A large majority favours a pause in building of data centres, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll.
More than six-in-ten voters (61 per cent) say that the building of data centres should be stopped “for the time being at least”, while 23 per cent disagree. Sixteen per cent had no opinion.
The expansion of the data centre industry in Ireland has moved up the political agenda here, while there is a growing campaign against the industry in other countries, including the US.
Opponents complain of their environmental impact. They also point out that data centres accounted for almost a quarter of the electricity consumed in Ireland last year, up from 5 per cent in 2015.
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The poll also finds that a majority of those who express an opinion (44 per cent) favour retaining the triple lock, with 34 per cent in favour of its removal, though a relatively high number (22 per cent) expresses no opinion.
The triple lock means any decision to send Irish troops abroad must have the backing of not just the Government and the Dáil, but also be endorsed by a UN resolution.
Because of deadlock on the UN Security Council, no new UN missions have been authorised for many years. The Government has argued that the requirement for a UN resolution effectively means the permanent members of the Security Council, including Russia, have a veto on sending Irish peacekeepers abroad.
The Government has said it will introduce legislation in the Dáil shortly to remove the requirement for UN approval, but Opposition parties and pro-neutrality groups have promised to mount a campaign against the move.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) say they support Ireland’s “current model of neutrality”, while voters are divided on whether Ireland should criticise the Trump administration.
In the wake of US president Donald Trump’s recent visit to Ireland, 45 per cent of respondents agree that “maintaining strong relations with the United States should be the Government’s priority, even if this means avoiding public criticism of the Trump administration”.
On the other side, 46 per cent of people agree that “the Government should publicly criticise the Trump administration when necessary, even if this risks damaging Ireland’s relationship with the United States”.
The poll was conducted among a representative sample of adults aged 18 and older across 120 sampling points throughout all constituencies.
Unlike most other opinion polls, The Irish Times/Ipsos B&A series is conducted through face-to-face sampling. Personal in-home interviewing took place on September 21st and 22nd. There were 1,200 interviews conducted and the accuracy is estimated at plus or minus 2.8 per cent.
