Public support for keeping the triple lock has slipped since earlier this year, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll, though a majority of those who express a view remain in favour of its retention.
The triple lock, which requires a decision of the Government, the Dáil and the United Nations before Irish troops can be deployed abroad, is held up by campaigners and Opposition parties as essential for Ireland’s neutrality.
However, the Government says the mechanism provides permanent members of the UN Security Council such as Russia and the United States with a veto over Irish peacekeeping missions. The Coalition has pledged to abolish the rule, with legislation expected in the coming weeks.
The latest poll shows the margin in favour of keeping the triple lock has shrunk since earlier this year.
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Those who want to maintain the rule have dropped by seven percentage points to 40 per cent, while those in favour of abolition are at 34 per cent, a drop of three points. The number of don’t-knows has jumped by nine points to 25 per cent.
The figures mean the margin in favour of keeping the rule among those who express a view has dropped from 10 percentage points in April to six points today.
Meanwhile, the picture on the Occupied Territories Bill has changed little since earlier this year.
Almost half of voters (48 per cent) say the Government should either not pass the Bill or should investigate its consequences before passing the measure. Campaigners want the Government to include services in the scope of the Bill, which currently includes only a ban on trade in goods with companies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Earlier this week The Irish Times reported that the Government was unlikely to change the Bill to include services, though no final decision has been made.
[ US lawmakers intensify warnings to Taoiseach over Occupied Territories BillOpens in new window ]
Almost a third of voters believe the Government should either “pass the Bill quickly as it is” (22 per cent) or include services in the Bill and pass it quickly (10 per cent).
However, 38 per cent say the Government should “investigate possible consequences for Ireland” before passing the Bill and 10 per cent say the Government should not pass it.
The Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has recommended including services in the Bill, though there are serious concerns in Government about the effect it could have on US companies operating here, which are huge contributors to the Irish exchequer.
There is a growing campaign against the Bill in the US by pro-Israel groups and some US lawmakers who claim it will fall foul of US federal and state laws that prohibit sanctions against Israel.
Meanwhile, a significant majority of voters say last week’s budget “did nothing for people like me” and will not improve their financial situation.
Nearly four in five voters (79 per cent) say Budget 2026 will not “improve my household’s situation”, while 68 per cent say they are “disappointed that the budget did nothing for people like me”.
[ Households worse off after Budget 2026Opens in new window ]
There is support for the Government’s stance, but such respondents are in the minority. A quarter (25 per cent) of people say the budget “struck the balance between investment and prudent control of spending”, but more than twice that proportion (54 per cent) disagree.
Despite their personal disappointment, voters are evenly split on the wisdom of caution; 39 per cent agree that “given the unsettled international situation and the threat of US tariffs, I would have liked a more cautious budget”. Almost the same number (40 per cent) disagree.
The poll was conducted among a representative sample of adults aged 18 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 October 12th, 13th and 14th. There were 1,200 interviews conducted and the accuracy is estimated at plus or minus 2.8 per cent.