In the wake of the Red C’s latest national opinion poll in Ireland, political analysts are taking note of the shifting fortunes of the country’s major political parties. While the poll delivered some good news for the ruling Fine Gael party, with a small increase in support, it also showed worrying slumps in popularity for the Fianna Fáil and Greens parties. In this article, we examine the key takeaways from the Red C poll, the implications for the upcoming Irish elections, and what this may mean for the country’s political landscape in the months to come.
The latest Red C poll has brought some mixed results for the ruling coalition parties in Ireland. While Fianna Fáil and the Greens have seen a drop in support, Fine Gael has noticed a slight gain. This news was reported by several Irish news outlets, including TheJournal.ie, Midwest Radio, BreakingNews.ie, Irish Examiner, and RTE.ie.
The Red C poll surveyed 1,000 Irish adults, asking them which political party they would vote for if there was a general election. It was conducted between March 15 and March 18, 2021, and had a margin of error of +/- 3%. The results showed that the ruling coalition, made up of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Greens, has collectively experienced a decrease in support.
Fianna Fáil saw the biggest decrease, with a drop of two percentage points from the previous Red C poll in February. They now stand at 12% support, down from 14%. Meanwhile, the Greens also saw a drop, with a loss of one percentage point, bringing their support to 3%. Fine Gael, on the other hand, saw a slight increase in support, gaining one percentage point to reach 31%.
The Social Democrats, a minor opposition party, were one of the big winners of this poll, with an increase of two percentage points, bringing their support to 4%. Sinn Féin, the largest opposition party, maintained their same level of support at 31%, tying Fine Gael for the highest level of popularity in the poll. The Labour Party also maintained their level of support at 4%.
When looking at the poll results broken down by demographics, Fine Gael’s support was strongest among older voters, with 41% of those aged 65 or over indicating their support for the party. Sinn Féin, on the other hand, had the highest level of support among younger voters aged 18-24, with 43% of this demographic indicating their support.
The poll also asked respondents about their attitudes towards the current government’s handling of key issues. Here, the government performed poorly, with only 19% of respondents indicating that they approved of their handling of housing and homelessness, and 22% approving of their handling of health issues. The government’s handling of Covid-19 received a higher level of approval, with 47% of respondents indicating they were satisfied with their performance in this area.
The poll results have been met with mixed reactions from political commentators. Some have pointed to the slight gain made by Fine Gael as a positive sign for the ruling coalition, while others have expressed concern about the overall drop in support for the coalition parties.
Overall, the poll suggests that Fine Gael and Sinn Féin remain the two largest parties in Ireland, with support for the ruling coalition slowly decreasing. The Social Democrats have seen a minor increase in support, while Fianna Fáil and the Greens have experienced a drop. These results will be closely watched by political observers in Ireland, as they provide an indication of the current political landscape and potential future electoral outcomes.
