FOUR FIFTHS of voters are in favour of changing the Constitution to make it more difficult to get bail, according to the poll.
Only 11 per cent disagree with the Government's proposal to hold a referendum in November to change the bail laws. Some 7 per cent of voters are undecided.
An overwhelming majority of 81 per cent support the change in the Constitution, though it was pointed out to them that some people think this would unduly restrict the rights of citizens.
Majorities of that magnitude are reflected in all constituencies in the State, in all income and age groups, and among supporters of all of the main parties. But there is a slight urban/rural divide. Some 83 per cent of urban voters support the referendum, compared with 79 per cent of rural voters.
The referendum on bail, first proposed by the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, was a key component of the Coalition's anti crime package presented after the murders of Det Garda Jerry McCabe and the journalist, Veronica Guerin, last June.
The referendum will be held next month on a date yet to be fixed.