Ireland Thinks on Ben Heskin

Renting on the Island of Ireland

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This research, commissioned by Threshold and Housing Rights, examines the lived reality of renting across the island of Ireland, aiming to equip decision-makers, advocates and practitioners with robust evidence to support effective action.

By combining statistical findings with qualitative testimonies, the research reveals a lived experience of renters, grounded in data and hard evidence.

We conducted two large representative public opinion polls of renters in the private rental sector. One of those was in the Republic of Ireland (ROI), and the other was in Northern Ireland (NI), combined with in-depth qualitative interviews to produce a comparative study of renting in ROI and NI.

Of The Small Amount Listening, Not Enough Were Persuaded.

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Around four in ten voters (41%) did not watch the final televised debate of the presidential election, which aired during Prime Time’s 9:35pm slot on RTÉ One last Tuesday. According to 40% of voters, Catherine Connolly enjoyed the best performance, compared to 11% for Humphreys and 9% who were unsure.

Strikingly, every intended Connolly voter that watched the just over hour-long showdown said that she won the debate. Connolly supporters were also the most engaged overall – reporting the highest rates of viewership among all other voting groups. This kind of unwavering and disciplined engagement points to a higher propensity among this group to have turned out on polling day.