Support for the Republic remaining in the EU has grown since the UK referendum but less than half of people in the south believe Brexit makes a united Ireland more likely, a new survey shows.
Research commissioned by European Movement Ireland and carried out by Red C shows that 92 per cent of people in the south support remaining in the EU – the first time the figure has broken the 90 per cent threshold in the survey's five year history.
The annual assessment of Irish attitudes to the EU also indicates growing support for the Republic's involvement in increased EU defence and security cooperation.
Opinion on the implications of Brexit for a united Ireland is evenly split, with 44 per cent agreeing that it makes Irish unity more likely and the same percentage disagreeing, whereas 12 per cent said they didn’t know.
Those under 35 years of age (54 per cent) are most inclined to say that Brexit makes a united Ireland more likely, while in the over 35s category only 39 per cent agree that it is more likely.
Quizzed on whether the UK should remain in the EU single market and customs union, 73 per cent of respondents said Britain should remain in both, rising to 83 per cent among farmers.
European Movement Ireland director Noelle O Connell said the research made it clear that leaving the EU would not be in Ireland’s best interests.
"However, there is understandable uncertainty about what changes Brexit will bring to Ireland, the border and the Ireland-UK trade relationship in the long term," she said.
Only 11 per cent of respondents believe Ireland should follow the UK out of the EU – a significant fall from the 30 per cent supporting a so-called Irexit in 2013.
