In case of distress, 45% of Irish people (compared to 40% of all Europeans) said that it would not take long for them to get back to normal.

If they saw a substantial fall in their income, Irish people answered they will be more likely to first spend less and rely on existing savings. One in five people in Ireland said they would take up more work, and one in four would seek state support (compared to one in nine among all Europeans). Irish people tend to make use of credit and private institutions more than the EU average, while they rely on friends and relatives slightly less.

These data are even more relevant than usual since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which is testing the resilience of our societies. It has killed many people, threatened the life and security of many others and seriously stressed national health systems, the economy and social welfare systems of every European country. Today more than ever, the resilience of each individual will play an important role in finding our way through this crisis successfully.

This snapshot of Ireland uses data from the ‘special Eurobarometer 88.4’, which also provided the basis for the JRC to develop an individual resilience index. Ireland is the EU’s fifth best performing country on the individual resilience index.