If Thursday’s poll numbers brought some relief for the Government, with Fianna Fáil up and Sinn Féin down, there is scant comfort in today’s findings from the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll.
Voters have little confidence that the Government is making progress tackling the country’s problems. A huge majority think progress in tackling these problems has either stalled or the problems have got worse.
Half of all voters (50 per cent) say things are getting worse. If there’s a crumb of comfort for the Coalition, it comes in the form of a slight increase – by three points – since last July in the number of voters who see progress. But it’s not all that encouraging.
On housing, nearly two-thirds of voters (64 per cent) do not believe the Government is making progress. Less than a third, or 31 per cent, see signs of progress. Even among supporters of the Government parties, there is no overwhelming sense things are moving forward – 44 per cent of Fine Gael voters say they do not see signs of progress.
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Impatience is palpable among voters about some of the policy choices facing the Government. The message seems clear: just get on with it.
There are big majorities in favour of building more social housing even if there are local objections (81 per cent) and introducing measures that produce more rental properties, even if they benefit landlords (64 per cent).
In line with this sentiment is the finding on the possible insertion of a right to housing in the Constitution. This has long been a goal of campaign groups and is supported by several opposition parties. Two-thirds of people say they would vote in favour of the move, with just 23 per cent saying they would vote against it. It even gets majorities among Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voters.
It is debatable whether inserting a right to housing in the Constitution – potentially giving people the right to go to court to vindicate that right – would increase the supply of housing. But the overwhelming support for the proposal is a sign of the public’s impatience with the Government on the housing crisis. They may be willing to try anything.
One further interesting finding – which perhaps complicates the politics of the issue – is that only 29 per cent of respondents feel directly personally affected by the housing crisis.
[ Analysis: Public somewhat sceptical of Government’s claims of progress on housing crisis ]
Voters want the Government to spend (64 per cent), rather than save (29 per cent), the exchequer surplus – presumably they’d like some of it to be spent on alleviating the housing crisis. Of course, in the real world, it’s not a binary choice and the Government will save some of it and spend some of it. But it is clear that when forced to choose, voters want action rather than caution.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the above numbers, the appetite for “radical change” has increased. In November 2024, just before the general election, 35 per cent of voters said they wanted to see radical change in the way the country is run. They were clearly outnumbered by those who wanted either “moderate change” (56 per cent), or who were “wary of change” (7 per cent).
Back then, the spread between those seeking radical change and those in the moderate/wary categories was 28 points. Today, that is down to 17 points.
[ Two-thirds of voters back insertion of right to housing into Constitution, poll shows ]
With this clear sense of impatience and frustration towards Government on housing, it is perhaps surprising that Opposition parties are not doing better in the polls.
For sure, Sinn Féin has a clear lead over Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as the most popular party. But the momentum for change and the desire among some voters for radical change – suggested by Catherine Connolly’s presidential election victory – has not yet translated into momentum for the parties of the left.
