Travellers and Roma face high levels of prejudice - ESRI

Members of the Traveller and Roma communities face the highest levels of prejudice of any ethnic group in Ireland, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

In a report, the ESRI said its research suggests that people living in affluent areas were less comfortable with having members of the Travelling community as neighbours, than those living in disadvantaged areas.

The research also said that on average, people were most comfortable with having Travellers and Roma in their child's class in school. However people were least comfortable with having them in a relationship with their child.

The report was published as part of a joint research programme between the ESRI and the Department of Equality and Integration.

The ESRI research also suggests that attitudes to Travellers were particularly negative in the west and south west of the country, as well as the midlands region. Attitudes to Roma were most negative in the south west and midlands, according to the research.

The research also says that tolerant attitudes towards Travellers and Roma were generally held by those who "also have tolerant attitudes towards the most stigmatised groups in Irish society".

The ESRI says that in some cases, positive attitudes to Roma were associated with positive attitudes to a broader range of ethnic and national groups. However, the ESRI says that this is not the case for Travellers.

Frances McGinnity, author of the report, says that the research highlights high levels of both prejudice and disadvantage for Travellers and Roma.

"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," she said.

"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."