The majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote against a united Ireland if a border poll was held, according to a new opinion poll.
The Ipsos opinion poll conducted for the Irish Times found that almost twice as many Northern Irish voters would vote against a united Ireland compared to those who would vote in favor. It also found that the majority of voters in Ireland and Northern Ireland are in favor of a border poll taking place.
Half of voters would vote against a united Ireland, while 27% would vote in favor. A further 18% said they didn't know how they would vote, while 5% said they would not vote.
A total of 55% of those from a Catholic background said they would vote in favor of a united Ireland, compared to 21% of Catholic voters who would vote against it.
Meanwhile, 79% of voters from a Protestant background would vote against a united Ireland, compared to just 4% who would vote in favor.
A total of 31% who do not come from a Catholic or Protestant background said they did not know how they would vote in a border poll, while 35% of those voters said they would vote to remain in the United Kingdom, compared to 20% who said they would vote for a united Ireland.
A simultaneous poll conducted in the Republic of Ireland found that a significant majority of 66% of Irish voters would vote for a united Ireland, compared to just 16% of voters who would vote against it. A further 13% of Irish voters said they didn't know how they would vote.
The twin polls also found that the majority of voters in Ireland and Northern Ireland are in favor of a border poll.
A total of 76% of Irish voters are in favor of a border poll, with the majority of those voters in favor of a vote within the next five years, while 55% of all Northern Irish voters said a border poll should take place, with the majority calling for one to take place within 10 years.
The polls found that 74% of Northern Irish Catholics are in favor of a border poll taking place, compared to 12% of Catholics who are against a border poll.
Meanwhile, 39% of Northern Irish Protestants believe a border poll should be held, compared to 47% of Protestants who believe there should be no border poll.
The two polls were carried out among more than 1,000 voters in Ireland and Northern Ireland in August and September of this year for the Irish Times and the Arins Project.
Arins - Analyzing and Researching Ireland North and South - is a joint initiative of the Royal Irish Academy and the University of Notre Dame.
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