Future of Ireland 3

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The
Future
of Ireland III
Supported by:
Innovation Matters

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I am delighted to be introducing the third wave of our Future of
Ireland research once again partnering with Ulster Bank. Whether
you are in the word of Media or Banking it is impossible to ignore
the rapid pace of innovation all around us.
Innovation isn’t all about technology – it can encompass the
smaller things we do in life – and as our report highlights not
everyone feels comfortable with innovation in any guise.
What is your attitude to Innovation – are you a Creative or a
Doubter, a Realist or an Advocate? Why not find out with our very
short test that can be found on www.futureofIreland.ie.
At OMD innovation means that we are constantly striving to evolve;
to be better, faster, smarter, leaner, and stronger to ensure we
consistently deliver for our clients. This has compelled us to morph
from a traditional media agency to a nimble, data-driven, innovative,
digitally-centric marketing partner, and we have continually added
new capabilities to our offering to ensure that we (and our clients)
stay ahead of the ever-changing marketing landscape.
We are constantly transforming the way we work, together with
our client partners.
A big thank you to Ulster Bank and to all the respondents.
Foreword
Tim Griffiths
Managing Director, OMD Ireland

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The topic of innovation resonates at Ulster Bank -
with our colleagues, our customers and our business.
Whether it’s social innovation, technological innovation or
encouraging ourselves to make creative positive changes to the
way we work – a culture of innovation is very much synonymous
with the bank we are becoming.
At Ulster Bank, we look for ways to provide meaningful help to
our customers and to the communities in which we operate. This
report will help us to understand more about the country Ireland is
now and what we want it to be for future generations.
With the support of great partners like OMD, Young Social
Innovators and Dogpatch Labs we have a real opportunity to get
involved in environments that embrace innovation, to learn from
that experience and to use those learnings to influence how we
work in Ulster Bank.
The report makes for compelling reading – enjoy it and get involved
in the conversation about the Future of Ireland.
Gerry Mallon
Chief Executive, Ulster Bank

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Contents
Ethical
Innovation
26.
Conclusion
Innovation
Drivers
MeNovation
40.
14.
32.
© OMD & Amárach Research, the content of this report may be used
and republished freely once The Future of Ireland OMD Report is credited.
Innovation
Matters
06.
Tomorrow’s
Ireland
08.

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T
oo often discussions about
innovation default into discussions
about science and technology.
It’s understandable when many of
the innovations we experience first-hand
are the result of extraordinary inventions,
devices and technologies. But innovation is
about more than technology, it’s about what
people want and how to meet their needs in
better, smarter ways.
This is our third Future of Ireland report
since 2015. We started the research
in order to engage Irish citizens in a
conversation about the country we want
for this generation and for future
generations. Science and technology will
play a huge role in shaping that future.
But ultimately, it’s what people do with
science and technology that will provide
the innovation to solve our problems an
improve our lives. So we need to know what
people do, what they want and how they
see the future in order to map out a better
way forward for innovation in our homes,
workplaces and communities.
We hope you’ll find this report inspiring and
hopeful as you plan for your future.
The Future of Ireland
Methodology
In keeping with the first two reports,
Amárach Research conducted a
nationally representative, online survey
of 1,000 adults throughout Ireland in
November 2016. As part of the survey
we also included some questions
asked in a recent UK study* about
attitudes to innovation to compare Irish
and British attitudes.
In addition, we conducted six focus
groups in January 2017 in Dublin,
Cork and Limerick, to explore how
Irish citizens are navigating change in
their lives and embracing innovation
as a key part of their future ambitions.
We have highlighted the key findings
from all the research streams in the
commentary below.
* Innovation Population, Nesta, 2014

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The Best of Times
I
t’s an intriguing question - would you
rather be alive now, in the past or in the
future? If the past, then you’re probably
quite nostalgic about bygone times,
and maybe a little sad about the present.
If the future, then you’re probably quite
enthusastic about what’s to come, and
maybe a little frustrated about the present.
As it happens most of us are neither
nostalgic nor enthusiastic, but quite
content with Ireland in 2017:
Tomorrow’s
Ireland

