Fianna Fáil's privately commissioned research mirrors the findings of Sunday night's RTÉ's Week in Politicsprogramme, it has emerged.
The programme tested the impact of major speeches by the main party leaders on 30 specially selected uncommitted voters from Dublin, Meath and Kildare.
Fianna Fáil has been using similar methods over the last two years to assess public opinion, along with qualitative and quantitative opinion polling, it is understood.
"There is nothing there that would have come as any surprise to any Fianna Fáil member of the Cabinet, which makes it all the more surprising that Bertie Ahern has been continuing to recite a litany of Government achievements when they know that that doesn't work with the electorate," said one political expert privately last night.
Both Fine Gael and Labour, however, were annoyed by the decision to question the group about their attitude to a Fianna Fail/Labour coalition - an option not offered to them by the Labour leader, Pat Rabbitte.
"Why would they ask that question? It isn't there as an option. It definitely isn't there. And it isn't going to be there," said Fine Gael's director of elections, Frank Flannery.
However, the favourable attitude displayed amongst the group to such an alliance will be used by those within Labour who are less than keen on the current pre-election pact with Fine Gael, if polling figures do not improve in the New Year.
Yesterday, a number of Labour Party figures privately said it showed that the party's linkage with Fine Gael is hurting its vote, even though Fine Gael is currently on a 20-year high in the polls.
"You don't tell the people what they can have. The people tell us what they can have. That is the way the system works," one source told The Irish Times, reflecting the views of others.
During the programme the majority of the group, interviewed last Thursday night, displayed irritation with Mr Ahern's habit of listing Government spending and achievements.
"The issue is how do you stop taoisigh and ministers from reciting off a list of a whole lot of things that they have done. This is what all politicians want to do," said one Fianna Fáil source, who like others questioned for this article would not speak on the record.
Meanwhile, the group were initially not keen on Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, though they warmed to him significantly after viewing sections of his recent ardfheis speech.
The programme is understood to have attracted 300,000 viewers, even though it did not begin until 10.35pm - a result significantly up on normal figures for The Week In Politics.
The Fine Gael leader is making "a good impression" on voters as he meets them going around the country, Mr Flannery insisted.
"The group did not like Bertie Ahern's speeches. Michael McDowell's sank like a lead balloon. Yet Enda's graph went up into the 80s and 90s. "The question for us is how do we get that level of communication going with the ordinary people who are not viewing speeches like this," Mr Flannery added.
Besides Fine Gael's and Labour's irritation with the Fianna Fáil/Labour coalition question, the political parties raised few, if any, questions about the methodology used.
Opinion pollster Frank Luntz, who featured in the programme, will carry out two more editions for RTÉ between now and the general election. The next one will take place at the end of January, it is understood, and will be held outside of the capital.
