Poll shows Lisbon Treaty support remains strong

13 September 2009  By Pat Leahy, Political Editor

There is strong support for the Lisbon Treaty with less than three weeks to go before polling day, according to the findings of the latest Sunday Business Post/Red C tracking poll.

The poll shows that the Yes side enjoys a strong lead and there has been no collapse in the Yes vote as happened in advance of last year’s referendum.

More than six in ten Irish citizens (62 per cent) who say they intend to vote say they will back the treaty.

Less than one in four (23 per cent) now say they will vote against the measure, while 15 per cent are undecided. Support for the treaty has remained stable since the start of the year, the poll finds.

Meanwhile, support for the political parties remains largely similar to the levels recorded at the local and European elections in June.

While there has been a sharp rise in Labour Party support to 19 per cent, Fianna Fáil remains in second place behind Fine Gael.

At 33 per cent support, Fine Gael retains a comfortable nine-point lead over Fianna Fáil. The Green Party has seen a slight recovery in support to 5 per cent. Fianna Fáil support, at 24 per cent, is slightly lower than its support at the local elections, and would entail a massive loss of seats if the government falls and an election is called.

The poll was conducted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week among more than 1,000 voters nationwide.