But four out of 10 say they do not save because they have no money left at the end of the month, according to research commissioned by digital bank Monzo.
A survey commissioned by the digital bank found that 65pc of adults in this country plan to save more this year.
But a third of those who are already savers are earning no interest on their money.
The research, which was conducted by Censuswide which surveyed 1,000 Irish adults, found 11pc do not know if they earn interest on their savings.
Neobank Monzo has a banking licence from the European Central Bank is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Surveyors found that 39pc of respondents say they have no money left to save at the end of the month.
Some 35pc of respondents avoid interest-earning accounts because they want instant access to their money.
If instant access interest-earning accounts were available to Irish adults, they would set aside an additional €40 a month.
This works out at €486 a year, per person.
Scaled nationally, this would unlock €1.5bn in additional savings each year that they could earn interest on, Monzo said.
Monzo is the latest deposit taker to enter the savings market in this country. Its instant access account offers an annualised rate of 1.6pc.
Last year MoCo, which is owed by Austrian bank Bawag, entered the savings market here offering rate of up to 2.6pc.
And later this month Spanish-owned Bankinter, formerly Avant Money, is expected to offer a deposit offering.
Berlin-based Raisin Bank is offering 3.10pc annual equivalent rate for three months with its Starter Account. The offer applies to new customers.
Monzo, which has set up its EU headquarters in Dublin, is expected to begin offering current accounts for individuals as well as children and joint accounts in this country.
Country manager for Ireland Elaine Deehan said: “We know from our first customers in Ireland that saving can be a headache – whether it’s wrestling with minimum deposits or feeling like your money is locked away.”
The bank’s market research found that fewer than half of respondents feel their bank supports them well in reaching their savings goals.
And one in three say tools to help set and track savings goals would most improve their banking experience.
For those who save, half say they are focused on long-term savings, with a further quarter aiming for shorter-term saving goals.
At the same time, 39pc admit they have no money left to save at the end of each month, suggesting that even those with the best intentions are finding it difficult to get ahead, Ms Deehan said.
Monzo was founded in 2015 and claims to have 14m customers in the UK, including over 800,000 businesses.
As Monzo is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, eligible customer deposits in this State are protected under the Irish Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to a value of €100,000 per person.
Recent Central Bank figures show that Irish households have close to €170bn in household savings.
Despite this, most of the savings were held in overnight accounts, earning just 0.13pc interest on average.
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