A new poll shows a hardening of public attitudes towards refugees, with 49% of people surveyed saying they are unhappy with the government's handling of the crisis.
The Business Post reports that 45% of people would not support the construction of modular homes to house Ukrainian refugees in their area.
But the poll shows support for modular housing without planning permission if it is to house people on social housing waiting lists, with 63% in favour and only 27% opposed.
There have been a series of protests in recent months over the housing of refugees in Irish communities.
Yesterday, a counter protests took place outside Leinster house, which called on the government to provide more resources to those communities welcoming refugees and asylum seekers.
"We're here to say refugees are welcome, but we're also here to call out the government on where they're lacking", one anti-racist protester said today.
"They have absolutely ignored working class communities."
Far-right
The Red C poll also revealed that over a third of people believe that opposition to refugees only exists within the far-right.
An attendee at yesterday's rally said: "I'm scared by what's going on in our communities and whilst there is justifiable anger out there, I think the anger is being directed at the wrong people."
"I think it's being stoked and sparked by agitators that are not actually from our communities, that are coming in with their own political agenda."
"We just want to show there's an alternative route to that", another protestor said.
"We're going to demand that from the government that they now engage properly with community representatives, political representatives ... and try and start from that space."
Modular homes
There is a noticeably strong opposition from women to providing modular housing for Ukrainian refugees, with only 38% supporting it compared to 55% of men.
Deputy Leader of the Seanad Regina Doherty previously said that the government should ignore local opposition and get on with building modular homes for Ukrainians.
Amid the worst housing crisis in the history of the state, the Government is struggling to source accommodation and Minister Roderic O’Gorman has said pausing the right of Ukrainians to come to Ireland “cannot be discounted”.
However, it is a suggestion that the leader of Seanad Éireann, Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty, said was both unnecessary and immoral.
“It isn’t acceptable that we can say - as some people would like to say - that ‘Ireland is full up’ because we absolutely are not,” she said.
