As part of the National Disability Authority's strategic commitment to raising awareness and promoting positive attitudes to disability, NDA has commissioned a series of National Surveys of Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland. The survey data is broken down in relation to attitudes towards people with physical, sensory, intellectual and mental health impairments. The survey covered a range of topics on attitudes relating to disability. These included awareness of disability and attitudes towards particular types of disability. Survey questions explored attitudes towards children with disabilities in mainstream education, the employment of people with disabilities as well as relationships, neighbourhood, and the social wellbeing of people with and without disabilities. It also compared people with and without disabilities.

For the national survey the data was collected from 100 randomly allocated locations around the country. These locations were based on the list of District Electoral Divisions (DEDs). Households were randomly selected at each location. Only one person per household was eligible to participate in the study. Quotas were set for age, gender, region and social class. Respondents were representative of the national population of adults’ aged 18 and over. The data collection guidelines as set out by ESOMAR (World Association of Opinion and Market Research Professionals) were followed. For the booster sample of people with disabilities quota controls were set by region.

Face-to-face interview