Two thirds of Irish people would vote to remain in EU - survey

'More In Common' poll: Irish voters favour stronger economic ties with the EU, and now regard several European countries — including the UK — as closer allies than the US

The More In Common poll of over 4,200 Irish people found 67% would vote to remain in the EU and only 17% would favour leaving. File picture: Denis Minihane

Tue, 30 Jun, 2026 - 06:05

Paul Hosford

Two thirds of Irish people would vote to remain in the EU in a referendum, but there are differing opinions on what the bloc should be for, new research has found.

The poll of over 4,200 people for the More In Common think tank found that 61% of Irish people regard membership of the EU as a good thing, against just 16% who say it is bad.

Asked how they would vote in an “Irexit” referendum, 67% would vote to remain and only 17% to leave. Those who would vote to remain are in the majority across all political parties, with remain majorities running from 87% of Fine Gael voters and 82% of Fianna Fáil voters down through to Sinn Féin (63%).

Irish people were asked if they would vote to leave or remain in the EU if there were an 'Irexit' referendum. Pictures: MoreInCommon.com

The remain majority includes Independent Ireland and Aontú voters where more voters would want to remain (54%) than leave (37%). No part of the Irish electorate is majority-Eurosceptic.

However, there are questions on what the EU should be for. Voters tilt towards national control over more co-operation and want Ireland to challenge the larger member states.

Asked to choose between more European co-operation and more national control, voters skew towards national control (45% to 41%), and 76% say Ireland should be more willing to challenge larger EU states rather than accommodate them.

Co-operation vs national control

This is where voters of the Coalition parties and the rest of the electorate part company. Fianna Fáil (59%) and Fine Gael (62%) voters are comfortable ceding ground to “more co-operation” while the Independent Ireland and Aontú bloc wants national control by two to one with Sinn Féin close behind (55%).

A breakdown of what respondents say Ireland's priorities should be during its EU presidency.

The report’s authors say Irish voters “lean towards protecting national control with Ireland inside the EU — something the presidency’s consensus-building role will be measured against at home”. They add that the Irish public is “committed to Europe, but doesn’t quite feel at the centre of it”.

The report says that, as Ireland takes up the EU presidency, the public’s focus is squarely domestic with the cost of living (66%) and housing (58%) dominating, while EU relations, defence, and Ukraine barely register.

The survey asked if respondents sympathised with Palestine, Israel, or both sides equally.

“Beneath the affordability squeeze runs deeper disillusionment: Two in five would let the system “burn”, three in five think it’s rigged, and almost half sometimes feel like a stranger in their own country,” it states.

However, national pride stays high (71%) and holds across every party.

On neutrality, the poll finds that many want it to mean different things — a third want it absolute, a third would leave room to depart.

Voters back a self-reliant Europe (77%) but won’t fund defence themselves, rating it either equal to or below housing and energy.

In terms of Irish sympathies, voters went with Ukraine over Russia by 10 to one, and there is a clear pro-Palestinian conviction and strong backing for the Occupied Territories Bill.

The survey asked voters if Ireland should prioritise building economic ties with the US or the EU.

The poll adds that Irish instincts now point east by a margin of three to one, with voters prioritising closer ties with the EU over the US.

The poll shows how trust in the US has collapsed under Donald Trump — it’s now the lowest-rated Western ally tested, and 73% have little or no trust in the US.