Increase in people who perceive inequality
18 Aug 2010
Almost 9 in 10 people think there is economic inequality in Ireland, which is a marked increase since the recession began. The result was contained in a survey of 1,000 people which was conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of equality think tank, Tasc. It found that 87 per cent of respondents believed wealth was unfairly distributed, an increase of 60 per cent on a 2008 survey. The research found the number of people willing to pay for improved public services has decreased since the recession began. Over one-third (35 per cent) of people across the State were willing to pay higher taxes to achieve public services "that countries like Sweden have". This was a fall from 41 per cent in 2008. Most respondents believed the Government should actively take steps to reduce wealth inequality.
Presenting the survey results, TASC Head of Policy Sinéad Pentony said:
"We found that 87 per cent of respondents believe that wealth in Ireland is unfairly distributed - an increase of 17 percentage points over 2008. We also found that 91 per cent believe that the Government should take active steps to reduce the gap between high and low earners.
"When we probed specific measures which the Government could take to reduce that gap, we found that 16 per cent favour increasing the minimum wage, while 29 per cent believe that a maximum wage should be set. Nearly half - 49 per cent - favour a combination of the two approaches.
"It is clear that the public is not only very aware of economic inequality, but wants steps to be taken to address it. The challenge facing us now is to translate public opinion into a public policy imperative", Ms. Pentony concluded.