As Prime Minister Theresa May visits Northern Ireland, results point to strong opposition for No Deal Brexit

Reach Insights Press Release

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6th February 2019

As Prime Minister Theresa May visits Northern Ireland, results point to strong opposition for No Deal Brexit

77% see the reintroduction of a hard border as the worst possible outcome

One in two people in Ireland expect their day to day life to be directly impacted by a No Deal Brexit

Extension of Article 50 seen as most likely scenario (37%)

35% believe Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit

With the March 29^th deadline fast approaching and Britain moving closer and closer to exiting the European Union, people in Ireland remain highly skeptical about Brexit and the potential fallout that may accompany it.

Following an amendment to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Withdrawal agreement last week that renewed pressure on the Irish backstop as a solution to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, this skepticism is demonstrated in a nationally representative survey carried out by iReach of 1001 people.

An enormous 77% of respondents view the reintroduction of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as the worst possible outcome of Brexit. Unsurprisingly this figure is even higher at 87% for those answered from the Ulster/ Connacht region. 

Furthermore, one in two people believe that should Britain exit the European Union without any deal whatsoever, this will have a direct impact on their everyday lives.

37% of people in Ireland see an extension of Article 50 as the most likely scenario at this point in the Brexit process. This would allow negotiations to continue beyond March 29^th. At 28% No Deal is the next most expected outcome of Brexit.

However, at only 9%, No Deal also remains the least popular potential outcome for people in Ireland. It is no shock to see that No Brexit at all on 48% is by far the most favoured possibility, with little support for Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement (10%).

44% of people in Ireland believe that the European Union have been helpful to Ireland during the Brexit process, with 35% who feel that the Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 24^th January and the 31st January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants as follows:

What do you now see as the most likely outcome of Brexit?

What is your preferred potential outcome of Brexit?

To what extent would you agree with the following statements: The Irish Government has done a good job handling Brexit, A No Deal Brexit will have a direct impact on my day to day life, The reintroduction of a hard border would be the worst possible outcome of Brexit, The EU has been helpful to Ireland during the process of Brexit.

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com