Latest news with #NationalElectionandDemocracyStudy
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
What media sources did people use & trust before voting in 2024 General Election?
Analysis: Here's what a new study found about the media Irish voters used and trusted when getting information ahead of last year's election By Robert Brennan and Rabhya Mehrotra, DCU In November 2024, the people of Ireland went to the polls to cast their ballots in the General Election. But what media sources did people use to inform themselves before voting? How much trust do they place in these different sources? The recently published National Election and Democracy Study sheds some light on these questions, and more. Media vs social media vs WhatsApp Most people rely on RTÉ at least occasionally to form opinions before voting, followed closely by social media (such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) and direct information from political parties and candidates via leaflets and websites etc. Notably, social media had the most frequent response of 'Often'. Newspapers are also used regularly (including online versions and those accessed through social media), though a fifth of people said they never use them to form opinions. Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat) are the least used, with over half of those surveyed reporting never using them. Does media use and trust differ by age? Breaking down these trends by age group reveals some noteworthy differences, 41% of Gen Z (ages 18 to 24) never use RTÉ for information before voting, but nearly three-quarters of those aged 65 or older never use social media, contrasting with only 12% of Gen Z. However, usage does not mean trust. When asked how much they trust each of these sources, an intriguing trend emerges. Overall, journalistic sources such as RTÉ and newspapers are trusted far more than non-journalistic sources like social media and messages. Trust in journalistic sources remained high across all age groups with little variation, while trust in social media peaks among Gen Z but declines steadily with age. What institutions do people trust? It is also possible to look at trust in institutions more generally. It is relatively high but varies with the An Coimisiún Toghcháin/the Electoral Commission being the most trusted and political parties the least. Interestingly the Citizens' Assembly is highly trusted. Importantly, using and/or trusting journalistic media is correlated with higher trust institutions more broadly. Despite younger voters leaning towards using non-journalistic sources, a key takeaway here is that traditional journalistic media retains high trust across all age groups when it comes to forming an opinion before voting. It is also related to higher trust in the state institutions more broadly. Dr Robert A. Brennan is a postdoctoral researcher with the Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo) at DCU. Rabhya Mehrotra is a Mitchell Scholar who is doing a Masters in Political Communication at DCU. She is a part of the COMDEL (FuJo).
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'Encouraging' results from poll on integrity of general election
People aren't going out to vote in Ireland because they're away on the day, have work commitments or simply think their vote wouldn't matter, according to new research from the country's electoral commission. An Coimisiún Toghcháin said that it must understand more about who non-voters are and why they're staying away from the polls as it published the survey on the public's views on the integrity of the general election last November. It comes as the commission plots further research this year into the potential for extending postal voting in Ireland after previously saying such a move 'is seen by many as a potential tool to increase voter participation'. The research, called the 'National Election and Democracy Study' of 1,500 randomly selected respondents, was described as encouraging from an Irish point of view 'at this challenging time for democracies globally'. It found that 94% of people agreed that elections were conducted in accordance with the law, 88% agreed elections were well managed and officials are fair, while 96% agreed they were confident their ballots were secret once they put them in the ballot box. There was a mixed bag in terms of the public's knowledge of the democratic process. While nine in ten (90%) said they understood that every one of their preferences had the potential to count, half (51%) mistakenly thought they needed to bring their polling card to vote. For those who were voting for the first time, the influence of friends, family, school or work was cited by 27% of people as important in encouraging them to get on the electoral register. A further 24% said they were prompted to register by social media, newspaper, TV or radio ads. The sample included 324 non-voters with a range of reasons for not voting cited. This included 30% who said they were away on the day, 27% who said they had work commitments with 12% saying they were disinterested in politics. A further 11% said they didn't vote due to indecision while 6% said they felt their vote didn't matter. Almost two in five (37%) of those who did not vote were not on the register. An Coimisiún Toghcáin said a key priority is to understand the reasons why people don't vote going forward. 'We simply have to understand more about who non-voters are and why they are staying away from the polls, and so this data will feed into other research projects we are advancing through our broader Research Programme and our public campaigns and engagement,' its chief executive Art O'Leary said. As part of that research, the commission this year will examine extending postal voting which currently only extends to a small number of people including gardaí and diplomats posted abroad. It has said that Ireland 'seems to be an outlier in terms of international best practice'. However, it also said that there would be 'security and electoral integrity implications which need to be taken into account in considering the extension of postal voting'. Read More Government must introduce new support models to take people out of homelessness, charity warns
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Study shows 94% agree elections held in accordance with law
A study by An Coimisiún Toghcháin has shown that 94% of participants agree that Irish elections are conducted in accordance with the law. 88% agree that elections are well managed and that election officials are fair, and 96% of voters agreed that they are confident that their ballot papers were secret once they put them in the ballot box. An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland's independent electoral commission and the National Election and Democracy Study (NEDS) Management Board have published the results of a study based on the results of the General Election 2024. The NEDS study is carried out after each electoral event to build up a long term data set on Ireland's democracy. The study of just under 1,500 randomly selected respondents also suggests that Irish voters are knowledgeable about aspects of the voting and democratic process. 90% of respondents understood that every one of their preferences has the potential to count. 76% knew that they did not need to express a preference for each candidate on the ballot paper. However, 51% mistakenly thought they needed their polling card to vote and 36% agreed that information about voting procedures is not widely available. Other findings are that 27% of first-time voters cited the influence of their friends, family, school or work as key to encouraging them to get on the electoral register. 24% were prompted by social media, newspaper, TV or radio ads, which were a focus for An Coimisiún Toghcháin during the election campaign. The highest reasons given by registered people for not voting on 29 November, were being away on the day (30%), work commitments (27%) and 12% pointed to disinterest in politics. 73% of respondents agreed with Ireland having a system of automatic voter registration and 98% of those surveyed found the voting experience to be very easy or quite easy. A key priority for An Coimisiún Toghcháin is to understand the reasons why people do not vote so the sample includes 324 non-voters. Welcoming this data, Art O'Leary, Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin said: "The data published today again highlights the value of An Coimisiún Toghcháin's National Election and Democracy Study to learn more about the experience and perspectives of current and potential voters as well as contributing to academic scholarship about democracy and elections. "We simply have to understand more about who non-voters are and why they are staying away from the polls, and so this data will feed into other research projects we are advancing through our broader research programme and our public campaigns and engagement."
