Findings show rejection was based on a glaring lack of knowledge about the treaty's contents, writes Stephen Collins, Political Editor
A SERIOUS lack of public knowledge about what was in the Lisbon Treaty was a decisive factor in its rejection by the Irish electorate last June, according to the results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Government.
The poll showed that a third of voters believed that conscription into a European army and an end to the country's ban on abortion was part of the Lisbon Treaty, while over 40 per cent thought it involved ending Ireland's corporation tax regime.
A total of 42 per cent of those who voted No cited a lack of information, knowledge or understanding of the treaty as the main reason for their decision, according to the poll.
It was carried out by Millward Brown IMS among 2,101 voters in the last week of July. Twelve focus groups were also conducted by the company with a cross section of voters between July 28th and August 6th. The research cost the Department of Foreign Affairs €163,000.
The prospect of domination by large countries, 13 per cent, and a fear that the treaty represented a bad deal for Ireland, 8 per cent, were the next most cited reasons for voting No. A lack of confidence in the Government followed at 6 per cent, loss of sovereignty came next at 5 per cent, followed by the loss of an Irish commissioner at 4 per cent.
Resentment at being told how to vote also accounted for 4 per cent of the No vote. Threats to Irish sovereignty and a failure to be convinced by the Yes arguments were cited by 3 per cent. The answers were given to an unprompted question about why people had voted as they did in the referendum on June 12th.
The groups who voted No in the biggest numbers were those from the lower income groups, 65 per cent, people aged between 24 and 34, 59 per cent, and women, 56 per cent.
The most cited reason for voting Yes was that the EU had been good for Ireland, 20 per cent, with 16 per cent saying the treaty was good for Ireland and 14 per cent believing it was right thing to do.
A range of other positive views about the EU, including support for European integration and the view that Ireland needed to fully belong, was cited by 21 per cent of Yes voters.
The poll demonstrated a poor level of knowledge among the voters about the EU and the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty in responses to a set of specific questions.
A total of 43 per cent said the treaty would end Ireland's right to decide its own corporate tax rate. Twenty-two per cent said it would not and 35 per cent didn't know.
Asked if the introduction of conscription into a European army was included in the Lisbon Treaty, 33 per cent said yes, 37 per cent said no and 30 per cent didn't know. On abortion, while 34 per cent believed that it would end Ireland's control over the country's current policy, 33 per cent said it would not and 33 per cent didn't know.
"An EU knowledge deficit is clearly present which has undoubtedly contributed to the No vote," according to the pollsters. "This was evidenced in both the opinion poll and the focus group research. Knowledge of EU institutions and how they work appears to be particularly low. The difficulty of advocating a referendum that is based on the premise of institutional reform in this environment is apparent."
The poll did have some good news for the Government in that it found 60 per cent of voters felt that Ireland's interests were best pursued by remaining fully involved in the EU, with just 18 per cent saying the country's interests were best served by opting to be less involved and 22 per cent having no opinion. Despite the referendum result, 70 per cent of people think the EU is a good thing with just 8 per cent saying it is bad. When asked if they felt Ireland's influence in the European Union had been strengthened or weakened by the No vote, 14 per cent felt it had been strengthened, 42 per cent felt it remained unchanged, 30 per cent felt it had been weakened and 14 per cent had no opinion.
There was a marked difference between Yes and No voters on this issue with 51 per cent of Yes voters feeling the country's influence had been weakened while 20 per cent of the No voters felt it had been strengthened. There were similar findings on the economic consequences of the No vote: 54 per cent felt the country's economic prospects were unchanged, 26 per cent thought it had disimproved and 5 per cent improved.
In terms of attracting foreign investment 49 per cent said no change, 27 per cent felt it had weakened our position and 7 per cent said it had been strengthened.
Asked about their attitude to the Government, 44 per cent said they were satisfied and 52 per cent were dissatisfied. On the economic situation, 59 per cent felt it was fairly good and 10 per cent said very good while 24 per cent said bad and 5 per cent fairly bad. Asked which political party they felt very close to, 26 per cent said Fianna Fáil, 11 per cent Fine Gael, 5 per cent Labour, 3 per cent Sinn Féin, 2 per cent Green, 1 per cent PDs and 2 per cent said Other. Fifty per cent did not feel close to any party.