ESRI Newsletter August 2025

September 01, 2025

Dear Reader,

I hope you had a pleasant summer. As our newsletter returns from its seasonal break, this edition brings you highlights from both July and August.

With the new school year underway, we’ve just published a report exploring bullying and bullying behaviours among 9- and 13-year-olds, both in and outside of school. One of the most striking findings is the disconnect between how young people and schools define bullying. A significant proportion of young people experience bullying-type behaviour that causes them to feel upset or anger, yet do not label these experiences as bullying, making them less likely to seek help from an adult.

Turning to migration, we published a bulletin examining the role that community context plays in understanding people’s attitudes towards immigration in Ireland. Echoing international findings, socio-economic factors like community-level disadvantage seem to matter. This highlights the importance of broader social and economic contexts in shaping attitudes.

A report examining poverty and deprivation highlighted the complex nature of poverty. Lone-parent families, large families, and households with a working-age adult with a disability faced the highest risks of persistent at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) and deprivation. Children in lone-parent families are most at risk, with an average of 33% experiencing persistent deprivation between 2016 and 2023. Research indicates that the longer people remain in poverty, the more challenging it becomes for them to escape. This highlights the urgent need to tackle persistent poverty and to design policies that protect the most vulnerable groups from falling into long-term poverty.

Looking ahead, we will publish the fifth annual report from our partnership with Community Foundation Ireland on poverty, income inequality, and living standards in Ireland on 9 September. The launch will take place at the ESRI, and a limited number of tickets remain available. Registration details are below.

Our much-anticipated Post-Budget Briefing will be held at the ESRI on 10 October. During this session, our Tax, Welfare and Pensions team will provide an in-depth analysis of the 2026 Budget and its implications for different groups and households. It promises to be an insightful session that will help shape future policy discussions.

Finally, as the ESRI relies on our sponsors, patrons, and corporate members to support our research work, I am delighted to report that the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport recently joined the Institute as a corporate member.

Regards,