Most voters favour hiring more public servants and investing in capital projects rather than either public sector pay hikes or tax cuts.

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll finds that there is little support for public sector pay increases with a huge majority of voters believing that the Government should prioritise other matters.

Asked to rank their preferences for Government spending of any additional revenues, voters expressed a preference for more public servants and capital spending, well ahead of tax cuts, welfare increases or higher pay for existing public servants.

Respondents in the survey were offered a series of options and asked to rank them in order of importance.

Just 6 per cent of respondents said that increasing public sector pay should the first priority, while a further 8 per cent said it should be the second priority.

This contrasts with 35 per cent of voters who said that greater capital spending on roads, schools, hospitals, etc should be the first priority, with another 28 per cent saying it should be the second priority.

More than a quarter of voters (27 per cent) said that recruiting more gardaí, nurses and teachers should be the first priority, while a further 30 per cent said this should be the second priority.

Some 18 per cent of voters said cuts to tax or the universal social charge should be the first priority, with a further 18 per cent saying it should be the second priority.

Renegotiate

However, voters are divided on whether the Government should renegotiate the Lansdowne Road Agreement on public sector pay immediately, or keep it in place until 2018. Just under four in 10 voters (39 per cent) say the agreement should be kept in place, while 46 per cent say negotiations on a new agreement should begin now.

Respondents to the poll were also asked their view how public sector pay and pensions compared with the private sector. Just over a third of voters (34 per cent) said the pay and pensions in the public sector were “a lot better” than the private sector, with a further 23 per cent saying they were “a little better”.

Just 16 per cent said the public sector fared worse.

The public seems relaxed about the potential for a strike by An Garda Síochána, with a clear majority of voters (56 per cent) regarding the threatened industrial action last month as “an acceptable way to pursue a pay increase”. Some 39 per cent said it was “unacceptable”.

The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week among a representative sample of 1,200 voters aged 18 and over in face to face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 per cent.