National Poll on Irish Unity

IN A NATIONAL opinion survey commmissioned by Magill and conducted by MRBI Ltd. (Market Research Bureau of Ireland Ltd.) on the attitudes to Irish unity, the recognition of a power-sharing arrangement in the North and the Catholic Church's position on a number of key related issues the following were the main findings:

63% in favour of a united Ireland.
33% say aim for unity whatever the probems.
64% opposed to dropping claims to a 32 counties republic, even if there is a power-sharing arrangement in the North.
65% think the Catholic Church should change its attitude on integrated education.
60% think the Catholic Church should change its attitude on mixed marriage.

- 63% in favour of unity with 39% very much in favour, 24% somewhat in favour, 15% opposed and 22% expressing no opinion.

-33% stated that we should aim for unity whatever the problems while 32% said we should aim for unity if the problems were not too great.

-23% were in favour of recognising a power-sharing agreement in the North and within the United Kingdom context, while 47% said we should not fully· recognise the arrangement but work with it and a further 17% were opposed to any recognition.

- 65% believed that in the light of the Northern situation the Catholic Church should change its attitude on integrated education, 47% thought it should change its attitude on the legalisationof contraaception as compared with 36% who thought it should not, while there was an even division of opinion on whether it should change its attitude on divorce.

The survey was commissioned exclusively by Magill publications Ltd. and was conducted by MRBI Ltd. on a national basis on September 22 and 23, 1977. The statistical sample of 623 is represenntative of the adult population of the Republic aged 18 and upwards (1.89 million) in terms of area, community, sex, age, marital status and class. Interrlocking controls, using in-home interrviews, based on sixty randomly drawn sampling points, were applied.

The poll reveals an overwhelming majority in favour of the unity of Ireland (63%) with a surprising depth of commmitment to the ideal as evidenced by the 33% who think we should aim for unity whatever the problems.

The support for unity appears even more impressive when the respondents with no opinion are excluded - 81% of those expressing an opinion on unity were in favour.

Perhaps the greatest significance of the poll is the number of respondents who were opposed to dropping the

claims to the 32 counties in the event of there being a power-sharing arrangement in the North within the United Kingdom context.

The Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, and coalition politicians when in power, repeatedly indicated that if a pow€rrsharing arrangement were worked out in the North they would favour dropping Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. The poll suggests that a referendum on this subject would be defeated, but opinions might change somewhat with the reality of a power-sharing administtration in the North and with leading politicians advocating constitutional'" change.

However the 17% against any recoggnition of a power-sharing arrangement and in favour of pursuing claims to a 32 county republic represent a very sizeable hardline element.

The poll also reveals a very considerrable majority in favour of the Catholic Church changing its attitude on a number of key issues - notably mixed marriages and integrated education - in the light of the Northern situation.

However it appears from these figures that there would still be considerable opposition to any attempt to change the constitutional prohibition on divorce.

An examination of the detail of the survey shows that rural Ireland is generrally more favourable to unity. Men were very much more in favour of unity than women, among whom there was a very high number with no opinion - 28% on the general question of Irish unity.

The older age groups were more in favour of unity, though significantly, perhaps, 38% of those in the 18 - 24 age-group thought we should pursue unity whatever the problems, as commpared with 33% of the whole sample.

Predictably, the higher socio/ ecoonomic groups were less in favour of unity than the working and small farmer classes. There was generally more sup- . port in rural areas for unity than in urban areas, with Leinster (minus Dublin) being especially committed. 46% in this area thought we should pursue unity whattever the problems.

Opinions on the Catholic Church changing its attitudes on a number of issues in the light of the Northern situuation showed the categories of rural areas, the older age groups, women and the lower socio/economic groups were more conservative than the average of the sample.

The sample size was the same as that used in the pre-election surveys which proved highly accurate.

Vincent Browne

TABLE ONE          
What are your personal feelings on a United Ireland now, - that is the unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern    
Ireland?    

Very much   Somewhat   Not really   Very much   No  in favour   in favour   in favour   against   opinion    
  623   ;%     %       0  
TOTAL   %   %   %   -0  
  100%   39   24   12   3   22    
AREA               Z  
County Dublin   190   37   26   15   3   19   0  
Rest of Leinster   127   42   22   6   5   25  
Munster   183   42   22   14   2   20   Z  
Connacht/Ulster   123   33   25   11   1   30    

COMMUNITY               0  
Urban   325   38   23   14   4   21  
Rural   298   40   25   10   2   23 

SEX                
Male   302   47   24   11   3   15    
Female   321   31   24   14   3   28    

AGE                
18 - 24   118   34   20   15   2   29    
25-34   119   33   29   12   2   24    
35 - 54   197   39   28   14   3   16    
55+   189   46   19   9   4   22    

S/E CLASS                
ABC1   175   35   27   17   2   19    
C2DE   268   41   21   10   4   24    

F1/F2   180   40   24   11   2   23    
Sample: 623 adults aged 18 upwards: Republic of Ireland.            

