Sinn Féin has regained its position as the most popular party in the Republic, while voters have little enthusiasm for the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Independent Coalition.
In the first Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll since the Coalition took office, Sinn Féin sees its support jump. Moreover, a large majority of voters say they disapprove of the deal Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael struck with Michael Lowry.
Sinn Féin led the polls for much of the five years of the last Government’s term of office, before faltering in the year before the 2024 general election that returned Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to office.
Now, after a controversial beginning for the new Government during which the Dáil was convulsed by rows over speaking rights for Independents, Sinn Féin has seen a jump in support that again puts it in first place.
Pat Leahy: Poll shows voters are already grumpy with the Government
Irish Times poll shows 82% of voters are ‘worried’ about economic future after Trump re-election
Irish Times poll: Housing is main concern for all population groups
Fine Gael slumps in support as Sinn Féin returns to top spot. What could this mean?
The state of the parties, when undecided voters and those unlikely to vote are excluded, is as follows: Sinn Féin 26 per cent (up six); Fianna Fáil 22 per cent (up one); Fine Gael 16 per cent (down three).
The comparisons are with the last poll before the general election, on November 23rd of last year.
Among the smaller parties the Social Democrats are at 7 per cent (up one); Labour 5 per cent (up one); the Green Party is at 3 per cent (down one); People Before Profit-Solidarity 3 per cent (no change); Aontú 1 per cent (down two). Independents and others are at 17 per cent (no change).
Undecided voters – who are excluded from the above figures – are at 19 per cent, unchanged from November.
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin remains the most popular party leader, with a 45 per cent satisfaction rating, up by one.
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is at 42 per cent (down four points) while 37 per cent say they are satisfied with the performance of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, an increase of six points.
Voters show little enthusiasm for the new Government. Asked if they were satisfied with the return of a Coalition Government led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, fewer than four in 10 (39 per cent) said they were satisfied, while more than half (51 per cent) said they were dissatisfied.
Nor are voters impressed by their choice of Coalition partners. Asked if they were satisfied that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had formed a Coalition with the Regional Independents or if they would have preferred a different group or party, just 28 per cent said they were happy with the Independents in Government, while 54 per cent of respondents said they would have preferred someone else.
Negotiations after the election with the Labour Party and the Social Democrats led nowhere, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael accusing the smaller parties of not being serious about forming a Government.
An overwhelming majority of voters dislike that Independent Michael Lowry played a role in the Government formation. Asked if Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were right or wrong to make an agreement with Mr Lowry, almost two-thirds of voters (64 per cent) said they were wrong, with just 15 per cent saying they were right.
The poll was conducted among a representative sample of adults aged 18 years and upwards across 120 sampling points throughout all constituencies.
Unlike most other opinion polls, The Irish Times/Ipsos B & A series is conducted through face-to-face sampling; personal in-home interviewing took place on April 14th and 15th. The number of interviews conducted was 1,200. And the accuracy is estimated at plus or minus 2.8 per cent.
