An overwhelming majority of the electorate believes the IRA and other paramilitaries should now decommission their weapons, according to the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll.
Meanwhile, there is a substantial majority against changing the electoral system, as proposed by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, and being examined by the All-Party Committee on the Constitution.
Strong opposition is apparent among supporters of all political parties and particularly among rural voters and farmers.
Some 86 per cent of those polled believe the IRA and other paramilitaries should now decommission their weapons, as provided for in the Belfast Agreement. The percentage in favour of decommissioning varies from 94 per cent among Fine Gael supporters down to 73 per cent among the "Others" category, which includes supporters of Sinn Fein, the Green Party and Independents.
However, there is massive support for decommissioning among supporters of all parties and in all regions of the State, social classes and age groups.
The latest poll result is almost identical to an Irish Times/MRBI poll last July which found 85 per cent wanted decommissioning to take place.
The poll also shows strong public opposition to Mr Dempsey's proposal that the electoral system should be changed. Asked whether the way in which TDs were elected to the Dail should be changed, just 24 per cent said it should, while 52 per cent said it should not and 24 per cent had no opinion or did not know enough to make a decision.
Asked the importance of three particular issues to them, those polled saw the aim of making Ireland a fair place to live for all sections of the community as the most important. Some 79 per cent saw this as being very important, while a further 18 per cent said it was quite important.
Just 1 per cent saw it as quite unimportant, while 2 per cent said it was neither important nor unimportant.
Almost as highly ranked was the aim of ensuring further growth in the economy. Some 74 per cent saw this as very important, 21 per cent as quite important and just 2 per cent as quite unimportant. None saw it as very unimportant, with 3 per cent seeing it as neither important nor unimportant or having no opinion.
The need to complete the work of the various tribunals and inquiries was rated considerably lower, but more that two-thirds of the poll sample still saw it as important, 46 per cent said it was very important, 23 per cent said it was quite important, while 18 per cent said it was quite or very unimportant. Thirteen per cent said it was neither important nor unimportant or had no opinion.
The poll was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 voters at 100 sampling points throughout all constituencies in the State last Monday and Tuesday.