81% of people made effort to shop locally in last year

CORK'S sense of community spirit shone through in survey results released by Cadbury Ireland, which set out to discover how Ireland’s towns, villages, and communities have rallied together over the past 12-months, to and lend a hand to each other.

Commissioned by Cadbury Ireland, the research results were released today to mark the return and third year of ‘Sound Town’ – a Cadbury and Today FM initiative that awards a ‘Sound Town’ status to communities that embody generosity and kindness.

The 2021 Cadbury Community Survey which sampled more than 1,100 people across the country, revealed Cork’s sense of community spirit – 81% of Corkonians have made an effort to shop locally over the past 12-months. 72% of Corkonians say they appreciate the community where they live, with 51% hoping to spend more time in their community post-Covid-19 and 65% having volunteered with a charity, club or community group.

A whopping 98% of Irish people have helped others in some way over the past year – from calling to check on a family member or friend, or an elderly neighbour, to food shopping for someone cocooning. 

The survey also revealed that 78% of us have been making an effort to shop locally and local businesses where possible since the beginning of Covid-19. 65% of people also say that they have volunteered for a charity, community group, or club.

81% of those surveyed agree that Ireland has a good sense of community, with 70% saying they appreciate the community where they live. 88% of us would happily put a skill to good use to benefit someone in need and 80% are more grateful receiving small acts of kindness, since the beginning of Covid-19.

81% also say they are likely to do a good deed after benefiting from a kind gesture, with 62% saying they are more likely to help others these days and 46% saying they regularly dedicate their time to helping others. 79% of us often say hello to strangers while ing and 66% of us will help our neighbours when we can.

The Cadbury survey also revealed interesting trends and attitudes towards community sentiment since the beginning of Covid-19 in Ireland. 42% of us say we have gotten to know people in our communities better in the past year, and 52% of us hope to spend more time in our communities when Covid-19 restrictions come to an end. 50% of us also plan on being more active in the community when restrictions lift.

When asked why they would like to spend more time in their communities: 46% said they can spend more time with family, 43% said they enjoy the pace of life in their community, 42% said they enjoy ing local businesses, while 27% are happy not having a daily commute.

Speaking about the research and the Sound Town initiative, Senior Brand Manager with Cadbury Ireland, Tricia Burke said:

“There was a very interesting shift in the type of entries Sound Town received last year. The strength of community togetherness since the beginning of Covid-19 in 2020 was truly evident. We saw communities, community groups, and local businesses all adapting and coming together to help and provide for those in their areas. It was clear that people were relying on and looking after their communities and that’s exactly why we conducted this piece of research. There are acts of kindness and generosity happening in every corner of the country and Sound Town is all about highlighting them.

“Ireland is known for its unique and close-knit communities and its fantastic to see that backed up by these results. We are excited to see the entries we receive for Sound Town 2021 and we look forward to recognising the generous instinct that makes a difference in peoples’ lives.” Throughout the year, monthly winning towns will be selected and presented with an official ‘Sound Town’ plaque. Each monthly winning town is then shortlisted for a chance to win €10,000 when the overall 2021 Sound Town winner is announced at the end of the year.

For further details on the Sound Town initiative and how you can enter your town, tune into ‘Weekend Breakfast with Alison Curtis’, every Saturday and Sunday on Today FM, or go to www.todayfm.com.