Urban and more affluent areas in Ireland have higher proportions of migrants, a new study has found.
Carried out for the Department of Justice by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the research found migrants, defined as those not born on the island of Ireland, are concentrated in urban areas.
It found 78 per cent of migrants live in urban areas, with 43 per cent of the total number of migrants living in cities.
The study, published on Friday, also found the proportion of migrants was higher in more affluent areas. In electoral divisions classified as “very affluent”, 36 per cent of the population were migrants while they comprised just 9 per cent of the population in “extremely disadvantaged” areas.
In Dublin, migrants are most concentrated in the city centre, including the north inner city. Areas located 2km-4km from the city centre have lower proportions, including areas of Ballymun and Finglas.
Migrants are more likely to live in areas with more private rental housing, as opposed to owner-occupied or social housing.
International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres, the research found, are not evenly distributed across Ireland but electoral divisions with such centres were not any more or less likely to be classified as deprived.
Other key findings include the urban-rural divide among migrants varies according to their country of birth. Those born in Britain and the US were most likely to live in rural areas; those born in some non-EU and western EU countries were most likely to live in urban areas and Eastern European migrants were more likely to live in commuter towns than cities.
Migrant segregation was found to be low in Ireland. Groups of migrants born in non-EU and non-Anglosphere countries have higher average levels of segregation than migrants born in Britain, the US and Poland.
The researchers interviewed stakeholders working in local integration and noted the introduction of Local Area Integration Teams (LAITs) in every local authority was regarded as good practice in migrant integration. Interviewees suggested the remit of LAITs should be expanded to include all migrants or other vulnerable migrant groups and managers of IPAS centres should receive training.
Housing and language were identified as the main barriers to integration. Other challenges included the recognition of qualifications, accessing healthcare, local transport and isolation. Concerns were raised about the availability of English language training in rural areas and difficulties facing migrants living near the border with Northern Ireland, who cannot cross it without a visa.
Evan Carron-Kee, a co-author of the study, noted Irish and migrant populations have different spatial distribution patterns across the country and spatial distribution also differs between migrant groups, affecting their opportunities for integration.
“Ensuring that local stakeholders are empowered to adopt solutions at a local level and to inform national decisions is crucial for effective integration policy,” he said.
The study, Spatial Distribution and Local Integration of Migrants in Ireland, is available on the ESRI website.