Fine Gael still on top with Sinn Féin in second place, while the Greens drop sharply in latest opinion poll

FINE GAEL is down two points, but remains the most popular party, as satisfaction with the government has dropped dramatically according to a new opinion poll.

The latest Irish Times / Ipsos MRBI poll has Fine Gael at 35%, Sinn Féin rose four points to 29%, Fianna Fáil rose from three to 17% and the Green Party fell from eight to 4%.

Labor have gained two points and are now at 4%, independents and small parties are at 11%, Solidarity-People before profits are at 1% while Social Democrats are at 2%.

The outgoing government led by Fine Gael, buoyed by handling the early stages of the pandemic, had a satisfaction rate of 72% in June. Satisfaction with the government is now 48% according to the latest opinion poll.

The approval ratings of the party’s top leaders have also fallen since June.

The approval rating of Taoiseach Micheál Martin is 39% (7 less), Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, 65% (10 less), the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, 27% (13 less).

The approval rating for Mary Lou McDonald, who leads the largest opposition party, has dropped between three and 46%.

The drop in support for the government follows a tumultuous few months since the coalition’s formation, marked by a series of damaging events including Golfgate and errors in the Leaving Cert calculated rating system.

This survey was conducted between Saturday, October 3, and Tuesday, October 6 and included 1,200 responses. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.