The latest edition of the Ipsos Global Education Monitor explores how people across 30 countries – including Ireland – feel about the education system in their country, the challenges facing schools – and young people, and the role of technology in education.
KEY FINDINGS FROM IRELAND:
- Irish people particularly positive about our education system. Ireland ranks second globally in extent of positivity about our education system, with 71% rating the Irish education system as good. Only in Singapore are people more positive about their system. Notably Ireland bucks the trend with people in Europe among the most critical of their education systems. Majorities in Hungary (59%), France (55%) and Romania (54%) view education in their country as poor and the balance of opinion is also negative in Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium.
- Widespread support for banning under-14s from social media. An average of 71% across 30 countries believe children under 14 should not be able to access social media, and 74% of school-age parents feel the same. In Ireland, 76% support such a ban – an increase of 7 points over the past year. When it comes to smartphones, Ireland ranks second (behind France) in strength of support for banning smartphones in schools with 7 out of 10 people suggesting they should be banned.
- When it comes to which subjects Irish people most enjoyed when they were at school, history comes out top overall, followed by maths, science and geography. Maths proves to be a divisive subject. While it is the second most liked subject with 27% saying it was their favourite, it also comes out top in the “least favourite” stakes, bringing back bad memories for 36% of respondents.
- The idea of “boys’ subjects” and “girls’ subjects” comes out more strongly among older people globally. Among Baby Boomers, there’s a clear distinction between subjects which were popular with boys (science, maths) and popular with girls (local language, literature). But among younger generations, this gap shrinks significantly – and it is almost non-existent for science and maths.
For the full report, please contact Kieran O’Leary: kieran.oleary@ipsos.com