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39%
would prefer to be
living in the Ireland of
twenty years ago
61%prefer today to living
in the Ireland of
twenty years ago
42%would prefer to be
living in Ireland in
twenty years time
58%prefer today, to living
in Ireland in
twenty years time
We asked people in the Future of
Ireland survey about innovation in
their workplace. The findings are quite
encouraging given the expectations
around the role of Irish private and public
sector organisations in innovating for
the future. 4 in 10 (40%) employees
work in a place that either encourages
or champions change and innovation;
however, just as many work in places
that resist or are reluctant to innovate -
Some key findings from the survey of
employees include:
• Just as many (40%) employees in the public sector
considered their employer to be innovative as in the
private sector
• Smaller firms were perceived to be less innovative than
larger ones
• Employees in Irish owned firms perceive their employers
to be less innovative than in foreign owned firms
“I was in a restaurant recently and the couples on both sides of me spent
most of their meal staring into their phones.”
Older female, Cork
Working for the Future

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In addition, our research reveals an
interesting cross-over between work
and personal lives. Nearly half (44%)
of employees in Ireland feel they are
equally innovative in both their work
and personal lives, while 37% are more
innovative in their personal lives than in
the workplace.
However, a clear majority of Irish
people (64%) are optimistic about life in
Ireland for future generations, and 53%
are excited about the future for Ireland.
What motivates this optimism and
excitement? Undoubtedly innovation plays
a key part. Indeed, 83% of adults expect
that future technologies will have a mainly
positive effect on their lives in the next
twenty years.
We saw this in the focus groups we
ran in different parts of the country in
January 2017. Most people have enjoyed
improving standards of living in recent
years as the economy has picked up.
Alongside economic improvement, they
have all benefited from cheaper and better
technologies such as broadband and the
digital services innovation enables. As a
result most see technological innovations
as generally beneficial, both in terms of
raising standards of living (e.g. by reducing
costs) as well as improving quality of life
(e.g. by making it easier to stay in touch
with friends and family).

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But people are also aware of the ‘shadow side’ of technology: even among young people there’s a growing
awareness of the unhealthy effects of too much reliance on technology, and a desire to see a more balanced
approach to its use.
“Traditionally we’ve been very conservative about change in Ireland,
but I think that has gone and we’re much more open to it than before.”
Younger male, Dublin

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Influencing the Future
What forces will shape our future in
Ireland? We asked this question in the
first Future of Ireland study in 2015.
Asked to look ahead 10 years, the
majority of people in our survey expected
international factors to become more
important, with domestic factors
(including the government and media)
to become less important.
We expanded this analysis in our latest
survey, asking people whether they think
that science and technology will have
more influence, the same or less influence
on their daily lives in ten years’ time.
Perhaps not surprisingly, an overwhelming
majority expect them to have more
influence in the future:
72%expect science to have
more influence on their
daily lives in 10 years time
82%
expect technology to have
more influence on their
daily lives in 10 years time
Such expectations are quite consistent by age, gender and social
class in our survey.
There is no doubt from our study that Irish people see innovation
and technology as a vital part of Ireland’s future development.
Over two thirds (67%) agree that Ireland should embrace
change rather than delay it (even higher among younger adults).
Moreover, they expect businesses to deliver most of the change:
4 in 10 agree that innovation should be driven by businesses
and consumers, and that government doesn’t need to be
involved (significantly less than the 52% who agreed in the
Nesta UK study).
However, Irish people are aware of the risks that change and
innovation can entail, indeed, 45% agree that governments and
corporations take too many risks and this is usually damaging
to ordinary people. There is also a widespread recognition that
innovation cannot solve all our problems: nearly half agree that
the main problems we face as a nation cannot be solved by
technology or inventions – higher among older age groups. That
said, nearly half (49%) agree that Irish people are far too cautious
about trying new things - which suggests that we will be more
open to trying new solutions to old problems, even if we’re not
entirely convinced they will work.
It isn’t just down to us as individuals, 60% of Irish people agree
that Irish businesses need to be more inventive and innovative to
meet the needs of people like them, suggesting that the bar will
be higher in future for those Irish businesses and entrepreneurs
that want to meet the needs of future Irish consumers. We
explore who will drive Ireland’s innovation agenda in the
next section.

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Innovation
Drivers
Leaders & Laggards
W
ho impresses us most when
it comes to innovation?
And who impresses us
least? While people are
generally open to innovation, they are
aware that some are ahead of others
when it comes to demonstrating a true
ambition to do better for their customers
through inventive change.

