ANALYSIS:Younger, older and better-off were most likely to agree with the €4bn cuts package, writes STEPHEN COLLINS
A SUBSTANTIAL majority of voters believe the €4 billion package of spending cuts announced in the budget was unfair, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
People were asked if they though the manner in which last month’s budget cuts were made was broadly fair or unfair; 65 per cent said they were unfair, 32 per cent thought they were fair, and 3 per cent had no opinion.
Fianna Fáil voters are equally divided on the issue, with 49 per cent in each camp. However, the supporters of all of the other parties took the view that the cuts were unfair.
Sinn Féin voters are the most hostile, with 86 per cent saying they were unfair, while 70 per cent of Labour Party voters and 65 per cent of Fine Gael voters felt they were unfair. Some 60 per cent of Green voters felt they were unfair.
In age terms, the strongest opposition came from 25-43-year-olds. The 65s and the 18-24-year-olds were most inclined to believe the budget was fair.
The views of the older age group reflect the fact that pensions were exempt from the cutbacks but the views of the youngest voters do not appear to have been affected by the fact that younger social welfare claimants were targeted for cuts.
In regional terms, voters in Dublin were the most negative in their response to the budget, with those in the rest of Leinster the most supportive.
In class terms, the better-off AB voters were much more inclined to view the budget as broadly fair, with 41 per cent taking that view, while the most negative were the poorest DE group, where just 21 per cent said it was fair.
However, when it came to the question of whether the Government should put the focus on public spending cuts or tax increases in next year’s budget there was a clear majority in favour of cuts. A total of 55 per cent said the emphasis should be on spending cuts; 28 per cent opted for tax increases; and 17 per cent had no opinion.
Fianna Fáil voters were most strongly in favour of spending cuts, with 62 per cent of them going for that option as against 25 per cent who went for tax increases.
Fine Gael voters were almost equally strong in their support for further spending cuts, with 60 per cent in favour as against 26 per cent who favoured tax increases.
Among Labour supporters the number supporting spending cuts dropped to 52 per cent, with 34 per cent in favour of tax increases. Among Sinn Féin voters 53 per cent were for cuts and 27 per cent for tax increases.
Green Party voters went against the consensus with 36 per cent supporting cuts and 49 per cent opting for tax increases.
In class terms, the strongest support for spending cuts came from the best-off AB category, while the weakest backing for the policy came from the least-well-off DE group.
Men were more inclined than women to favour cuts, while middle-aged voters were more likely than either older or young voters to support the policy.
When asked if they thought Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan was right to stay in the job as he battles cancer, a large majority supported his stance, with 70 per cent of voters saying he is right to stay on; 23 per cent say he is not.
There is strong support for Mr Lenihan’s decision right across the political spectrum. Unsurprisingly, the strongest support comes from Fianna Fáil voters, with 82 per cent backing his decision; 71 per cent of
Fine Gael voters and 66 per cent of Labour voters also support him.
Among Green voters 72 per cent are behind Mr Lenihan while among Sinn Féin supporters 55 per cent support his decision while 41 per cent do not.
In class terms, the strongest support for the Minister continuing in office comes from middle-class voters. In age terms, people over 35 are strongly supportive, but younger voters are more inclined to say that he is not right to stay in the job.