The norms of social behaviour inhibit people from speaking Irish

According to Shaping The Future the norms of social behaviour discourage people from speaking Irish in the presence of English-speakers (see table). It therefore lays great emphasis on the need to create Irish-speaking environments. These unwritten social rules are so strong that "research suggests that if a single English-speaking person joins an Irish-speaking network then the whole network will switch over to speaking English". (A network is perhaps best described as a group of people who regularly speak to each other).

	1973		1983		1993
	Agree	Disagree	Agree	Disagree	Agree
I wish I could use the Irish I know more often	41	57	43	57	45
I do not like to speak Irish with people who may know it better than I do	45	51	59	41	45
I will always speak Irish if spoken to in Irish	34	63	40	60	39
I do not like to begin a conversation in Irish	51	45	69	31	57
I don't like people speaking Irish when others are present who don't know Irish	59	39	72	28	60
CLAR 1975; Ó Riagáin & Ó Gliasáin 1984, 1994