Sinn Féin surges, levels with Fianna Fáil in new Red C poll

Mary Lou McDonald, the president of Sinn Féin, with the party's manifesto ahead of Ireland's General Election 2020.RollingNews.ie

Ireland’s General Election is less than a week away on February 8

Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have leveled out in a recent Red C opinion poll for the Sunday Business Post which was conducted just over a week before Ireland’s General Election on February 8, 2020.

1,000 people were polled over six days, concluding on January 30, for the new Business Post / Red C poll which was published on February 2. The poll revealed that Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have equal amounts of support - 24 percent each - while Fine Gael trails in third with 21 percent.

Sinn Féin's support went up in the poll, while support for both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the political party of current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, decreased.

RTE notes that this is the first time in the history of Red C polls that Sinn Féin is polling ahead of Fine Gael.

The poll further found that Independents are polling at 12 percent, the Green Party is polling at 7 percent, Labour at 5 percent, Social Democrats at 3 percent, Aontú is at 2 percent, and Solidarity - PBP at 1 percent. Other parties are listed as having 1 percent.

The pollsters report a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

An earlier poll from Red C published on January 27 showed that younger voters are “flocking” to Sinn Féin. 35 percent of those polled between the ages of 18 and 34 preferred Sinn Féin, more than double the next political party, Fine Gael, who received 14 percent.

The Sunday Business Post / Red C poll comes just after a day after a separate poll found Fianna Fáil to be in the lead. Polling for The Times, research group Panelbase surveyed 1,000 people between January 24-30. The results of that poll showed Fianna Fáil receiving 23 percent of the vote, Sinn Féin with 21 percent, and Fine Gael with 19 percent.

Sinn Féin surges past Fine Gael, levels with Fianna Fáil in latest opinion poll