New opinion poll shows Sinn Féin in 10-point lead as most popular party

It's the highest ever rating for Sinn Féin in the poll series.

A new opinion poll shows Sinn Féin in a 10-point lead over its closest party rivals in Ireland. The latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll, published on Wednesday night, shows Sinn Féin with the support of nearly one-third of voters at 32%. This is 10 points ahead of Fine Gael at 22% and 12 points ahead of Fianna Fáil at 20%. Sinn Féin is up 1% since June, compared to Fine Gael, which is down 5%, and Fianna Fáil, who saw no change. The findings also show the Green Party and Labour Party at 7% and 4%, with both parties recording a 1% increase. Meanwhile, the government suffered a decrease in its satisfaction rating, moving from 53% in June to 46%. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar saw his personal approval rating drop by a sizable 13 points to 43%, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin's also fell by eight points to 41%. At the same time, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald recorded a small rise in her satisfaction rating, increasing from 42% to 43%. The opinion poll was conducted on 2, 4 and 5 October among 1,200 adults at 120 sampling points across all constituencies. Main image via Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie