Smart home technology makes life easier for users in Ireland, but survey results also highlight strong worries about data security and privacy

Reach Insights Press Release

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14th February 2019

Smart home technology makes life easier for users in Ireland, but survey results also highlight strong worries about data security and privacy 

81% believe smart homes make life easier

72% feel more relaxed because of smart technology

However, concerns exist about personal data theft (52%) and spying (34%)

Over the last number years, we have seen greater and greater integration between technology such as smart phone applications and home appliances such as heating and lighting. With the notion of “smart homes” very much coming to the fore, iReach has conducted a nationally representative survey of 1001 people in Ireland to better understand how they feel about this relatively new phenomenon.

The results demonstrate just how useful users of smart technology in the home find it to be, as well as highlighting some very real concerns about safety and privacy.

Although only 13% of people in Ireland have a smart home (up 3% from 2018), an enormous 81% of them believe that a smart home makes life much easier. Additionally, 72% say that they are more relaxed as they can control their home from wherever they are.

The strong endorsement for smart homes is continued as a further 77% would recommend a smart home to anyone who is thinking about getting one, with over half (53%) of smart home owners who believe they have saved money by implementing smart technology into their home.

Whilst 48% of people who have a smart home feel safer as a result of the technology, there are nonetheless some concerns around security and data protection.

52% of those with a smart home are fearful of having personal data about their daily habits stolen, an increase of 8% from last year. Similarly, 34% worry about being spied on because of their use of smart technology at home.

35% of people in Ireland feel that they are likely to implement smart technology in their home in the future, with those aged between 18-34 more likely (41%) to do so than those over 55 year of age (28%).

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 31st of January and the 7th of February and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants:

Do you have a smart home?

Please state how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about “smart homes”: A smart home makes life much easier/ I’m more relaxed since I can control my home from wherever I am/ I would recommend a smart home to anyone who is thinking about getting one/ I have saved money by implementing smart home technology into my home/ I feel safer at home now that I have a smart home/ I am fearful that people can steal my personal data concerning my daily life habits/ I am fearful that someone could spy on me because I have a smart home.

How likely are you to implement smart technology in your home in the future?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

Reach Insights Press Release

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12th February 2019

Following Nursing Unions’ suspension of a planned three-day strike, research results suggest 74% of people in Ireland would continue to back further strike action by nurses

Support for strikes has increased in recent weeks, from 64% to 71%

69% feel the Government is most responsible for the current situation

Almost one in five personally affected by the strike

On Monday afternoon the Labour Court intervened in the ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions for nurses. This has seen the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) as well as the Psychiatric Nurses Association suspend industrial action planned for this week.

A nationally representative survey of 1001 people carried out by iReach has found that sympathy for nurses and midwives has increased over the last number of weeks, with 71% of those asked supporting strike action compared to 64% from late January.

Additionally, the favoured resolution of almost three quarters of respondents (74%) is for the INMO to continue to strike until their pay demands are met. Similarly, 79% of people would like to see the Government bring any strikes to an end by meeting the pay demands of the INMO.

On both of these resolutions supporting the position of nurses, females are far more sympathetic to nurses and midwives than males (79% vs 69% & 85% vs 73%) which is very much in keeping with the results of a previous survey by iReach.

For those who do not support continued strike action by nurses, 60% say that a pay rise for nurses will lead to similar demands from other public sector employees, an argument often cited by the Government during this dispute.

However, 69% of all respondents feel that the Government is most responsible for the current situation, with Minister for Health Simon Harris next on 32% and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at 28%. One in four place the blame primarily with the INMO (25%).

18% of people in Ireland say that they have been personally affected by the strike.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 24^th January and the 31st January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants:

Do you support the strike action by Irish Nurses and Midwives which is set to continue through February?

Why do you not support the strike action?

Who do you feel is most responsible for the current situation with the strikes taking place?

What would you like to see the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) do now?

What would you like to see the Government do now?

Have you been personally affected by the strike? 

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

Discomfort is clear as increasingly personal data belongs to private entities such as Facebook and Google

Reach Insights Press Release

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11th February 2019

Discomfort is clear as increasingly personal data belongs to private entities such as Facebook and Google

64% believe it is wrong for companies to use personal data in targeted advertising

Only 16% of people are comfortable with how much of their personal data is possessed by Facebook and Google

93% want to see more education for young people about how their data is used online

In recent years companies like Facebook and Google have come under increased pressure to be more transparent about the ways in which they store and make use of data belonging to users of their services.

To understand more about how people in Ireland feel about how their data is used by major tech platforms, iReach has conducted a nationally representative survey of 1001 people. The results clearly demonstrate the apprehension felt about how personal information is stored and used.

Only 16% of respondents are comfortable with how much of their personal data is possessed by Facebook and Google, with 58% instead who are unhappy at this situation.

A rather substantial majority of 64% believe that it is wrong for companies to use personal data to target people with specific advertisements online. This figure is even higher with those aged over 55 years old, 75% of whom disagree with using data for this purpose.

Furthermore, 49% of those asked are not familiar with Facebook’s use of categories, which are created based on user data as well as interests and user engagement with content on the network. Overall 60% did not know that these categories existed and only one in four people feel comfortable that Facebook creates these lists.

93% of people would like to see more education for young people about how social media platforms and other companies use their data. Of this group, 73% believe that this education should take place in school, whereas 65% want greater restrictions on how companies like Facebook and Google are allowed to use information about their users.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 24^th January and the 31st January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

Are you familiar with categories on Facebook?

Did you know that these categories existed?

How comfortable are you with Facebook creating lists of categories for individuals based on user data stored by the site?

To what extent would you agree with the following statements: It’s wrong for companies to use personal data to target people with specific advertisements online, I am comfortable with how much of my personal data is possessed by companies such as Facebook and Google.

Do you think that more should be done to educate young people about how social media platforms and other companies use their data?

Which of the following do you feel would be effective in doing so: More education in school focused on how personal data is used online; A greater effort from major social networks and tech companies to be more transparent about what they use personal data for; A government initiative on online safety aimed at young people; Greater restrictions on how companies such as Facebook and Google are allowed to use information about their users; Influencers or celebrities encouraging young people to take their online safety more seriously. 

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

As Prime Minister Theresa May visits Northern Ireland, results point to strong opposition for No Deal Brexit

Reach Insights Press Release

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6th February 2019

As Prime Minister Theresa May visits Northern Ireland, results point to strong opposition for No Deal Brexit

77% see the reintroduction of a hard border as the worst possible outcome

One in two people in Ireland expect their day to day life to be directly impacted by a No Deal Brexit

Extension of Article 50 seen as most likely scenario (37%)

35% believe Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit

With the March 29^th deadline fast approaching and Britain moving closer and closer to exiting the European Union, people in Ireland remain highly skeptical about Brexit and the potential fallout that may accompany it.

Following an amendment to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Withdrawal agreement last week that renewed pressure on the Irish backstop as a solution to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, this skepticism is demonstrated in a nationally representative survey carried out by iReach of 1001 people.

An enormous 77% of respondents view the reintroduction of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as the worst possible outcome of Brexit. Unsurprisingly this figure is even higher at 87% for those answered from the Ulster/ Connacht region. 

Furthermore, one in two people believe that should Britain exit the European Union without any deal whatsoever, this will have a direct impact on their everyday lives.

37% of people in Ireland see an extension of Article 50 as the most likely scenario at this point in the Brexit process. This would allow negotiations to continue beyond March 29^th. At 28% No Deal is the next most expected outcome of Brexit.

However, at only 9%, No Deal also remains the least popular potential outcome for people in Ireland. It is no shock to see that No Brexit at all on 48% is by far the most favoured possibility, with little support for Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement (10%).

44% of people in Ireland believe that the European Union have been helpful to Ireland during the Brexit process, with 35% who feel that the Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 24^th January and the 31st January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

What do you now see as the most likely outcome of Brexit?

What is your preferred potential outcome of Brexit?

To what extent would you agree with the following statements: The Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit, A No Deal Brexit will have a direct impact on my day to day life, The reintroduction of a hard border would be the worst possible outcome of Brexit, The EU has been helpful to Ireland during the process of Brexit.

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

People in Ireland almost certain that large scale job automation is coming, but less sure of the consequences

Reach Insights Press Release

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28th January 2019

People in Ireland almost certain that large scale job automation is coming, but less sure of the consequences

Only 16% see no threat to employment in Ireland as advances are made in technology

55% view job automation as positive for the Irish economy

However, around 3 in 4 believe automation will increase unemployment

A recently conducted study by iReach has found that people in Ireland are almost certain that developments in technology will see job automation continue to rise in prominence. However, the nationally representative survey of 1001 people found that no such certainty is apparent when considering the consequences either positive or negative of such automation.

94% of respondents believe that large scale job automation will occur at some point in the future, with 46% predicting this eventuality will come to pass in the very near future.

When thinking about the impact of job automation on the productivity and prosperity of the Irish economy, 55% view it as a positive, with those who view the impact as a negative slightly further back at 45%.

A mere 16% see no threat to employment in Ireland as advances are made in technology, with 63% of respondents who feel that technology has created more jobs that it has destroyed.

Nonetheless, this positivity does not extend to future forecasts, as 76% believe that job automation will contribute to a rise in unemployment and for further 71% being solely dependent on machines in manufacturing is very dangerous.

The leading forms of technology and automation that people in Ireland are most used to encountering are ATMs (91%), smartphones (80%), self-checkouts (80%), automated telephone calls (76%) and online check-ins (74%).

63% do not believe that the idea of machine concierges and receptionists will become a phenomenon in the Irish hospitality industry. 56% also predict that this “robotic” way of running a hospitality business will not become a threat in Ireland, with the top cited reason that a high level of customer service trumps a robot, as people want the personal touch (61%).

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 10^th January and the 17^th January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

Do you believe that job automation is something that will occur on a large scale in the near future?

Do you believe that job automation is positive in terms of productivity and prosperity in the Irish economy?

Do you consider advances in technology and job automation as a threat to the employment rate in Ireland?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements: Job automation is an inevitable phenomenon/ Job automation is very beneficial for quality and safety of work/ Being solely dependent on machines in manufacturing is very dangerous/ Job automation will contribute to a rise in unemployment/ Technology has created more jobs than has destroyed them.

Which of the following technologies have you used before?

Do you think the idea of machine concierges and receptionists instead of humans in hotels will become a phenomenon in Ireland in the hospitality industry?

Do you think that this “robotic” way of running hospitality businesses will become a threat?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

Despite Ministers’ criticism of checkpoints, new legislation aimed at drink drivers overwhelmingly welcomed by people in Ireland

Reach Insights Press Release

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23rd January 2019

Despite Ministers’ criticism of checkpoints, new legislation aimed at drink drivers overwhelmingly welcomed by people in Ireland

79% agree with clamp down on drink driving

Women and older people most conscious about the risks of driving the morning after drinking

28% believe the government should supply households with breathalysers

A nationally representative survey of 1001 people carried out by iReach has found that people in Ireland agree strongly with the Gardaí clamping down on drink driving. At the end of 2018, new legislation on drink driving came into effect, under which all drink drivers receive a driving disqualification. Over the last week, the tighter drink driving laws have been criticised by Ministers with the increased prevalence of Garda checkpoints the focus of the condemnation.

The new laws remove the possibility of some drink drivers receiving penalty points instead of this disqualification and are backed by an enormous 79% of respondents.

However, there is far less enthusiasm about Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae’s suggestion that the government should supply every household in the country with same breathalyser devices as used by the Gardaí. Just 28% of those asked expressed support for the idea.

According to the study, just 5% of people in Ireland own a breathalyser. 61% say they don’t own a breathalyser because they don’t need one, a further 20% don’t own one as they don’t drink with 15% who say that breathalysers are too expensive.

 A mere 9% of people do intend to buy a breathalyser in the near future.

There is a notable difference between demographics when considering the risks of driving the following day after drinking. Women (78%) and adults over 55 (81%) are more conscious than men (68%) about the dangers of driving the day after drinking.

Almost one in three males in Ireland were not conscious about the risks of drinking over Christmas and then driving the next day.

Additionally, 17% of males think they have been over the legal limit while driving over the last three years, compared with 12% of females. 

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 10^th January and the 17^th January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

Do you believe the government should supply every household around the country with breathalyser devices?

Do you own a breathalyser? Why not?

Do you agree with the Gardaí clamping down on drink driving?

Did you find that you were more conscious about drinking over Christmas if you were driving the following day?

Over the last three years do you think you have been over the legal limit while driving?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com

Significant majority of people in Ireland support the planned strike by Irish Nurses and Midwives

Reach Insights Press Release

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17th January 2019

Significant majority of people in Ireland support the planned strike by Irish Nurses and Midwives

64% back strike action scheduled for the end of January

An enormous 87% believe the Government could do more to recruit and retain Nurses and Midwives in Ireland

Women more supportive of planned strike action than men

With Irish nurses and midwives planning to strike later in month as a pay dispute with the Government rumbles on, iReach has conducted a nationally representative survey of 1001 people to understand what people in Ireland make of the situation. The findings demonstrate the great level of sympathy the public have for nurses and midwives, as well the widespread feeling that the Irish Government could do more to make their working conditions more favourable and attractive.

The results also indicate that support and sympathy for nurses and midwives is significantly higher among women rather men in Ireland.

64% of respondents support the nursing strike, though interestingly, support is far higher among females at 71% than it is with males, at just 56%. Additionally, 27% of males oppose the strike whereas only 11% of females disagree with the planned action.

65% of the overall population believe that is unfair that nurses are paid less in comparison to their healthcare counterparts, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Yet, once again there is a discrepancy in the level of sympathy for nurses and midwives between males and females. 71% of females felt that the pay conditions of nurses are unfair with the figure for males substantially lower again at 59%.

On the question of whether the Government could do more to recruit and retain nurses and midwives in Ireland, a rather emphatic 87% of those asked believed that more could be done. It is notable again that female respondents (90%) are more demanding than males (83%) in looking for action from the Irish Government.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 10^th January and the 17^th January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

Do you support the Nursing strike?

Do you think it’s fair that their pay is less in comparison to their healthcare counterparts, such as Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists?

Do you agree the Government can do more to recruit and retain Nurses and Midwives in Ireland?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com