EU Communications Insights ahead of Ireland’s EU Presidency

The Island of Ireland Poll 2026 shows support for EU membership remains strong, standing at 82% in Ireland and 76% in Northern Ireland. However, satisfaction with the overall direction of the EU has fallen by more than 10% across both jurisdictions over the past three years. These findings underline the importance of strong public engagement and effective communications ahead of Ireland’s Presidency term.

Ireland has a strong track record of leadership during previous EU Presidencies, and communications will once again play a central role in shaping public understanding, engagement and trust over the coming months. The poll findings provide useful insights into how audiences across the island source information on European issues and where communicators will need to focus their efforts.

In Ireland, traditional media remains the dominant source of information on EU affairs, with 65% relying on radio, television and newspapers. Online news follows at 51%, while social media stands at 33%. These trends broadly mirror wider media consumption patterns, with recent JNLR figures showing that more than 3.5 million people tune into radio each weekday and almost 90% of adults listen to radio every week.

Older audiences continue to favour traditional media, with 83% of those aged over 55 using radio, television and newspapers as their primary source of information on EU issues. Younger audiences are significantly more likely to engage through online news platforms and social media, with 52% consuming online news and 50% using social platforms for EU-related information.

Facebook remains the leading social platform for EU information in Ireland, ahead of Instagram and X, while Instagram and TikTok perform most strongly among 18–34-year-olds. LinkedIn continues to resonate particularly strongly among 45–54-year-olds, reflecting its continued role in professional and corporate communications.

In Northern Ireland, online news is the leading source of information on EU affairs at 68%, closely followed by traditional media at 62%. Social media ranks third, with X emerging as the most popular social platform for EU information, ahead of Facebook and Bluesky.

Younger audiences in Northern Ireland continue to diversify across platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Reddit. Interestingly, LinkedIn records particularly strong engagement among both 18–34-year-olds and those aged over 55 in Northern Ireland.

Taken together, these findings highlight important differences in how audiences across the island engage with EU-related information. Traditional media continues to play a central role north and south, but platform preferences and consumption habits are increasingly fragmented across demographics and jurisdictions.

For communications professionals preparing for Ireland’s EU Presidency, these insights reinforce the importance of targeted, audience-specific engagement strategies. There is no single “public conversation” about Europe across the island of Ireland. Successful communications during the Presidency will depend not only on visibility, but on delivering credible, accessible and platform-specific content that meets audiences where they are.

European Movement Ireland commissioned Amárach Research to survey attitudes towards the EU across the island of Ireland. The research programme included nationally representative samples of 1,200 respondents in both jurisdictions, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2%.