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To get a better understanding of this, we asked people to rate how well served Ireland is in terms of
innovation by different organisations and sectors. We have ranked them in the table from highest to lowest
based on the percent saying they serve Ireland well minus the percent saying they serve Ireland poorly
(what we call the Innovation Performance Ratio):
“I use Instagram to advertise my work as a stylist and now I have women coming
from all over Leinster for me to do their hair.”
Younger female, Dublin
Irish Entrepreneurs
Irish artists and performers
Irish businesses
Irish sports organisations
Local community organisations
Irish media
Irish charities
Irish banks
Irish health services
Local government
The Irish Government
Innovation Performance Ratio
40%
-4%
33%
-17%
31%
-22%
30%
-25%
12%
-26%
9%

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Healthcare and medical technologies
New sources of sustainable energy
New types of living arrangements for an ageing populatio
New types of retirement and pension arrangements
New teaching methods and types of schools
New public transport services & vehicles
Mobile and broadband technologies
New ways of running the European Union
New types of financial services to meet people’s needs
New farming techniques and crops
One intriguing finding from the
Innovation Performance Ratio data is
that there isn’t a straightforward ‘private
vs public’ divide. Sure, entrepreneurs
and businesses are towards the top and
health services and the Government are
towards the bottom, but Irish artists
and sports organisations have positive
innovation scores, while Irish charities
have a net negative score.
This suggests that there is an
opportunity for those in charge of
different organisations in different
sectors to play their part in meeting and
exceeding the innovation expectations of
Irish citizens and consumers.
Innovation Priorities
Not all innovations are equal. In fact, we
have very clear priorities when it comes
to the types of innovations we would like
to see prioritised by both private and public
sector organisations.
The table shows the types of innovations
we believe must continue for the future of
Ireland – ranked highest to lowest by the
percent agreeing each innovation is
very important:
Innovations very important for the future of Ireland
73%
63%
54%
54%
50%
50%
48%
46%
44%
42%

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68%
say that science has had
a mostly positive effect
on Irish society
64%say that technology has
had a mostly positive
effect on Irish society
“I worry about how we’re going to afford all the retired people in future,
especially as I’ll be one of them!”
Older male, Limerick

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Despite the perceived lack of innovation in Ireland’s health services, it is innovation in the areas of
healthcare and medical technology that we consider most important to the future. Related to this are
priorities three and possibly four in the list: an ageing population and the need for new retirement and
pension arrangements. The second highest ranking area of innovation is energy - which is perhaps why half
of the population also think it is important to continue innovating in the areas of public transport services
and vehicles.
But it isn’t all about technology and inventions – new teaching methods and new ways of running the
European Union also have strong support among Irish citizens. This suggests that technology will play a
necessary but not sufficient part in meeting future needs. Nevertheless, we start from the position that
science and technology are – on balance – positive forces in Irish society.
But there are growing concerns about the future impact of technology, and in the next section we look at the
ethical aspects of innovation and the demands of Irish people for the future.
Your place of work is resistant to any change or innovation
Your place of work is reluctant to adopt changes or
innovations but eventually gets around to it
Your place of work is a follower when it comes to change or
innovation and eventually does what similar organisations do
Your place of work encourages change and innovation
but doesn’t always practice what it preaches
Your place of work champions change and innovation
and is seen by others as leading the way
Innovation in the Workplace:
15%
25%
20%
30%
10%

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Creatives Advocates
THE FUTURE OF IRELAND ‘PERSONAS’
22%
of Irish population
25%
of Irish population
The way we look at the world is the result of a combination of factors. These include our personality, our
upbringing, our life experiences and a host of other influences on what we think and do. For that reason,
when it comes to understand people’s views on something as complex as innovation, it makes sense to go
beyond ‘descriptive’ factors such as age, income etc.

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Realists Doubters
22%
of Irish population
31%
of Irish population
To do so, we have use a statistical technique called ‘cluster analysis’ which literally clusters people into
groups on the basis of common views and opinions rather than share demographic or other variables. We
have analysed the views of Irish people on innovation and change along these lines, and have identified four
distinct groups in the population as summarised in the next few pages.

