THE POLLING company awarded the Government contract to conduct comprehensive research on public opinion relating to the Lisbon Treaty will survey more than 2,000 people from late July to early August.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs yesterday that Millward Brown IMS had been awarded the contract.
The polling would seek to “clarify the reasons underlying the referendum result and . . . provide insights into public attitudes towards the European Union”, Mr Martin said.
“This research represents the first step in the Government’s response to the situation created by the recent referendum. It will provide key input into the Government’s analysis of the best way forward for Ireland in Europe.”
Carol Fanaghan, of Millward Brown IMS, said representatives from the company met officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday to discuss the scope of the research. The project would involve “large-scale quantitative research and separate large- scale qualitative research” she told The Irish Times.
The former would involve a representative sample size of 2,000 Irish citizens of voting age – a far larger sample size than is normally used in other polling such as surveys commissioned by newspapers, Ms Fanaghan noted.
“The quantitative research will cover not just how respondents voted but also their feelings in the aftermath of the referendum and the broader context of attitudes towards the EU and our present and future engagement with it.”
The qualitative research will involve 12 focus groups, each comprising eight individuals. Participants will encompass a broad range of demographic subgroups, Ms Fanaghan said, including gender, age, socio-economic level and geographical spread. Researchers will spend 1-2 hours with each group.
Mr Martin briefed the committee on a number of issues including the situation in Zimbabwe, Iran and Chad and his recent visit to the Middle East ahead of next week’s General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Brussels.