Housing replaces pandemic as top concern

THE housing crisis has surpassed Covid-19 as the most important issue among voters as Ireland emerges from the shadow of the pandemic, an

Irish Mail on Sunday/Ireland Thinks poll reveals.

In a sign of the changing postpandemic times, 34% of those polled said they believe the housing and homeless problem is the most important issue facing the country.

This is a dramatic jump of 28% from the 6% of voters who said housing was the most important issue a month ago. In March the figure was even lower, at 4%.

The latest poll was conducted on Saturday, May 15 with a sample size of 1,237. Covid is regarded as the second most important issue, with 28% of those polled listing it as their biggest concern. This is a drop of 12% from the 40% who indicated it was the most important issue facing the country in April and 43% in March.

Concerns about the economy/ post-Covid economy were thirdhighest, with 12% of voters identifying this as the main issue facing the country. This was a single point increase on the number who answered the same question in April (11%), which was also a one-point rise on those surveyed in March.

Concerns about vaccine and/or the rollout of the programme came a distant fourth on the list.

In a clear sign of growing confidence in the national vaccine rollout, just 4% of those polled said this was the most important issue. This represents a 19-point drop in the number of people who identified vaccines as the country’s chief concern.

Last week, the MoS revealed that most people now back the Government’s pandemic strategy. As the reopening of the country accelerates and vaccinations break the 250,000-a-week mark, our most recent poll findings show a fifth of the population has switched from having no confidence in the Government’s strategy to supporting it.

But the irony for the Government is that while the MoS-Ireland Thinks poll findings clearly show greater confidence in the coalition’s handling of the pandemic and the vaccine rollout, the mood of the country has shifted towards the housing and homeless crisis.

With 42% of voters saying Sinn Féin is best placed to tackle the deepening housing crisis compared to just 22% for Fine Gael and lower still for Fianna Fáil (22%), it appears the Government may struggle to transfer positivity about their handling of Covid into votes.

Health and the reopening of the country were listed as the joint fourth and fifth mostimportant issues facing the nation, at 3% each.