As the curtains come down on yet another year that was dominated by the global pandemic, the top stories that grabbed the Irish public during 2021 included the cyberattack on the HSE, the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, Budget 2021, Ireland’s summer heatwave and Electric Ireland’s decision to jack up the prices for gas and electricity.
That’s according to Core’s end-of-year Cultural Index which surveyed 12,000 people who discussed over 200 news stories from 2021. As part of the research, Core asked interviewees which stories they were aware of across the year and which they believed were most important to them personally.
According to the Core survey, Kellie Harrington winning gold, Britney Spears’ conservatorship ending after 13 years, the Late Late Toy Show and the fire at Glenisk factory were also among top sporting and pop culture stories of the year.
In addition, stories which had high public awareness, but low public importance included Facebook going down in September, Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah and the return of Ronaldo to Manchester United.
When it came to the top business stories of the year, Ulster Bank’s impending departure from the Irish market topped the list while the top political story was the investigation of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar for leaking confidential documents.
But Covid was never far from the headlines either and the top Covid-related stories of 2021, include the easing of restrictions in April, the discovery of the Omicron variant in Europe and the June re-opening
According to Finian Murphy, marketing director, Core: “With a growing group of people reading headlines on social media platforms, driven by algorithms and attractive Clickbait, the Core Cultural Index is sustained evidence that pop culture can often garner more interest than political decisions which impact many of us. The Core Review 2021 not only provides moment to reflect on the year that was, but also guides us into the next 12 months, providing us with the news stories which will matter most to the Irish public.”
To read the full report click HERE
