Sinn Féin has seen the largest drop in support in two years as Government parties gain a small increase, according to the latest polls. 

That’s according to the results of the latest polls by Red C for The Business Post. 

Support for Sinn Féin dropped to 29%, a 5% decrease compared to the previous poll. This is the lowest Sinn Féin has polled in The Business Post since September 2021. 

Despite that, Sinn Féin still remains the most popular political party in Ireland.  

Political editor Michael Brennan said the party continues to succeed in opposing Government policies. 

“Sinn Féin’s argument - and it has been for quite a while one they've used successfully - is that the Government are not doing enough to tackle the cost-of-living crisis,” he said. 

“They're pointing to the high grocery prices, the high energy bills, the rising mortgage interest rates, and saying that we're living in a Rip-off Republic.” 

Other party support

As Sinn Féin saw a considerable drop, Fine Gael saw a two-point increase to 22% support. 

Fianna Fáil gained one point in the poll with support from 16% of those polled. 

Mr Brennan said this slight gain could be a cause of the weather. 

“People are in a slightly better mood at the moment due to the good weather,” he said. 

The Green Party remains stable at 4%, which means that the coalition parties’ combined share of the vote increases from 39% last month to 42%. 

Labour is up by one point to 5%, which is the first time it has achieved this since Ivana Bacik became leader in March last year. The party is now level with the Social Democrats, which is down by one point.  

People Before Profit-Solidarity remains at 3%, while Aontú is up by one point to 2 per cent. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar greets President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola at Government Buildings, 02-02-2023. Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar remains the most popular choice for leader of Fine Gael. Some 52% of Fine Gael voters said they want Mr Varadkar to lead the party into the next election, while 23% of all polled also supported the current leader. 

“There has been speculation in recent times about Varadkar’s leadership, but he's the choice of 52% of voters to lead the party in the next general election,” Mr Brennan said. 

“The next nearest contender that most touted Simon Harris is at 14%, followed by Pascal Donohoe at 12% and Simon Coveney at 9%. 

“Leo Varadkar is still the clear favourite for that key demographic of Fine Gael voters.”