Fine Gael are continuing to prove popular with elements of the electorate with approval ratings for Taoiseach Simon Harris surging since a similar poll was held in early summer.
However more tellingly, Sinn Féin’s ever decreasing status has seen a further fall, while party leader Mary Lou McDonald’s personal rating also declined sharply by six points, from 36% in May to 30% today, her lowest rating since 2019.
The results of the Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll are only likely to intensify pressure on the government to call an election after the budget on October 1st, despite the coalition’s own stated wishes for a Spring election.
The state of the parties, when undecided voters and those unlikely to vote are excluded, is as follows:
- Fine Gael 27% (up four); Sinn Féin 20% (down three); Fianna Fáil 19% (down one).
- The Green Party is at 5% (up one); Labour 6% (up one); the Social Democrats 4% (up one); Solidarity-People Before Profit 2% (no change); Aontú 1% (no change).
Today’s result is the highest level of support that Fine Gael has registered since June 2021, but is the lowest that Sinn Féin has seen since before the last general election in 2020.
However Sinn Féin’s share is substantially better than the vote it achieved at the local and European elections in May.
Government satisfaction jumps by nine points to 40%, its highest level in nearly two years. The jump in the approval rating for Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is even more dramatic – who’s personal rating surge by 17 points to 55%.
Satisfaction with the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin increases by one point to 47%, while new boy, Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, debuts with a satisfaction rating of 17%, down four points from the final rating achieved by his predecessor Eamon Ryan.
Sinn Féin’s decline for Ms McDonald reveals an ongoing trend for the party which it seemed was destined for power less than two years ago. Each poll this year has seen Sinn Féin support decline steadily.
The poll was conducted amongst sample of adults aged 18 years and upwards across 120 sampling points throughout all constituencies.
