too much was never enough. He should have been put away for a few years to cool his heels- after all, haven’t we a republic where a poor and hungry person who steals some food can be jailed?
A self preserving populist? Surely he was only acting out party ethos.
Be wary of this sort, the present Dail has more than ever, and they are not the preserve of FF.
If that was you or me – we’d be in jail!
A multi millionaire caught cheating for a few bob – just shows how he got his millions…..
Yes – his pension should be denied – forget about suspended sentence – that would be more appropriate for ‘stealing’ tax payers monies
Acting all sorry now, he knew what he was doing just mad he was caught. He should have got jail the IDIOT
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