A newly released opinion poll indicates that Fianna Fáil remains the most popular political party in Ireland, holding a slim 1-point lead over Sinn Féin, even though support for Micheál Martin’s party has dropped by 2 points since the last survey, reports RTE.
The findings are part of the latest Sunday Independent / Ireland Thinks opinion poll.
According to the data, Fianna Fáil has seen its support fall by two points to 23%, while Fine Gael has dropped by one point to 20%, reports RTE.
Sinn Féin, meanwhile, has gained one point, bringing its support to 22%. The Independents and other parties remain unchanged at 9%, with the Social Democrats also steady at 8%. Independent Ireland has increased support by one point to 5%, while Aontú and Labour are both unchanged at 4%. Solidarity–People Before Profit remains at 3%, and the Green Party stays at 2%.
The poll also suggests a decline in personal support for Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, down three points to 46%, and for Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, who is also down three points to 40%, reports RTE.
Support for other party leaders appears steadier. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns remains unchanged at 40%, Labour’s Ivana Bacik has seen a rise of two points to 37%, while Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald has also gained two points, now at 36%.
For the first time, the poll measured public confidence in Minister for Housing James Browne, suggesting he has the backing of 30% of respondents, reports RTE.
In a separate question about preferred leadership of Fine Gael, 27% of those surveyed favoured Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, with 25% supporting current leader Simon Harris. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was backed by 7%, and Minister for Education Helen McEntee by 5%. Meanwhile, 8% said they were unsure, and 29% expressed no interest in who leads the party, reports RTE.
The poll was carried out on May 1 and 2, with the previous survey having been conducted in April.
This latest survey included 1,649 participants and has a margin of error of ±2.5%, reports RTE.
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