The fate of the Nice Treaty is still hanging in the balance but Irish voters are coming to grips with the intricacies of the treaty, according to the latest Irish Time/MRBI opinion poll.
When asked how well they understood the issues involved in the treaty, 24 per cent felt they had a good understanding, 40 per cent said they understood some but not all of the treaty, 23 per cent were vaguely aware while 13 per cent said they didn't understand the issues.
The poll shows that 42 per cent of voters intend to vote in favour of Nice, an increase of five per cent on the last Irish Times/MRBI poll conducted three weeks ago. Opposition to Nice has risen 4 per cent to 29 per cent while those still undecided has fallen 13 per cent to 19 per cent. The poll shows 10 per cent of voters intend not to vote.
The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week among a representative sample of 1,000 voters at 100 sampling points throughout all constituencies in the State.
A similar poll published just days before the first Nice referendum last year suggested 45 per cent would vote Yes and 28 per cent No, with 27 per cent having no opinion.
However, that margin of support turned into a defeat for the treaty by 54 per cent to 46 per cent. Just 34.8 per cent of the electorate voted on that occasion.