While Northern Ireland overall does not support Irish unity, there has been an increase in the amount of support in the North, according to the latest opinion poll for The Irish Times and the ARINS Project.
34% of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unity if a referendum were to be held, an increase from 30% in 2023 and 27% in 2022.
Not surprisingly, these figures change when considering a Catholic vote separately from a Protestant vote.
63% of Catholics in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unity, an increase from 59% in 2023 and 55% in 2022.
7% of Protestants in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unity, also an increase from 4% in both 2023 and 2022.
Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, 64% would vote for Irish unity, a figure that's level with 2023 and decrease from 66% in 2022.
The new data comes as The Irish Times begins to publish the third annual findings of a major research project into attitudes to a possible future united Ireland and related issues both in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
The North and South series is a collaboration between The Irish Times and ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South), a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
This year’s project consists of two major, in-depth opinion polls conducted simultaneously in Northern Ireland and the Republic. They were jointly funded by the Irish Times and ARINS.
The Irish Times said on Friday that its recent opinion polls were conducted by Ipsos in the North and Ipsos B & A in the South and surveyed more than 1,000 voters at multiple points across both jurisdictions.
The Irish Times further found that there has been an increase in support for holding a referendum on Irish reunification.
In the Republic of Ireland, 79% of people think there should be a referendum, while 10% are opposed. These responses have been stable over time.
In Northern Ireland, 81% of Catholics support holding a referendum, a figure that's similar to the findings in 2023.
Meanwhile, 44% of Protestants in Northern Ireland are also in favor of a referendum, up from 39% in 2023. However, as the Irish Times notes, this increase is likely due to them believing a Border poll would fail if held now.
But, there are also signs that the willingness to accept the result of a referendum is increasing among Unionists, the Irish Times added.
As per the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland's Secretary of State has the power to call a border poll "if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland."
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