Fine Gael has strengthened its position in the polls over the last few months. At 29% it polls about 3% higher than in July of this year. Independents and small parties went down, however, from 27% to 22% over the same period of time. These are the most important findings from the new Irish Polling Indicator, which aggregates all available opinion polls.

Labour is estimated at 7.5% support, which presents marked stability over the last year. The two main opposition parties in the Daíl, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, both poll around 20%. For Sinn Féin this represents about a 3.5% decline from its score in early February. Fianna Fáil has been relatively stable over the last year. There seems to be a small improvement in the party’s electoral fortunes in March and April, but this improvement is only at the border of what would conventionally be called a statistical significant change.

The aim of the Irish Polling Indicator is to provide a more robust view of opinion poll research in Ireland. By combining different polls we can minimize random error due to sampling and take into account structural differences between different polling companies. Detailed information on the most recent findings as well as the methods used, can be found at www.pollingindicator.com.