Merchants Quay Ireland wished to understand the general public’s perspectives towards people who use drugs or are drug dependent through a range of attitudinal statements sourced from Bryan et al. (2000) study. The language used within the question statements were not modified for direct comparison. MQI advocates for person first, stigma reduction language. Language was informed by Uisce, Advocacy For People Who Use Drugs, Ireland.

81% of Irish people say the drugs problem is out of control in this country, but are more educated and aware of the causes and solutions to tackling addiction than 25 years ago, according to new research published by Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI), the homelessness and addiction charity.

Key findings from the research include:

• 66% of people would tend to avoid people who are drug dependent, down from 71% in similar research carried out in 2000;
• 43% believe that those who are drug dependent are not given a fair chance in society, up from 31%;
• 50% say people who are drug dependent really scare them, down from 66%;
• Only 30% of people believe people who are drug dependent only have themselves to blame, down from 57%;
• 63% of respondents say it would bother them to live near someone who is drug dependent, down from 70%;
• 36% believe in tougher sentences for those who use drugs, down from 51%.