Survey highlights strong No campaign
Friday, 20 June 2008 22:06
The weakness of the Yes campaign in the Lisbon Referendum has been highlighted by new research which shows that a majority of voters - even a majority of those who voted in favour - thought that the No campaign was more convincing.
68% of all voters, and 57% of those who voted Yes, thought the No campaign was more persuasive.
With 55% of voters making up their minds in the last weeks of the campaign, and 15% on the day of the referendum itself, the perceived strength of the No campaign may have been crucial.
The findings are part of a Eurobarometer telephone poll of 2,000 adults, carried out in the wake of the referendum result.
The results show that young people aged 18 to 24 (65%), women (56%), and manual workers (74%) were most likely to vote No.
Those over 55 (58%), the self-employed (60%), and those who stayed in education until after the age of 20 (57%) were more likely to vote Yes.
The main reasons for voting No were lack of information (22%), protecting Irish identity (12%), and protecting neutrality, retaining Irish identity, keeping a commissioner, and control of taxation (all cited by 6% of respondents).
There was a significant difference in support for Irish membership of the EU - while 80% of No voters favoured membership, this compares to 98% of Yes voters.
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