One in three Irish young adults plan to emigrate

Shocking survey shows emigration rampant

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Over 65,000 Irish have already emigrated

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One in three Irish people aged between 18 and 24 are planning to emigrate in the next 12 months, new figures show.

Emigration levels are set to accelerate next year with one in ten people saying they intend to leave Ireland according to the results of an Irish Examiner opinion poll.

In the 25-34 age category, 25 percent are planning to emigrate while the figures show that 2 percent of those aged over 65 are planning to leave Ireland in the next twelve months also.

The latest emigration statistics show that over 60,000 people left Ireland in the twelve months leading up to April, the highest rate since 1989.

Sociology professor, Mary Corcoran, at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, said todays emigrants may be less likely to return home once the economy improves.

"It’s actually much easier now for people to maintain that psychological connection with home and their communities — they’ll use Skype and Facebook in a way that’s not been possible in the past," she told the Irish Examiner.

One in four of those surveyed said somebody in their household has had their working hours cut, while more than a half reported having had a pay-cut recently.

The research found that one in five people have struggled to pay their loans and mortgages in the past year. A total of 62 percent said they were worse off now than this time last year.

A quarter of participants said they “strongly disagree” with the statement that their money is safe in Irish banks.

The research suggests that younger generations are more dissatisfied with the country with 42 percent of 18-24-year-olds saying Ireland is not a good place to live in comparison to 26 percent of those aged over 65.

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