How many Catholics were attending Mass before the pandemic began? How many have returned in the meantime? How many will come back when this is all over? These were some of the vital questions asked in a new Iona Institute poll conducted by Amarach Research. The results of the survey can be found here.
A poll commissioned by The Iona Institute, looks at how religious practice took place during the lockdown. It was carried out by Amarach Research in April when no-one could attend religious services. It found that 27pc of people had watched religious services, including Mass, online. The results of the survey can be found here.
The Department of Justice has invited submissions to a review of Ireland’s law against hate speech. It is considering changing the present law so as to make it easier to charge someone with ‘hate‘. The Iona Institute has made a submission of its own to the review and raises concerns that any change to the...
Our new paper is a critique of the liberal philosophy of sex education and how consent is treated as the only necessary condition a couple has to fulfil before having sex with each other. It is a response to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment which is currently conducting a review of Relationships and...
An 11 country international survey that includes Ireland finds that cohabiting parents are less likely to be confident about their relationships and less happy in their family life than married parents. This briefing note from The Iona Institute examines the results of the survey and highlights ‘The Cohabitation Difference’.
Mind the Gap II finds that those in the most disadvantaged social class are three times as likely to have suffered a broken marriage as those in the highest. It is a companion paper to Mind the Gap I which found that the most disadvantaged are far less likely to marry in the first place...
The Central Statistics Office invited submissions on the content of the questionnaire for the 2021 census during a public consultation process. Prof. Stephen Bullivant, on behalf of the Iona Institute, made a submission on the question about religion. The document can be found here. Updates on the consultation process can be found here.
The Iona Institute made a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health earlier this year concerning the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017. It can be found here.
A Private Member’s Bill to permit assisted suicide under certain circumstances is soon to come before the Oireachtas. The experience of Belgium and the Netherlands shows how difficult it is to limit it once it is introduced. Rates have soared in both countries and the grounds have widened. Read more in our latest briefing note.
Our new briefing paper looks at the operation of Britain’s abortion law, including the prevalence and the grounds for abortion. Pro-choice groups in Ireland want us to adopt a UK-style abortion law at a minimum. In the UK, one in every five pregnancies ends in abortion. You can download the briefing note from here.
