THE NUMBER of people who intend to vote No to the constitutional amendment giving the Oireachtas powers of investigation has doubled since early October but a substantial majority still favours the proposal, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
With almost a quarter of the electorate in the undecided category the result could be close if the intensity of the debate in recent days accelerates the trend to the No camp.
Asked how they will vote on the proposal to give the Dáil and Seanad power to conduct inquiries and make findings of fact against individuals, the figures, compared to the last Irish Times poll on October 4th, were: Yes 57 per cent (down eight points); No 20 per cent (up 10 points) and don’t know or won’t vote 23 per cent (down four points). There are no significant differences in age or class terms on the issue but women are more inclined to vote No or be in the undecided camp than men.
Fine Gael voters are the most enthusiastic backers of the proposal while Sinn Féin voters are the least impressed by it.
On the issue of judges’ pay, 85 per said they will vote Yes (down three points); 7 per cent said they will vote No (up three) and 8 per cent don’t know or won’t vote (no change).
In party terms, Fine Gael and Labour are up since the last poll while Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are down. Taoiseach Enda Kenny remains the most popular political leader.
When people were asked who they would vote for if a general election were held tomorrow, the figures for party support – when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll were: Fine Gael, 36 per cent (up one point); Labour, 19 per cent (up two points); Fianna Fáil, 15 per cent (down one point); Sinn Féin, 15 per cent (down three points); Green Party, 1 per cent (down one); and Independents/ Others, 14 per cent (up two points).
The survey was undertaken last Thursday and Friday among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all 43 constituencies. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.
The core vote for the parties compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fine Gael, 29 per cent (no change); Labour, 15 per cent (up two points); Fianna Fáil, 12 per cent (down one point); Sinn Féin, 13 per cent (down one point); Green Party, 1 per cent (down one point); Independents/Others, 11 per cent (up one point); and undecided voters, 19 per cent (no change).
