The Cork Chamber of Commerce Releases Results of St. Patrick’s Day Survey in U.S.
St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, which means the results of the Lenox Consulting/Publitics annual St. Patrick’s Day Survey are out. This year, we partnered with the Cork Chamber of Commerce to take a look at perceptions of Ireland, the Ireland-U.S. relationship, tourism, business and more amongst U.S. adults.
The St. Patrick’s Day spirit is ubiquitous in communities across the United States and this year, 67% reported that they plan to celebrate in some way. Celebrations take a variety of forms. According to the survey, the most popular ways to mark the holiday, among those who plan to celebrate, are wearing green (66%), going out to a bar or restaurant (43%) and cooking Irish food at home (31%).
According to Conor Healy, CEO of Cork Chamber, “The St. Patrick’s Day season is an excellent time to travel the U.S. and talk to people in government at all levels, business leaders, and community groups about the special relationship between Ireland, specifically Cork, and the US. 43% of survey respondents indicated that they believe that economic and business ties are the most important aspect of the Ireland-U.S. relationship, and we are particularly aware of this in Cork, which is the home to over 150 multinational corporations, many of which are US companies. There are also numerous Cork companies setting up and growing their operations in the US market.”
Americans hold overwhelmingly positive views of Ireland with 87% reporting they have a very positive or positive opinion. Likewise, 80% believe the U.S. and Ireland have a positive relationship and 91% believe it is important or very important for the U.S. to maintain that relationship.
“Ireland remains extremely popular in a time where it’s hard to maintain a positive image in the public eye,” commented Matt Krayton.
While St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. have taken on their own unique character, it’s clear that Ireland has historically and continues to make a significant imprint on the American imagination,” said Steve Lenox. “St. Patrick’s Day provides an entirely unique opportunity to educate and engage the American public about Ireland, business, cultural and culinary ties,” continued Lenox.
Over half of respondents (58%) reported that St. Patrick’s Day celebrations make them want to learn more about career or travel opportunities in Ireland.
Americans also display high interest in opportunities to travel and even relocate to Ireland. 88% reported they have an interest in taking a trip to Ireland, while 70% said they would at least consider relocating to Ireland to live and work. In terms of getting to Ireland, 72% reported that the availability of direct flights is either very important or important in deciding on which destination to travel to.
“These numbers show there is a lot more opportunity to build upon the success we’ve had in attracting business and leisure tourism as well as people and investment to Ireland,” said Conor Healy. “Cork is well-positioned to do that, with respondents reporting many of Cork’s natural assets would be a draw if there were an opportunity to travel to or live and work in Cork,” he added, citing Cork-specific data from the survey.
76% of respondents reported that the fact that Cork offers access to picturesque natural areas and beaches would be ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in making their decision to travel to, live or work in Cork if the opportunity were available, while 78% said the same, when they learned that Cork is often called the food capital of Ireland.
“While going to a parade, drinking a Guinness, or considering a trip to Ireland may not equate to global trade there is undeniably a correlation between the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and how Americans perceive Ireland,” said Lenox. “We believe this survey provides a roadmap to future Global Irish engagement and proves again that those efforts must be year-round.”
About the Survey
The survey was conducted online using respondents recruited from a leading opt-in panel provider. We surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults (18+ years of age) and took special care to ensure our respondents represent the general population of the United States, balanced on gender, age, race, education and income. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 3.1% at a confidence level of 95%.
About the Cork Chamber of Commerce
For 200 years the Cork Chamber of Commerce has been the premier organization advocating for Cork’s business community. The Cork Chamber of Commerce represents 1,200 companies who employ over 100,000 people across the Cork region. Conor Healy is the Chief Executive of the Cork Chamber of Commerce.
About Lenox Consulting and Steve Lenox
Steve Lenox is the Founder of Lenox Consulting, a boutique public affairs firm with offices in Ireland and the United States. Steve also serves as President of Irish Network USA, a 501(c)3 organization launched to help grow opportunities for Irish, Irish Americans, and friends of Ireland to invest in business through culture, education, business, and sports.
About Publitics and Matthew Krayton
Publitics is a communications and strategy consultancy that partners with leaders, executives and organizations to tackle strategic challenges, protect reputations and elevate brands. Matt Krayton, Founder and Principal at Publitics, has consulted for political campaigns in the U.S. at the federal, state and local levels and serves as an advisor to clients in the public and private sectors, delivering goals driven communications and strategic advice. Additionally, he teaches social media strategy at Centenary University in New Jersey.
