Key findings of major new survey;

• Two out of three Dublin drinkers have a ‘local’
• Two out of five visit a pub at least once a week
• Pub visits set to rise by 4% in second half of 2014
• 79% believe going for a drink with their friends is important
• Summer is the favourite season for going to a pub
• 72% believe the standard of service in Dublin pubs is good
• Speed is viewed as the key characteristic of a barperson   
• Over half of men believe pubs provide them with an opportunity to talk about sensitive issues
• Dubliners favourite bars are smaller traditional type pubs 
• 71% say they feel at home in a Dublin pub 

Two out of three Dublin drinkers have a pub they call their ‘local’ while two out of five visit a pub at least once a week, according to the findings of a major new survey. Thirty nine per cent said they visited the pub weekly or more often, 21% fortnightly and 40% went at least once a month. 

According to the survey overall pub visits are set to rise by 4% in the second half of 2014 with women and those under 55 seeing the biggest increases. For most Dubliners the main reason for visiting pubs is to meet their friends and 79% describe going for a drink with their pals as important to them. Overall, summer was viewed as the favourite season for going to the pub.  Winter also fared well, especially amongst women and older people.  Over 500 Dubliners were interviewed for the survey which was carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of the Licensed Vintners Association. 

The CEO of the LVA, Donall O’Keeffe said the findings underlined the importance of Dublin pubs to the social life of the city and it was important to assess their role from time to time. 

“We are seeing some positive signs in the pub trade right now and the findings of this survey show we can look to the future with renewed confidence. People go to pubs to catch up with their friends, to relax, to have a few drinks, meet new people and perhaps to talk about things they might not ordinarily discuss. 

“For example over half of men believe pubs provide them with an opportunity to talk about sensitive issues. Clearly people are very comfortable doing all these things in a pub and this is reflected in the survey with 71% saying they feel at home in a Dublin pub and over 60% describing Dublin pubs as the best in the world” Mr O’Keeffe said. 

Three out of four described the standard of service in Dublin pubs as good with speed of service identified as the key characteristic of a good bar person, followed by the ability to multi task and having a sense of humour. 

Small traditional pubs are favoured by the majority and especially those over 55, but young men tend to prefer city centre bars while women have a preference for bars with a beer garden. Although people generally go to the pub with their friends, partner or work colleagues, young middle class men are the most likely to go to the pub by themselves. For women the pub is nearly always a collective experience. 

Prices, noise, lack of seating and pubs being too crowded are the main turn offs for pub goers. The second part of the survey will be published later this month.

For more information: Contact Kieran Garry Gordon MRM 01/6650455 or 087/2368366 

Note to Editor

The survey was conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes among 552 Dublin adults aged 18+ between the 13th and 24th of June 2014. Quota controls were used to reflect the known demographics of the Dublin population and post survey weights were also applied to ensure that the sample identically mirrors the census-based targets for gender age and social class.