Cost and conscience have emerged as key influencers behind responses to a survey of attitudes towards disability.
The study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Ireland found that some people withdrew their support for disability policies when assured of their anonymity and others did the same when invited to consider cost.
RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, reported that ESRI asked 2,000 adults for their opinions on a range of different disability policies.
One group was asked directly about their support for policies, while another group could express their opinion more anonymously.
The study, which was funded by Ireland’s National Disability Authority, revealed that 77 per cent of respondents showed support for increased social welfare payments for disabled people when they were asked directly. Only 66 per cent were in favour when respondents had more anonymity.
When assured of their anonymity, 1 in 20 drivers admitted to parking in an accessible parking spot without a permit.
The study also found that anonymity made a bigger difference to people with higher levels of educational attainment, with ESRI suggesting that respondents who are better educated may be more likely to respond to standard surveys in ways that they view are socially desirable.
A second part of the study showed that support for disability policies is much lower when questions specify how policies will be funded or potential trade-offs.
ESRO found 98 per cent of respondents to a standard survey question agreeing that children with disabilities should get the support they need. The figure dropped to 85 per cent when the question specified the policy would be funded through budget reallocation. It fell to 64 per cent when the policy was to be funded through a tax increase.
In addition ESRI reported that 84 per cent of people supported a proposal to build more wheelchair accessible infrastructure. But when trade-offs were made explicit, such as reducing parking infrastructure or cycling infrastructure, support was lower.
Dr Shane Timmons, who is the lead author of the report, said people who were close to someone with a disability were more likely to support disability policies.
He said: “Increasing the inclusion of disabled people in communities and workplaces and informing the public about the challenges of having a disability may improve attitudes to disabled people and supportive policies.”
The Director of the National Disability Authority, Dr Aideen Hartney, said the findings made it clear that more work needed to be done to address negative attitudes towards disability to achieve equal rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities in Ireland.
