Making sense of the census
Medialive has a summary of the topline results of the 2006 Census Of Population Principal Demographic Results. One of the most interesting aspects of it is that it seems that the number of foreign nationals seems to have been exaggerated in the runup to its publication as Alex Gibson highlights the fact that only 63,276 Poles were recorded in the census, shorter than the figures of 100,000 - 200,000 that are often bandied about. However, it has also been pointed out that some minorities are under reported for a variety of reasons.
The important thing to take from the census is the underlying societal shift in Ireland as it represents an opportunity for the country’s marketers. Prior to the publication of the census Mintel published lifestyle research which backed up a lot of what the census reported. In an article discussing the research, the Sunday Business Post points out “that means young adults have more money to spend and more time in which to spend it - and they like to spend their cash on holidays, cars and health clubs.”
Ireland is a completely different country to what it was twenty years ago. Fueled by the Celtic Tiger, the Mintel’s research shows that “Irish people were marrying later, waiting longer to have children and living with their parents longer.” However with an uncertain economy many people are speculating how we will cope with a recession as the cubs that have emerged from the Celtic Tiger have never experienced a recession before. With a general election coming up many commentators are pointing out that the recent financial worries may play into the hands of the current government as the public will rather than rocking the boat in an uncertain period.
For more detailed information on the census, please view the preliminary report from the CSO or their commentary (both documents are pdfs).
Technorati Tags: Edelman, PR, Public Relations
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:38 am
[…] On the Edelman Dublin blog we have been discussing the recent census results in Ireland which highlighted a number of trends: The important thing to take from the census is the underlying societal shift in Ireland as it represents an opportunity for the country’s marketers. Prior to the publication of the census Mintel published lifestyle research which backed up a lot of what the census reported. In an article discussing the research, the Sunday Business Post points out “that means young adults have more money to spend and more time in which to spend it - and they like to spend their cash on holidays, cars and health clubs.” […]