Society and political culture

The chapter defines the concept of political culture and identifies its central components in Ireland. These include nationalism and in particular a near universal agreement on the need for a separate Irish state, a commitment to democratic values, an increasingly secular world-view, support for extensive state intervention in economic matters rooted in centrist values and a keen interest, especially among younger cohorts, in international public policy matters such as climate change and social justice. The chapter shows that several of these aspects of Irish political culture have been transformed by profound societal and economic change, which the chapter also discusses. It outlines the sharp decline in the agricultural sector of the economy, the increasingly urban nature of the population, the decline in religiosity and the implications of rapid change for the political process.