SUPPORT for the DUP has increased since the Stormont election but Sir Jeffrey Donaldson continues to rate poorly with voters, according to the latest opinion poll.
Sinn Féin has grown its vote share by one point to 30 per cent since May's election saw it top the poll for the first time, while support for the SDLP has ebbed to 7 per cent – a drop of two points in less than four month, the same survey found.
Alliance continues to surge upwards, with a 16 per cent share of the vote in the latest survey, an increase of two points on May's performance.
The LucidTalk poll for the Belfast Telegraph shows the DUP on 24 per cent, up three points since the assembly election.
The Ulster Unionist Party share of the popular vote remain unchanged compared to May on 11 per cent, while support for the TUV has dropped two points to 6 per cent.
Support for the Green Party, who lost its two seats in the Stormont election, remains unchanged on 2 per cent, with People Before Profit on 1 per cent and Aontú on 2 per cent, a gain of one point.
The same survey found Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to be the most unpopular leader among Stormont's parties, by a considerable margin.
Almost two-thirds of respondent (64 per cent) believe the Lagan Valley MP is doing a bad or awful job, although that is a 10-point improvement on his previous rating.
Unionists voters view him more negatively than Doug Beattie and Jim Allister. Around four in ten (39 per cent) think the DUP leader is performing poorly compared to his UUP (37 per cent) and TUV (25 per cent) counterparts.
Nationalist, as well as Alliance and Green voters, view the DUP leader very negatively.
Some 94 per cent of nationalists think he’s doing a bad or awful job, with 86 per cent saying likewise of Mr Allister, but only 32 per cent passing the same judgement on Mr Beattie.
The UUP leader continues to have positive ratings across the political spectrum, however, Naomi Long is the most popular local party leader, with 46 per cent of respondents thinking she is doing a good or great job.
In second place is Ms O’Neill (40 per cent), followed by Mr Eastwood and Mr Beattie (34 per cent), with Mr Allister fifth (31 per cent) and Mr Donaldson sixth (27 per cent).
But the Alliance leader strongly divides opinion along political lines, with just 10 per cent of nationalist, Alliance and Green voters think she’s doing a bad or awful job, compared to the 58 per cent of unionists who view Mrs Long negatively.
Ms O’Neill’s ratings are up three points on her previous score and she outpolls Mr Eastwood with nationalist voters.
Some 3,384 people took part in the online poll conducted between August 12-15.
