40% of voters say they favour “radical change” in the way the country is run, according to the latest Ipsos/Irish Times poll.
It’s a five-point increase since the last time the question was put to voters in November 2024. 51% say they want “moderate change,” while just 6% cent say they are “wary of change,” a fall of five points.
Asked whether the Government should spend or save Ireland’s large budget surplus, a majority of 64% were in favour of spending it, with just 29% saying it should be saved. It comes after the Department of Finance said on Tuesday that the State had recorded a budget surplus of €12.4 billion or 3.7% of modified gross national income in 2025, above the 3% that had been forecast in October after a further surge in corporate tax revenue.
The Government says it plans to invest €6.5 billion of last year’s surplus into sovereign wealth and savings funds.
Elsewhere in the poll, two-thirds (67%) of all voters favour the concept of a constitutional right to housing with the matter attracting broad endorsement across supporters of various parties, with 23 per cent opposed.
Fewer than a third of voters polled agreed that the Government is making progress on housing. 17% of voters say they believe the Government is making progress, whilst 28 per cent believe progress is lagging and half of all voters (50 per cent) believe the country’s problems are worsening.
The poll, which involved 1,200 interviews, saw voters throw their backing behind measures to increase housing supply even if there are drawbacks to this. More than four in five voters (81% said they want to see the Government build more social housing, even if there are local objections. Almost two-thirds (64%) said they would support measures that benefit landlords if that meant that more houses and apartments were made available for rent.
The polling further showed that Micheál Martin is the most popular leader, with support for Government parties remaining steady. 79% of Fianna Fáil voters said they believed the Taoiseach should remain as party leader, with 17% saying he should step down. 56% of Fine Gael voters said he should remain leader, compared with 47% for Labour voters.
Just 29% of Independent voters said Mr Martin should remain, with 55% saying he should resign. 67% of Sinn Fein voters said the Fianna Fáil leader should step down.
Mr Martin’s overall support saw an increase of 4 points, to 37%, whilst support for Simon Harris fell to 31% (down four points). Meanwhile, support for Mary Lou McDonald fell four points to 35%. Overall support for the Government fell one point to 30%.
Independent Ireland saw a rise in support, at 4% (up two points) whilst support for Peadar Tóibín’s Aontú remained steady at 3%. Labour were down 2 points (4%).