Equality and Discrimination 2024

Discrimination in Social Settings such as Shops, Pubs, Gyms

In the 2024 survey, perceived discrimination in social settings (shops, pubs, gyms, and other retail outlets) was broken down into three settings:

• Shops/shopping centres/retail outlets
• Pubs, bars (including hotel bars), night clubs, restaurants
• Gyms, leisure centres, public swimming pools or parks

One in Six Irish Travellers/Roma Discriminated Against in Hospitality Settings

At an overall level, an equivalent number of people experienced discrimination (in the previous two years) in retail settings such as shops/shopping centres/retail outlets and also in hospitality settings such as pubs, bars (including hotel bars), restaurants, night clubs, etc. Just 2% of respondents aged 18 years and over experienced discrimination in facilities such as gyms, leisure centres, public swimming pools, or parks. Just 1% of respondents had experienced discrimination in all three social settings in the two years prior to interview.

Analysis by ethnicity shows that more than one in seven (15%) Irish Travellers/Roma said they were discriminated against in hospitality settings such as pubs, bars (including hotel bars), night clubs, restaurants, etc., compared with just 4% of people of White Irish ethnicity.

By far the greatest prevalence of discrimination in retail settings was against gay/lesbian people (24%), and by people who identify as bisexual (18%), compared with just 5% of straight/heterosexual people. One in eleven (9%) gay/lesbian people said that they were discriminated against in all three social settings.

Analysis of the survey results by gender identity shows that one in eight (13%) transgender/non-binary people experienced discrimination in retail settings, compared with just 5% of cisgender people. Similarly, almost one in eight (12%) people who identified as transgender/non-binary said that they were discriminated against in hospitality settings such as pubs, bars (including hotel bars), night clubs, restaurants in the two years prior to interview, double the prevalence of cisgender people (6%). With regard to facilities such as gyms, leisure centres, public swimming pools or parks, some 9% of transgender/non-binary people experienced discrimination compared with just 2% of cisgender people

More than one in four (26%) people from a Black Irish/Black African/other Black background experienced discrimination in retail settings such as shops/shopping centres/retail outlets. This compares with one in seven (14%) respondents from an Asian Irish/Asian Indian/Chinese/other Asian background that experienced discrimination in such settings. Some 15% of people in the Irish Traveller/Roma minority groupings cited discrimination in such retail settings compared with just 3% of people whose ethnicity was White Irish.(See Figure 4.1 and Table 4.1).

Analysis by age shows that younger people were discriminated against most in hospitality settings such as pubs, bars (including hotel bars), night clubs, or restaurants. One in nine (11%) people aged 18 to 24 years and one in ten (10%) people in the 25 to 34 years age group said they were discriminated against in hospitality settings, compared with 4% of people aged 35 to 54 years and just 2% of people aged between 55 and 74 years (See Table 4.2).

Race is by far the Most Common Ground for Discrimination in Social Settings

Looking at the perceived grounds for discrimination in social settings such as retail, hospitality, and leisure/local amenities, the most significant ground cited by people was race (such as colour, nationality, ethnic, or national origins) at 33%. This was followed by gender (includes gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, etc.) at 20% and socio-economic background/social status (examples include your address, accent, level of education, type of housing, employment status, or any other similar circumstance etc.) at 17%.

For those who felt they were discriminated against in social settings, almost seven in ten (69%) said that the discrimination had happened on a few occasions while one in seven (14%) said it had occurred frequently. One in ten (10%) said it had a serious effect on their lives while almost half (49%) said that although not serious, it did have some effect on their lives (See Table 4.3).

Note: Respondents could choose more than one ground for discrimination.