Poll shows large support for Greens, split on Ahern issue, interest in politics mixed

A survey on students’ views on political issues shows unusually high support for the green party among students at Ballyfermot College of Further Education.

The Students and Politics poll conducted by the Ballyfermot Post covers political interest, and party support. It also reveals students’ views on a number of issues including whether the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should resign, the Lisbon Treaty, abortion, global warming, and privacy.

While just six percent are active in party politics or other campaigns, the vast majority said they were interested at one level or another. Those interested in politics accounted for 80 percent, compared to 20 percent who have no interested. The level of interest was broken into 40 percent who said they were ‘slightly interested’ and 34 percent said ‘interested’.

Students were asked “If there were a general election tomorrow what party or grouping would you give your first preference to?”. The percentage who had no interest was mirrored by those who said “Don’t know / no view”.

The government parties had 41 percent. The Greens polled unusually well compared to their support among voters in the general population, they had the largest support at 20 percent, while Fianna Fail had 19 percent, and the Progressive Democrats had just two percent (click on above image to view graph).

Labour had the third largest support at 15 percent, Sinn Fein had 11 percent, and Fine Gael had a low 5 percent. The remainder was made up by ‘Others/independents’ at five percent and the Socialist Party with three percent.

The Greens polled unusually well compared to their support among voters in the general population, they had the largest support at 20 percent, while the party support among students had two highly noticeable differences between sample surveys of all voters – the college’s high Green and low Fine Gael support.

A Sunday Business Post / Red C poll published last Sunday showed that the Greens has less then half (seven percent) of the support among the general electorate. Fine Gael were on 31 percent, compared to just five percent with BCFE students.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Business Post poll also taken last month, showed that Fianna Fail were on 37 percent, Progressive Democrats on two percent, Labour on 10 percent, Sinn Fein on eight percent,  and others/independents’ were on six.

The college is split over weather the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should resign – 44 percent say he should not, and 44 per cent say he should, while 12 percent said they did not know or had no view.
Ahern is under continued scrutiny about several financial dealing he has had while Minister for Finance in the mid 1990s.

A similar poll conducted by the Irish Times in January also showed a divided result, with 46 percent saying Ahern should not resign, and 44 percent saying he should, 10 percent had no opinion. Elsewhere the Sunday Business Post’s latest poll found that 69 percent agreed ‘Bertie Ahern should resign if he is found to have lied to the tribunal.

MORE:
- Student and Politics Survey 200 
- Majority in dark over EU treaty
- 67% look for action on climate change issue
- Mixed views on abortion
- 88% do not know of Irish “digital dossiers”