Yes? No? Yes? No?
It’s the most hotly-debated topic of the year. What way are you voting? What way do you think it will go?
This Friday the country will go to the polls to vote on whether to repeal or retain the 8th Amendment. If passed it will allow abortions in the case of fatal foetal abnormalities, incest, rape and without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy through a GP-led service.
It has dominated all forms of media in recent weeks. And to gauge the local opinion we have asked our readers – across some of our social media platforms – what way they intend to vote.
Over the course of 24 hours, from 3pm on Monday of this week to 3pm on Tuesday, we ran polls on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
While we acknowledge that this isn’t a scientific poll for a number of reasons – people could vote on each platform if they wished; some people could have been under 18; social media is more heavily weighted towards younger people; and there was no option for the undecided – it is a significant straw poll at this moment in time.
In total 2,752 votes were cast in the 24-hour period. Overall 68.46% voted Yes with 31.54% indicating they will vote No. That translates to 1,884 in favour and 868 against.
Instagram had the highest percentage Yes vote with 72.36%, with Twitter having the lowest at 66.89%. Over 70% (1,934) of the votes were cast on Facebook. Of those 68.46% voted Yes.
In total, this is how it broke down.
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Total – 2,752
Yes – 1,884 (68.46%)
No – 868 (31.54%)
Total – 1,934
Yes – 1,300 (67.22%)
No – 634 (32.78%)
Total – 673
Yes – 487 (72.36%)
No – 186 (27.64%)
Total – 145
Yes – 97 (66.89%)
No – 48 (33.11%)
In the Irish Times poll last week 44% said they were voting Yes, 32% were No and 24% were undecided or were not voting.
Bookies Ladbrokes and Coral are both offering odds of 1/8 on a Yes vote with a No vote at 9/2.
But, as the politicians are well able to tell us, polls can be very unreliable and the only poll that matter is the one that is announced on Saturday.
Voting in the Eighth Amendment referendum begins at 7am this coming Friday, with polls closing at 10pm.
SEE ALSO – Voting underway as Nursing Home residents cast their vote in Referendum
