Large majority of voters in Republic in favour of Irish unity – poll

The Ipsos MRBI study for the Irish Times showed that 62% of voters would support Irish unity, with 16% opposed.

A Sinn Fein poster proposing Irish unity as a solution to Brexit (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Archive)

A large majority of voters in the Republic would back a united Ireland in a referendum, a new poll has shown.

The Ipsos MRBI study for the Irish Times showed that 62% of voters would support Irish unity, with 16% opposed – 13% said they do not know, while 8% said they would not vote.

Most voters said they would like to see a vote issue take place “in the next 10 years”, at 42%.

That is compared with 16% who said they wanted the poll to be held more than a decade into the future, 15% who want one now and 13% who said never.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O’Neill knock down a symbolic wall that was built as part of an anti-Brexit rally at the Irish border near Carrickcarnan, Co Louth (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Archive)

However, a majority said that while they support Irish unity in principle, it is not a priority issue for them.

Some 52% said a constitutional poll was “not very important, but I would like to see it some day”, compared with 20% who said it was “very important, it is a priority for me”.

Almost a quarter, 24%, said it was “not at all important”.

Voters also appear reluctant to make changes to national symbols that might accommodate the Unionist population in a new Ireland.

On a new flag, 77% said they would “not accept” one, 72% opposed a new national anthem and 71% rejected Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth.

The flag of Northern Ireland on a pole at the Commonwealth Games (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

People are also unwilling to bear the financial burden that could come with unity, with 79% saying they would “not accept” higher taxes, while another 79% said they were opposed if it meant less money to spend on public services.

But most people said they would accept having closer ties with the UK, with 47% in favour and 42% opposed.

A slim majority also backed having Unionist politicians as part of Government in Dublin, with 44% saying they would accept it, compared with 42% who opposed it.

People aged 25 to 34 are the biggest supporters of a united Ireland, at 67%, closely followed by the over 65s, on 66%.

People aged 18 to 24 and 50 to 64 are least likely to support the move, but a majority would still back it, with 57% of voters in each cohort in favour.

Fine Gael voters are most likely to oppose the move, with 25% of people who gave them a first preference vote saying they would opt for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, and 31% saying the issue was “not at all important”.

Unsurprisingly, Sinn Fein voters are most in favour, with 78% backing unity in a referendum and 36% saying the issue is “very important, it is a priority for me”.

The study found that 8% of Sinn Fein voters would opt for Northern Ireland to remain in the UK in a border poll.

The survey was conducted in the Republic of Ireland among a national quota sample of 1,200 people between December 5 and 8, among people over 18 and throughout every constituency.