Almost three-quarters of voters in the Republic, 72 per cent, intend to vote for the Belfast Agreement in next week's referendum, according to the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll.
The number of No voters has dropped to 5 per cent while 23 per cent, one in four voters, is still undecided.
With a week to go to referendum day, the findings indicate that the Belfast Agreement will be carried by an overwhelming majority next Friday. But voters are slightly less optimistic than they were a month ago that the agreement will lead to a lasting peace. The poll was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 electors at 100 sampling points throughout every constituency in this State last Tuesday and Wednesday. It presents the first assessment of the impact of the historic Sinn Fein decisions to endorse the Belfast Agreement and take seats in a Northern assembly, and the triumphalist appearance of the Balcombe Street gang at the party ardfheis last Sunday.
The main finding is that support for the Belfast Agreement has increased by 11 percentage points, from 61 per cent to 72 per cent, since the last Irish Times/MRBI poll a month ago. The initial reluctance of 21 per cent of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael voters to change Articles 2 and 3 to ratify the agreement has withered away to 4 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.
There has been a significant drop of 15 per cent in No voters - down from 20 per cent to 5 per cent - in the same period. The level of undecideds has increased, however, from 19 per cent to 23 per cent. The findings, if reflected on voting day, would mean a net result of 94 per cent for and 6 per cent against the agreement.
The primary reasons given by the 5 per cent for voting No are: constitutional changes in the Republic - 41 per cent; continuation of partition - 18 per cent; release of prisoners - 8 per cent; power-sharing in Northern Ireland - 6 per cent and constitutional changes in Northern Ireland - 4 per cent.
Some 55 per cent of voters, a drop of 2 per cent, believe the agreement offers a strong chance of lasting peace. Some 18 per cent, an increase of 1 per cent, rate the chance as poor. About a quarter of voters, 24 per cent, still believe that the agreement may or may not bring peace.
A total of 59 per cent of voters believe that they have seen or heard enough information to make a decision. Some 34 per cent say they have not while 7 per cent don't know.
Asked to rate the parties, North and South, on whether they handled the debate on the Belfast Agreement well, the findings are: Fianna Fail 51 per cent; SDLP 49 per cent; British government 47 per cent; Sinn Fein 43 per cent; Fine Gael 36 per cent; Labour 31 per cent; Progressive Democrats 29 per cent; UUP 29 per cent; and DUP 14 per cent. The DUP receives the highest rating, of 40 per cent, for handling the debate badly.