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C
reatives make up 22% of the
Irish population. They are
younger on average than the
rest of the population,
a third of them are aged over 45,
so age is not the only factor.
The majority of Creatives
are women, and can be
found in all social classes.
Creatives are more likely to welcome
any change in their lives as sign of
improvement than any other group.
They are more open to new ways of
thinking and doing things.
They also plan more for the future
than other groups, and have the
highest propensity to make sacrifices
in the short term for long term gain.
This includes a greater willingness
to take risks to get ahead, even if the
outcome is uncertain.
While Creatives are very comfortable
with science and technology, they
also have strong family relations and
social networks. They also believe in
prioritising future generations over
this generation in thinking about the
future. They also are more likely than
other groups to buy ethical products
and services.
Creatives welcome the role of
entrepreneurs and business in
innovation, but they also expect
government to play a bigger part in
Ireland’s success in the future.
More than any other group,
Creatives are the ‘go to’ experts for
their families and friends when it
comes to getting advice about new
technology and products.
They can be hard to please, however.
Creatives are more likely than
any other group to have tried new
products, services and technologies
and been disappointed.
Creatives
THE FUTURE OF IRELAND
22

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Advocates
A
dvocates are the second
largest group in the Future
of Ireland study, and
make up 25% of the Irish
population. Their age profile matches
that of the total population, though a
majority of Advocates are men. They
have the highest share of higher
social classes in their group.
Advocates are more likely
than others to have learned
new skills or to use new
technologies recently, but
also innovate in areas like
cooking and crafts.
More than any other group,
Advocates describe themselves as
a leader rather than a follower in
different aspects of their work and
social lives. Not surprisingly, they
welcome change more than most,
though Creatives are more ‘neophilic’
in that regard.
Advocates have a stronger
preference than any other group to
be living in Ireland today (75%) than
20 years ago, and nearly half would
prefer to live in Ireland in 20 years’
time than today. Not surprisingly,
they are the most optimistic group
when it comes to life in Ireland for
future generations, and the most
excited about the future for Ireland.
Advocates are second to Creatives in
terms of considering themselves to
be creative in what they do and think,
and the least likely group to find new
innovations ‘pointless’ as well as the
least likely to worry that the benefits
of change for Ireland are behind us.
Advocates are the second most
likely group of ‘go to’ experts for their
families and friends when it comes
to getting advice about
new technology and products.
23

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R
ealists are the largest group,
and make up 31% of the Irish
population. They are older on
average than the rest of the
population, 4 in 10 are aged 55 and
over. The majority of Realists
are women, and are more likely to
be in lower social classes than the
total population.
Realists are less enthusiastic
about change in their lives than any
other group, though the majority
still welcome some change.
Nevertheless, they are more
nostalgic for the Ireland of 20 years
ago than others, with nearly half
preferring the past to the present. In
turn, they are less attracted to the
idea of living in Ireland in 20 years’
time, strongly preferring the present,
which also means the majority are
pessimistic about life in Ireland for
future generations.
Realists tend to be
more cautious about
technological change,
and more sceptical about
the potential benefits of
new technologies.
They are more likely than other
groups to feel that the problems
facing Ireland do not lend themselves
to technological solutions.
Nevertheless, Realists support
the efforts of entrepreneurs and
business to innovate, and they too
expect government to play a
bigger part in Ireland’s success in
the future.
Perhaps because of their scepticism,
Realists are the group least likely
to be the ‘go to’ experts for their
families and friends when it comes
to getting advice about new
technology and products.
Overall, Realists don’t doubt the
importance of technology and
innovation in their lives, they simply
choose to remain sceptical about its
value until the evidence convinces
them to change.
Realists
24

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Doubters
D
oubters are as prevalent as
Creatives, and make up 22%
of the Irish population.
They have a similar age
profile to the general population,
though like Advocates they are
predominantly male.
Doubters consider themselves to
be much less creative than other
groups, and are less likely to plan for
the future even if it means making
sacrifices now. This may also explain
why they are least likely to think
it important to think about future
generations than our own generation.
They also are the most sceptical
about the contribution of technology
and innovation to the economy
and country, and about the role of
businesses and entrepreneurs in
driving growth.
Doubters are the least likely group to
have a learned a new skill in recent
times, or to have helped a group or
organisation solve a problem (10%
versus 21% of all adults and 28%
of Advocates).
They are also most sceptical
about putting ethical and human
rights at the centre of research
and innovation policy. It follows
that they are the group least likely
to make an effort to buy ethical
products and services.
Overall, they are a risk
adverse group, both
for themselves and for
society and so they don’t
think Ireland should
embrace change.
Perhaps not surprisingly, they
tend not to be the ‘go to’ experts
that family members and friends
consult in relation to new
technologies and innovations.
25

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Ethical
Innovation
Fears & Concerns
N
early 4 in 10 (39%) consumers
say they make an effort to buy
ethical products or services, with
just 19% not doing so. However
some 42% neither agree nor disagree,
indicating ethical considerations isn’t a
strong influence on their decision making.
But when it comes to the future, opinions
are much stronger. Nearly half (48%) think
it more important to think about future
generations than our own generation;
and nearly 6 in 10 (58%) agree that ethics
and human rights should be central to
research and innovation policy - even if it
does slow down progress.