TABLE TWO

Achieving the unity of Ireland might increase our social, economic and political problems, do you feel we a) should aim for Unity, whatever the problems b) should aim for Unity, if the problems are not too great c) should aim for Unity, if there are no problems d) should not aim for Unity e) no opinion really?

Should aim Should aim

for Unity for Unity

irrespective if problems

of problems not too great

Should aim for unity only if no problems

Should not aim for Unity

No opinion

TOTAL   623   %   %   %   %   %  
  100%   33   32   18   8   &  
AREA              
';ounty Dublin   190   30   34   24   10   2  
Rest of Leinster   127   46   20   18   6   10  
Munster   183   36   34   15   7   B  
Connacht/Ulster   123   23   39   22   7   9  
COMMUNITY              
Urban   325   31   32   18   11   8  
Rural   298   35   32   18   5   10  
SEX              
Male   302   39   29   18   6   8  
Female   321   28   35   18   9   10  
AGE              
18 -- 24   118   38   23   18   9   12  
25···34   119   33   29   23   10   5  
35···54   197   31   40   15   6   8  
55+   189   34   30   18   8   10  
S/E CLASS              
ABC1   175   32   35   16   8   9  
C2DE   268   32   29   21   10   8  
F1/F2   180   36   34   15   4   11  
Sample: 623 adults aged 18 upwards: Republic of Ireland.          

TABLE THREE

If the political parties in the North reached an, agreement on Power-Sharing within the UK, do you feel the Irish Government should then recognise it fully, which would mean dropping our claims to a 32 County Ireland?

Recognise it fully, and   Recognise it somewhat, work   Do not recognise it,     No  
drop all claims with it,    and still claim 32 counties        continue all claims   opinion  
TOTAL   623     %       %       %       %     

100%     23       47       17       13    
AREA                            
County Dublin   190     23       58     12       7    
Rest of Leinster   127     29       34       18       19    
Munster   183     20       47       21       12    
Connacht/Ulster   123     18       44       18       20    

COMMUNITY                            
Urban   325     23       50       17       10    
Rural   298     23       44       17       16    

SEX                            
Male   302     23       47       20       10    
Female   321     23       47       14       16    

AGE                            
18 - 24   118     20       41       24       15    
25 - 34   119     32       47     13       8    
35 - 54   197     21       55     12       12   "  
55+        189     20       43     20       17    

S/E CLASS                            
ABC1   175     22       54     13       11    
C2DE   268     22       43     21       14    
F1/F2   180     24       45     16       15    

Sample: 623. adults aged 16 upwards: Republic of Ireland.  

                  
TABLE FOUR              
Bearing in mind the Northern situation do you think the Catholic Church should change its attitude on mixed marriages,    integrated education, the legalisation of contraception and the legalisation of divorce?            

MIXED     INTEGRATED   LEGALlSATION OF   LEGALlSATioN OF  
MARRIAGES   EDUCATION     CONTRACEPTION   DIVORCE    
Should   Should       Should   Should   Should   Should   Should   Should  
change   not            change   not       change   not       change   not    

TOTAL   623   %     %   %     %   %     %   %   %  
100%   60     27   65     20   47     36   43   42  

AREAS                            
County Dublin   190   73     22   72   20   60   36   55   39  
Rest of Leinster   127   53     23   57   17   40   30   40   35  
Munster   183   56     28   71   17   47   38   42   42  
Connacht/Ulster   123   53     37   55   26   37   39   28   55  

COMMUNITY                            
Urban   325   64     23   68     18   53     34   50   36  
Rural   298   55     31   62     22   41   38   35   49  

SEX                            
Male   302   61     27   67     19   51   31   47   38  
Female   321   59     27   63   21   44   41   39   46  

AGE                            
18- 24   118   58     27   65     24   58     29   48   38  
25 - 34   119   79     14   76     16   71     20   61   31  
35 - 54   197   63     25   61     21   46     38   43   44  
55+   189   47     36   64     18   28     48   29   48  

S/E CLASS                            
ABC1   175   69     22   70     20   54     35   51   38  
C2DE   268   60     25   68     16   50     33   44   39  
F1/F2   180   51     35   57     26   37     41   33   49  

Sample: 623 adults aged 18 upwards: Republic of Ireland.

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