The survey of 1,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales reflects overwhelming support for, and goodwill towards, the Northern Ireland Agreement - with 81 per cent saying they would vote yes if they had the opportunity, just 4 per cent saying no and 15 per cent undecided.
Such levels of goodwill are hardly surprising, given Mr Tony Blair's still-dominant position in British politics and his central role in the negotiation process - together with very strong public backing from the former prime minister, Mr John Major.
What is surprising, however, is the degree of optimism in Britain that the agreement can produce a lasting peace. While only 17 per cent thought there was a very strong or strong chance of this, a further 36 per cent put the chances at "good" - while 29 per cent thought the chances poor, 12 per cent very poor, with seven per cent undecided. Given the failure of successive political initiatives over the past 24 years, that 53 per cent level of confidence that the agreement can produce a lasting peace suggests Mr Blair and the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, have reversed years of ingrained scepticism.
The excitement generated by Labour's programme of constitutional reform in Britain may also be reflected in the very high number, 77 per cent, who think the creation of the Assembly will be useful in advancing long-term stability in the North, while just 11 per cent say it will not, and 12 per cent don't know. There is slightly less certainty about an active role for Dublin in the government of the North through cross-Border bodies, but again an emphatic 67 per cent said yes, 19 per cent no and 14 per cent don't knows.
And on the key issue of the Republic's constitutional claim, only 31 per cent said it should be given up, while 42 per cent said no, and 27 per cent undecided.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, has obviously won huge plaudits for his part in reaching the agreement, with just 2 per cent thinking him the most obstructive leader (the same number so identified Mr John Major, while only 1 per cent each registered the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume; Mr Blair and Dr Mowlam) while 28 per cent named the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, and 36 per cent the Democratic Unionist Party leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, with 28 per cent don't knows.