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Research indicates high levels of confidence in Irish electoral system
High levels of confidence in Ireland's electoral system have been indicated in new research. Some 94% of respondents agreed that elections are conducted in accordance with the law, and 88% said that elections are well managed and that election officials are fair while 96% of voters claimed that they are confident that their ballot papers were secret once they put then in the ballot box. The General Election 2024, National Election And Democracy Study was conducted by An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland's independent electoral commission, and the National Election and Democracy Study (NEDS) Management Board. The study also suggested that Irish voters are knowledgeable about aspects of the voting and democratic process, but there is also further work to be done. It found that 90% of respondents understood that every one of their preferences has the potential to count, 76% knew that they did not need to express a preference for each candidate on the ballot paper, 36% agreed that information about voting procedures is not widely available and 51% mistakenly thought they needed their polling card to vote. Other findings of this face-to-face study of just under 1,500 randomly selected respondents are that for first time voters, the influence of their friends, family, school or work was key to encouraging them to get on the electoral register with 27% citing this as important. Meanwhile, 24% were prompted by social media, newspaper, TV or radio ads which were a focus for An Coimisiún Toghcháin during the election campaign. The highest reasons given by registered people for not voting on November 29 were being away on the day (30%), work commitments (27%), with 12% pointing to disinterest in politics, indecision at 11% and 6% who said their vote did not matter. Thirty-seven percent of those who did not vote were not on the register. This data is to be used to benchmark An Coimisiuú's performance and guide its future initiatives. A key priority for An Coimisiún is to understand the reasons why people do not vote so the sample includes 324 non-voters. Welcoming the data, Art O'Leary, chief executive of An Coimisiún Toghcháin said it highlights the value of An Coimisiún Toghcháin's National Election and Democracy Study to learn more about the experience and perspectives of current and potential voters as well as contributing to academic scholarship about democracy and elections. 'We simply have to understand more about who non-voters are and why they are staying away from the polls, and so this data will feed into other research projects we are advancing through our broader Research Programme and our public campaigns and engagement,' he said. Read More Life after politics can bring relief but transition is not always easy
Belfast Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Research indicates high levels of confidence in Irish electoral system
Some 94% of respondents agreed that elections are conducted in accordance with the law, and 88% said that elections are well managed and that election officials are fair while 96% of voters claimed that they are confident that their ballot papers were secret once they put then in the ballot box. The General Election 2024, National Election And Democracy Study was conducted by An Coimisiun Toghchain, Ireland's independent electoral commission, and the National Election and Democracy Study (NEDS) Management Board. The study also suggested that Irish voters are knowledgeable about aspects of the voting and democratic process, but there is also further work to be done. It found that 90% of respondents understood that every one of their preferences has the potential to count, 76% knew that they did not need to express a preference for each candidate on the ballot paper, 36% agreed that information about voting procedures is not widely available and 51% mistakenly thought they needed their polling card to vote. Other findings of this face-to-face study of just under 1,500 randomly selected respondents are that for first time voters, the influence of their friends, family, school or work was key to encouraging them to get on the electoral register with 27% citing this as important. Meanwhile, 24% were prompted by social media, newspaper, TV or radio ads which were a focus for An Coimisiun Toghchain during the election campaign. The highest reasons given by registered people for not voting on November 29 were being away on the day (30%), work commitments (27%), with 12% pointing to disinterest in politics, indecision at 11% and 6% who said their vote did not matter. Thirty-seven % of those who did not vote were not on the register. This data is to be used to benchmark An Coimisiun's performance and guide its future initiatives. A key priority for An Coimisiun is to understand the reasons why people do not vote so the sample includes 324 non-voters. Welcoming the data, Art O'Leary, chief executive of An Coimisiun Toghchain said it highlights the value of An Coimisiun Toghchain's National Election and Democracy Study to learn more about the experience and perspectives of current and potential voters as well as contributing to academic scholarship about democracy and elections. 'We simply have to understand more about who non-voters are and why they are staying away from the polls, and so this data will feed into other research projects we are advancing through our broader Research Programme and our public campaigns and engagement,' he said.
