A poll has suggested the Family and Care referendums failed due to a lack of clarity about the proposed wording. 

Exit polls published today by the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks with 1,528 nationwide respondents asked participants to state their reasons for voting Yes or No in each referendum. 

On the proposed Family referendum, voters blamed a lack of clarity, opposition to or distrust of the Government, contentment with current laws or beliefs in marriage, concerns about the legal and social complications and specific issues with the wording of the proposal. 

For the Care referendum, voters were also concerned about vague or poor wording and lack of clarity, Government responsibility and support for carers, and about the protection of women and mothers in the Constitution. 

The public also believed there was not enough consultation with the public, that the process was rushed, and that there was “insufficient change” proposed or, alternatively, that the amendment was unnecessary. 

Both referendums failed overwhelmingly, with the Family referendum defeated by 67.7% and the Care referendum defeated by 73.9%. 

Party support for referendums

The Sunday Independent poll found that only Fine Gael and Green Party supporters voted in favour of the proposed amendments, although only with 51% and 53% support respectively. 

Supporters of independent TDs were most likely to vote against the amendments with 94% against, followed by Sinn Féin at 88%, Solidarity/People before Profit at 83% and Fianna Fáil at 71%. 

Some 70% of Social Democrat supporters voted against the referendum, while Labour Part supporters were split down the middle. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government “clearly got it wrong”.  

“I’m not going to tell the people they are wrong, they are not,” he told reporters.  

“As head of Government, on behalf of the Government, we accept responsibility for the result.  

“It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people and we failed to do so.  

“We struggled to convince of the necessity or need of the referendum at all, let alone the details and the wording.  

“That is something we’re obviously going to have to reflect on in the week and months ahead.” 

Return to ballot

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has described the results as a 'failure' by Government. 

She said a Sinn Féin-led government would address the 'Women in the home' phrase in the Constitution but not in the way the current coalition has. 

"Republican women have railed against sexist language in respect of women in the Constitution and it's something that I hope we will return to," she said. 

"But let me state again: the referendums as put have failed, so I just want to reassure people that there will be no attempt on our part to re-run the same questions."