62% in North believe Brexit makes united Ireland a more likely prospect
A major new cross border poll by RTE and the BBC, revealed last night, shows that 62% of those surveyed in Northern Ireland believed Brexit made a united Ireland a more likely possibility.
The survey revealed that 35% of those polled in the Republic of Ireland agreed.
11% of the respondents in Northern Ireland said Brexit made a united Ireland less likely with 24% saying it wouldn’t make a difference and 3% saying they didn’t know.
In the Republic 32% said it was less likely, 22% said Brexit would not make it more or less likely, while 11% responded saying they didn’t know.
The findings are part of a landmark RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland collaboration which culminated in a special live Brexit programme last night.
The survey, jointly commissioned by BBC NI’s Nolan Live and RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live programmes, included a series of questions on economic, constitutional and social issues for Northern Ireland.
The poll found that the majority of those surveyed in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said the UK should not proceed with Brexit if it meant a hard border in Ireland.
In Northern Ireland 61% of respondents answered no to a question about whether the UK should proceed with Brexit in the event of a deal including a hard border.
36% in Northern Ireland disagreed and responded with yes to the question while 3% were undecided.
In the Republic of Ireland 83% said No, 10% responded with a yes and 7% were undecided.
People were also asked how they believed Brexit would leave their own financial situation.
In Northern Ireland 55% said worse off, 9% said better off with 7 % saying they didn’t know and 29% responded saying it would make no difference.
In the Republic of Ireland, 34% of respondents believed they’d be worse off with 2% believing they’d be better off and 44% saying it would make no difference. 20% in the Republic were unsure how Brexit would affect their financial situation.
In Northern Ireland, the survey showed that in the event of a UK and EU deal on the terms of Brexit, those surveyed believed there should be a second referendum.
58% surveyed said yes, 38% said no and 4% were undecided. In the Republic 77% said yes, 14% no and 9% were undecided.
The poll was carried out by Amarách Research and LucidTalk for Nolan Byrne Live on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th of November 2018. The Amarach Research Panel consists of over 1,000+ adults in the Republic of Ireland, all aged 18+. The LucidTalk NI Opinion Panel consists of over 1,000+ adults in Northern Ireland, all aged 18+.
