Consumer Mindset - April 2026
Core Research’s latest Mindset study, based on fieldwork with 1,000 adults in early April, captures a shift that is becoming harder to ignore: global instability is now landing directly in people’s personal finances.
The level of attention is telling. Disruption to oil supply linked to conflict in the Middle East reaches 78% public significance, while the impact on Irish households through oil prices records 75% public significance. Even broader economic signals - global markets sliding amid war and inflation fears - carry 87% importance, despite lower awareness at 67%.
This is not abstract concern. It is being felt.
The emotional response remains overwhelmingly negative, at 74%, with 33% expressing anger, alongside fear (14%) and sadness (12%). While anger has eased from 42% during the 2022 energy shock, this is less a moment of crisis and more a prolonged strain.
A Repeat
Ireland has been here before. Households have already navigated inflation and energy volatility, often supported by Government intervention. That experience has shaped expectations: when pressure builds, the State steps in.
Recent fuel protests and supply disruption - and a Government package exceeding €500 million - have reinforced that link. But expectation alone is not enough. Confidence in how Government responds is now under pressure.
71% of people were aware of the Taoiseach’s reluctance in March to set a timeline on further energy supports, highlighting how visible uncertainty has become. In that context, clarity is not a secondary issue - it is central.
At the same time, the economic shift has turned personal. While 65-75% have believed the Irish economy is worsening since early 2025, 61% now say their own finances are getting worse, compared to 39% who believe they are improving.
And it is not evenly felt.
Not one size fits all.
Among low-income households, 73% report worsening finances, compared to 61% of middle-income earners and 44% of higher-income groups. Regionally, 62% in Dublin disapprove of Government performance, rising to between 70% and 73% across Connacht, and rural parts of Munster and Ulster counties. These divides are shaping both experience and expectation. A shared crisis is no longer producing a shared response.
Responsibility is also sharpening. Different stakeholders are viewed as supporting or not with inflation pressures. Disapproval of energy companies stands at 65%, but Government is now close behind at 63% - the highest level in five years. Politically, that pressure is beginning to show, with a recent motion of confidence vote passing by 92 to 78 (14 vote margin), down from a 19-vote margin who voted Micheál Martin (FF) to form the Government.
This points to a potential tipping point - not of crisis, but of expectation. During Covid, leadership was defined by clarity of message and a sense of direction. That clarity created public confidence, even in uncertainty.
Now, the demand is similar, but the context is more fragmented. The public understands the complexity of global events but still expects a domestic response that is clear - and flexible enough to reflect very different realities, particularly in rural Ireland.
At 61% personal financial pessimism, 63% Government disapproval, and a 74% negative emotional baseline towards this the news of unfolding global unrest, the challenge is no longer just economic.
It is one of leadership - and whether people feel they are being led through this or left to manage it alone.
As my colleagues Andy and Shane will expand on in this report, there are three key themes leaders should explore in the coming year.
