JUST ONE in 20 of the public believes they understand the Lisbon Treaty, while nearly two-thirds say that they do not understand it at all, according to Referendum Commission research.
Publishing some of the commission's findings yesterday, the body's chairman, High Court judge Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill, said it showed that "the level of public understanding of the treaty right now to be quite poor".
Repeatedly emphasising that the commission, which was set up in early March, is neutral, independent and impartial, Mr Justice O'Neill said it would not argue for a Yes or a No vote.
"We will do neither. What we will do is seek to ensure that before polling day a much larger proportion of the electorate understands what the referendum is about," he said.
The referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will be held on June 12th, following Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's decision to announce the formal date in a low-key fashion last Friday during a speech in Dublin.
The Referendum Commission's information booklet, which will be posted to every home, and its website "explain the treaty in simple, but not simplistic terms", said Mr Justice O'Neill.
"We are confident that it will be readily understandable, and readable," he said, adding that they had "spent several weeks distilling 300 pages down to a text which we feel is comprehensive and accurate".
The commission's verdicts on the contents of the treaty, which back up the Government's declaration that Ireland's tax veto remains secure, were taken after legal advice had been taken on many points.
"So far as taxation is concerned, our considered view is that there isn't any change: that the present veto on taxation will continue," he told journalists yesterday.
Promising a "very vigorous" advertising campaign from May 12th, the judge was confident that the public's knowledge would rise significantly as polling day nears.
"It is fair to say that if people don't understand they feel disempowered and they won't vote. If they do understand they are much more likely to vote. After that they are entitled to exercise their democratic choice in whatever way they wish," he said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, John Purcell, who also sits on the commission, said the low public knowledge at this stage is little different from previous campaigns.
"That is in line with the kind of figures that we had in earlier commissions of which I was a member. People start to engage in the three to four weeks of the campaign. We would expect that to rise considerably," Mr Purcell told The Irish Times.
The other members of the commission are Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly; the Clerk of the Dáil, Kieran Coughlan, and the Clerk of the Seanad, Deirdre Lane.
Acknowledging that the treaty is difficult to read, Mr Justice O'Neill said: "It certainly would not be your favourite holiday reading. It is a dense legal document. Understandably so, because it reflects the agreement between 27 countries on a variety of issues.
"The treaty itself is an amending treaty of the two foundation treaties, so there is no great surprise that it is 300 pages long and a difficult legal text. In many respects it is probably no more complicated that the Finance Bill every year, and no longer than some of them," he said.
He refused to release the full details of its opinion poll research, carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes, on the grounds that it could influence the debate.