55% of Irish believe there is no alternative to austerity

The Irish are greater believers in the merits of austerity than almost any other nationality in the EU, where the majority say increasing taxes and cutting spending is not working.

The poll findings should be music to the ears of Finance Minister Michael Noonan as he weighs up how much more pain the population could take in his budget later this month.

Only a third of the Irish questioned for the Gallup poll said harsh government measures supported by the EU were not working, compared to the more than half in the EU overall who believed austerity was not a success.