Support for Fianna Fáil has dropped to its lowest ever point, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll, which also shows Fine Gael has bounced back as the most popular party in the country.
The poll reveals a surge in support for Sinn Féin, while the Labour Party has come down from the peak it achieved in the last Irish Times poll in September.
When people were asked who they would vote for if there was a general election tomorrow, the figures for party support when undecided voters are excluded, compared with the last Irish Times poll on September 30th were: Fianna Fáil, 17 per cent (down seven points); Fine Gael, 30 per cent (up six points); Labour, 25 per cent (down eight points); Sinn Féin, 15 per cent (up seven points); Green Party, 2 per cent (no change); and Independents/others, 11 per cent (up two points).
The poll was taken on Monday and Tuesday of this week among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all 43 constituencies. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.
The core vote for the parties (before undecided voters are excluded) compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fianna Fáil, 13 per cent (down six points); Fine Gael, 23 per cent (up three points); Labour, 18 per cent (down nine points); Sinn Féin, 11 per cent (up five points); Green Party, 1 per cent (down one point); Independents/Others, 9 per cent (up one point); and undecided voters, 25per cent (up seven points).
Satisfaction with the way the Government is doing its job is now just 8 per cent, (down five points) while the number expressing dissatisfaction is running at 90 per cent (up seven points). Satisfaction with the Taoiseach is 14 per cent (down five points).
These are the lowest ratings achieved by a Government or Taoiseach since mrbi began polling for The Irish Times in the autumn of 1982 and the same is true of support for Fianna Fáil.
All party leaders have seen a drop in their satisfaction rating. Enda Kenny is on 23 per cent (down two points); Eamon Gilmore is on 44 per cent (down five points); John Gormley, 13 per cent (down five points); and Gerry Adams, 28 per cent (down one point).