Yes side boosted by treaty poll

SUPPORT for a Yes vote in this Friday’s Lisbon Referendum is holding strong despite slight gains for those opposed to ratifying the treaty, according to the last opinion poll before the electorate casts its vote.

The latest opinion poll shows that 55% of respondents will vote Yes, as opposed to 27% in favour of a No vote, with 18% of people still to make up their minds.

The results of the Sunday Business Post/Red C tracking poll should provide a timely confidence boost for the Yes side, although the considerable number of undecided voters means the final result is far from a foregone conclusion.

The latest poll result indicates a 1% rise in support for the treaty and a 2% rise in the support for a No vote.

Excluding the Don’t Knows, 67% of respondents are in favour of a Yes vote, as opposed to 33% on the No side.

The Yes campaign led polls going into the last Lisbon Referendum only for a large proportion of undecided voters to vote against the treaty.

However, there does not seem to be as pronounced a swing in favour of a No vote among undecided voters this time around.

On the Yes side, some worried that voters would use the referendum as a chance to vote on the performance of the Government. This has been quelled somewhat by the poll findings, which show strong support for a Yes vote among Fine Gael and Labour voters.

The country’s changed economic status seems to have influenced many voters to change tack from their position at the time of the last referendum.

Almost 30% of those who voted No last time now say they will vote in favour of ratifying the treaty.

While the middle ground has moved towards a Yes vote, their is still hope for the No campaign as it has the lead among voters who are aged under 25, who are unemployed and among housewives.

However, the strong backing for the treaty by groups as diverse as Siptu and the Irish Farmers’ Association could also shore up votes for the Yes side.