THE IRISH have a reputation for being a relaxed, easy going, bunch.
However, new research suggests that opinion may be a little further from reality than first thought.
In fact, the Irish actually now rank as the most anxious nation in all of Europe.
That’s according to a new study conducted by Daniel Murray from Deloitte Ireland, which found that Irish people rank as the continent’s most anxious consumers.
The research revealed that half of us worried about our physical health while, worse still, some 62% are concerned for the health of their families.
Confidence levels across Ireland have dropped too with a decline of 6% putting Ireland bottom of the table in Europe.
Daniel Murray of Deloitte Ireland, who carried out the research, cited the recent lockdown restrictions as a key reason for the drop.
He said: “While we saw overall confidence grow and remain steady as we emerged from the national lockdown throughout June and July, a recent uptick in COVID-19 case numbers and the implementation of localised restrictions across three counties have taken their toll on consumers in Ireland,”
Confidence in visiting shops slipped 3% to 59% while some 40% said they felt safe going to the restaurant, down 4% on the previous poll.
Planned expenditure in restaurants also decreased significantly from the previous study, falling by 13%. Those worrying about job losses dropped, however, from 32% to 31%.
