Irish Times Ipsos Poll shows participants' responses on how public finance surpluses should be spent. Graphic: Paul Scott
Of course, in reality the Government will do a bit of all these things. And the argument may well be that voters will appreciate tax cuts when they get them. But it appears Leo Varadkar is going to have to convince his own party first, and then convince everyone else. When it comes to climate action in their own lives, there is an openness to simple steps, such as using their cars less or flying less. With the exception of “eating less meat”, voters think it is reasonable to ask people to make these changes to reduce carbon emissions.So, voters are open to using their cars less, taking fewer flights, promoting biodiversity, being climate aware when shopping and recycling – or at least, they don’t think it’s unreasonable to be asked to do these things.
The poll also asked specifically about the public’s views on the impact the Greens are having in Government on climate action. Again, the results are mixed. More than a quarter of the public view the party’s contribution as positive, while 31 per cent say it is negative, and 28 per cent say it is neutral. ]