VOTER AWARENESS: Voters are confused about what a Yes vote and a No vote will mean in the referendum, according to research carried out for the Referendum Commission.
The research was conducted by McConnells advertising agency in the week of May 12th- 20th, before the Referendum Commission sent out its leaflet but after the publication of the Government proposals and the beginning of the debate.
It covered the level of voter registration, awareness of the forthcoming referendum, the intention to vote, understanding of the issues and of the role of the Referendum Commission.
Four out of every five adults surveyed were aware of the referendum, and 57 per cent were aware that it concerned citizenship. However, when respondents were asked how well they understood what the referendum was about, only 27 per cent said they understood it.
When asked to state what the referendum was about, 27 per cent said it would stop people born in Ireland to non-nationals from automatic Irish citizenship; 16 per cent said it related to Irish citizenship without specifying how; 7 per cent said it stopped people coming to have babies and relieved pressure on maternity hospitals; and 6 per cent said it prevented people coming here for access to the EU.
Some 55 per cent either gave other answers or said they did not know.
A critical point of the confusion is what the outcome of a Yes or a No vote would be, according to Mr John Fanning of McConnells. Some people believe that a No vote would prevent non-national children obtaining citizenship at birth. This, according to Mr Fanning, is because when there is a proposal to restrict something, people assume a No vote will lead to the restriction.
The results of the research were presented at a press conference launching the campaign of the Referendum Commission yesterday. Its chairman, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, said the proposed amendment was one of substance, not just a technical or mechanical change to bring Ireland into line with some treaty.
He described it as an "enabling amendment", enabling the Oireachtas to legislate on citizenship without being restricted by the present automatic right to citizenship granted to all children born in Ireland by the Constitution.
Referring to the research, he said it showed that 92 per cent of those eligible to vote were registered. However, this fell to only 80 per cent among 18- to 24-year-olds, of whom only 40 per cent voted in the last election. This was a cause for concern.
He said the confusion about the proposal was partly due to the fact that the parties and interest groups had concentrated on what would happen if the amendment was passed, instead of dealing with what the amendment would actually say.
He stressed that the only issue on the ballot paper was whether to give the Oireachtas the right to legislate on the citizenship rights of those born in Ireland who do not have an Irish parent. "Voters need to be reminded that legislation comes later, if at all, and may come in an amended form," he said.
The commission could not express views on the issues raised in the debate and no longer had a role in putting both sides of the argument.