Broad support for 1916 Rising events plan, poll shows

The Government's plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising are broadly in line with what the public would like to see, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.

About half the electorate said the plans were just about right, with Sinn Féin supporters the only group saying not enough is being done to mark the event.

Asked how they felt about the plan to commemorate the Rising, 14 per cent of voters said it was too much, 23 per cent said it was too little, 46 per cent said it was just enough and 17 per cent had no opinion.

There was a wide variation between Sinn Féin voters and supporters of other parties on the issue.

Among Sinn Féin voters 41 per cent said not enough was being done, 39 per cent said it was just enough and 9 per cent said too much.

Fine Gael voters were at the other end of the spectrum with 52 per cent saying it was just enough while 19 per cent said it was too much and 16 per cent said it was too little.

Fianna Fáil voters had a broadly similar view with 49 per cent saying the plan was just enough and that view was shared by 48 per cent of Labour voters and 47 per cent of Independents/Others.

There was a striking variation across the age groups, with older voters distinctly less enthusiastic about the commemoration plan than younger voters.

Almost a quarter of those aged 65 and over thought the commemoration plan was too much, with 52 per cent saying it was just right and 12 per cent saying it was too little.

This contrasted with just 8 per cent of the 18 to 24-year- old cohort who though the plan was too much, with 26 per cent of them saying it was too little and 40 per cent saying it was just right.

The survey was undertaken on Monday and Tuesday of last week among a representative sample of 1,200 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to- face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 per cent.

Voters were also asked if they thought the Government parties would have benefited by hold the election just after the budget.

By a majority of almost two to one they took the view that the Government would benefit more by waiting until the new year to call the election.

Interestingly, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin voters were much more strongly of the view that a November election would have benefited the Coalition parties than Fine Gael or Labour supporters.