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One of the strongest themes emerging from our focus group conversations with people around Ireland
is a worry about technology ‘going too far’. We are all familiar with the standard science fiction trope of
‘good technology’ gone bad. People – young as well as old – wonder, and sometimes worry, about, the
potential loss of jobs due to artificial intelligence and robotics. Others worry about the creation of ‘unnatural’
outcomes, due to genetic manipulation and unintended consequences.

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“I just think there would be something unnatural
about implanting something in your brain,
how would you get it out if it went wrong?”
Younger female, Dublin
In fact, when we present Irish people
with a selection of future scenarios for
the application of existing or potential
technologies, it is clear that there is a
high level of rejection for innovations
entailing changes to the human body.
The table ranks the level of Innovation
Acceptance (the percent welcoming each
innovation minus the percent rejecting it),
from those most welcome to those
most rejected:
The use of biological engineering to create artificial
organs for humans needing a transplant operation
Changing a baby’s genetic characteristics in the
womb to reduce the risk of serious diseases
Allowing more people access to experimental drugs before clinical trials
have shown the drugs to be safe and effective for that disease or condition
The use of sensors implanted in our bodies to monitor
and adjust all food and medications that enter our bloodstream
Change the genes in some food crops and farm animals to make them grow
faster or bigger and be more resistant to bugs, weeds, and disease
Giving healthy people synthetic blood transfusions to improve their ability to
complete all sorts of tasks with much greater speed, strength and stamina
Implanting computer chips safely in our brains to give people a much
improved ability to concentrate and process information in everyday life
Changing a baby’s genetic characteristics in the womb to make
the baby more intelligent
47%
-22%
-29%
-37%
-48%
-61%
0%
8%
Innovation Acceptance

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Self-Improvement
Of course, not everyone is as concerned about making changes to their bodies. We asked people if they
have had a selection of different changes made to themselves, such as cosmetic surgery or tattoos.
While most people haven’t made any changes, quite a few would consider making changes
in the future (among those not changed):
Already have: Would consider:
Got a tattoo
Cosmetic dental procedures
to improve your smile
Surgery to prevent you from
having children in the future
(such as tubal ligation or
vasectomy)
Lasik or laser-
assisted eye surgery
Elective cosmetic surgery
(such as breast changes, nose
reshaping, eyelid surgery,
liposuction, tummy tuck, facelift)
Injections to fill out or smooth
your skin or lips (such as collagen,
Botox or hyaluronic acid)
Hair replacement surgery
None of these
18% 9%
19%
3%
11%
9%
9%
5%
9%
7%
6%
4%
2%
1%
62% 54%

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“My friend got his teeth done
in Hungary, there was a plane full
going there. I’d think about it
for myself now.”
Older male, Cork
There are significant differences in the
incidence and appeal of such changes
by demographic group. Among 25-34s,
28% have a tattoo. While 25% of over 55s
would consider getting laser eye surgery.
All of this suggests that Irish people are
not passive actors when it comes to
innovation - many are participants who
look forward to more active involvement
in the future. Just what part people
can individually play in delivering an
innovative future for Ireland is the subject
of the next section.

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MeNovation
Open to Persuasion
M
ost people are open to
change: in fact, 1 in 5 (22%)
of us welcome any change
as it always means our lives
will be better; a further 51% welcome
most change on the same basis. Just
8% of people in Ireland don’t welcome
change. That said, we are not necessarily
looking for change - 4 in 10 (41%) state
that they are content with their lives and
don’t need to change them very much
(with 3 in 10 stating that their lives do
need to change).

