The worsening recession in Ireland is hardening attitudes towards immigrants there.

A new poll from the Irish Times shows that over 72 percent of Irish people want to see less non-national immigrants.

At the same time, 13 percent of Irish people expect to emigrate over the next five years.

The sentiment was even stronger amongst young people.

A massive 81 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they wanted fewer immigrants in Ireland while 40 percent of the same age group expected to emigrate over the next five years.

The poll said that the majority of people who said they wanted fewer immigrants in Ireland were from rural and economically-depressed areas.

Ireland has traditionally been a country that supported a culture of emigration but the so-called Celtic Tiger attracted many immigrants as the country struggled to fill job vacancies

The poll also showed that people had chosen financial security (77 percent) and health (70 percent) as the most important factors in their life.