WHAT DO THE IRISH KNOW ABOUT ECONOMICS?
Michael Daly
School of Business Trinity College Dublin 2 Ireland
Dalym13@tcd.ie
Brian Lucey
Corresponding Author
School of Business Trinity College Dublin 2 Ireland
Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS), The Sutherland Centre, Level 6, Arts
Building, Trinity College Dublin 2 Ireland
Glasgow Business School, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Rd, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire G4 0BA, United Kingdom
Faculty of Economics University of Ljubljana Kardeljeva ploscad 17 Ljubljana, 1000 ,
Slovenia
blucey@tcd.ie
We undertake a first benchmark study of economic literacy in Ireland using a panel of
700+ adults to assess the economic knowledge of respondents. Sources of economic
information are analysed and ranked in order of usefulness. Accuracy of response in each
section is analysed across each demographic variable; variance in performance based on
age, gender, education, work background and other factors is analysed thoroughly.
A comparative analysis is then undertaken in order to contrast the economic literacy of
Ireland established through our representative sample with that already established
through similar investigation of other jurisdictions.
Keywords: economic literacy, economic indicators, surveys, Ireland, economics.
JEL Codes A20