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But when asked whether they see lots
of opportunities for inventions and
innovations that could make their lives
better, a larger minority (44%) agree they
can see such opportunities. So we are
content but open to persuasion: good
news for entrepreneurs and innovators
hoping to get us to part with our money
for products, services and experiences
that are better than the ones we’ve got.
We Irish are quite confident about our
creative and problem solving abilities.
Over half (53%) of us consider ourselves
to be creative and state that we often
come up with new ways of doing things
or thinking about things. We are generally
inclined (60%) to accept the need to take
risks to get ahead in life, even if you can’t
always be sure of what will happen. A
similar percentage agree that allowing
people to take risks and fail is what
drives society forward.
37%are regularly asked by
family and friends for
advice on new technology
and products
34%
are thought of by family
and friends as someone
who is always among the
first to try something new,
not just technolgy
“Even my older brother and sisters ask me for advice on which phone to buy
‘cause they know I’m really into tech.”
Younger male, Limerick
But we are not impetuous in our
behaviour: just over half (51%) agree that
they tend to plan for the future, even it
means making sacrifices in the short-
term. Young people are as likely to agree
with older people in this regard.
That said, some of us are clearly more
successful at unleashing our creative
potential and shaping our destinies
than others, especially when it comes
to technology. One of the biggest
differentiators between our four
Innovation Personalities is whether a
person is asked by others for advice on
technologies – digital or otherwise.

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Helped others learn to
use technology
Learned a new skill
(for work or pleasure)
Created or modified a
new recipe
Made or built a physical object from scratch
Helped others develop their ideas for new content
Created and uploaded your own original content
(text, video, audio) to the internet or an app
Helped a group or organisation solve a problem or
meet a need on a voluntary basis
Designed or modified an item of
clothing or fashion
Written a song, poem or story
(whether published/shared or not)
None of these
Activities
45%
42%
40%
26%
26%
23%
21%
18%
13%
16%
Creating the Future
It’s all very well to describe oneself as creative, but where’s the proof? Our Future of Ireland survey asked
people if they had done or taken part in a range of activities recently, all of which suggests we might just be
as creative as we claim to be:

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Watching a new/unfamiliar tv programme or series
Shopping in a new/unfamiliar supermarket
Viewing a new/unfamiliar movie
Trying new ingredients at home
Holidaying in a new/unfamiliar destination
Reading a new/unfamiliar book author
Using new types of cooking equipment
Eating out in a new/unfamiliar restaurant
Wearing new clothing colours
Wearing new styles
Taking up a new exercise or sport
Supporting a new/unfamiliar charity
69%
68%
66%
64%
62%
58%
55%
54%
47%
41%
39%
34%
Not surprisingly, given such a prevalence of activities – some of it quite creative and innovative – we find
that many people consider themselves to be a ‘leader’ in certain areas of their lives:
Leaders %

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However, many of the areas people identify in which they are leaders are quite ‘passive’, e.g.: watching
a movie or choosing a restaurant. Though there are some, more creative indicators, such as trying new
ingredients or clothing styles.
For many people, the most innovative thing done recently tends to be along the lines of starting a new
hobby or learning a new skill. But a third (32%) say they haven’t recently done or changed anything in an
innovative way.
Beyond their individual experiences, when we ask people what has been the biggest change or innovation
in their local community in recent times the answers tend to be even more varied than for individuals: from
a new community centre opening to a new walking group starting up. However, 58% say there hasn’t been
any change or innovation in their local community recently, suggesting a significant innovation gap between
national and local levels.

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But innovation, like any other skill, is one that requires constant use and improvement otherwise it will be
lost. The good news is that Irish people are enthusiastic ‘investors’ in their skills and creative capacities, as
our survey data reveals for activities in the past 12 months (outside of work):
Read how-to magazines, consumer magazines,
or other publications related
to some area of personal interest
Taken a course related to your
personal interest or hobbies
Attended a meeting where you learned new information
such as a book club, a sports club, arts club or a
health-related support group
Attended a seminar or conference where you learned
about something of personal interest, like a garden show,
a car show, a lifestyle convention etc
Taken an online course
None of these
Past 12 months:
37%
27%
24%
21%
21%
31%
12

39
This tells us that information
(magazines/courses) continues to be
key to self-development, as are events
(meetings/seminars) where you can
meet like-minded people. 1 in 5 (21%)
Irish people have taken an online course
in the past 12 months, confirming a trend
in previous Future of Ireland studies
where we found significant cohorts of
the population keen to ‘future proof’ their
skills for work and for life in general.

41
Conclusion
Open to Persuasion
A
s Ireland’s economy recovers,
so our optimism about the
future continues to improve.
The Future of Ireland study
finds the Irish people at a positive
juncture moment in their journey in the
21st century journey. They are open
to change and to the part innovation
will play in their future – as well as the
part they will play in turn in making our
innovative future happen.

43
All photographs for the ‘Future of Ireland’ project taken by David Gerulis

44
© OMD & Amárach Research, the content of this report may be used
and republished freely once The Future of Ireland OMD Report is credited.
Supported by:

Future of Ireland 3

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