According to the latest opinion poll from The Irish Times and Ipsos B&A, the majority of voters intend to vote Yes in both of the upcoming referendums. The data was collected between February 2 and February 6, among a sample of 1,200 adults across all constituencies.

On March 8, International Women’s Day, Irish voters will be asked to either support or oppose changes to the Constitution, in one case relating to the definition of family, and in the other, relating to care and the role of women in the home.

The first referendum applies to Article 41.1.1 and Article 41.3.1 of the 39th Amendment. The former currently recognises “the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.” If approved, the referendum would see this Article updated to expand the definition of family, including the words “whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships”.

Article 41.3.1, which says, “The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack,” would also be updated to remove the words “on which the Family is founded”.

The second referendum applies to the 40th Amendment. It proposes the deletion of Article 41.2, which proclaims that the State shall “endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” It would be replaced with Article 42B, which says, “The State recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to Society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive to support such provision.”

The 8 March votes are our chance to shape a more equal Ireland where all families & children are valued equally.

Our chance to recognise care by both men & women.

It’s our chance to send a strong message that we support families and care.

Find out more: https://t.co/PXNi1tvA5N pic.twitter.com/aizGjTxSBP

— Womenscouncilireland (@NWCI) February 8, 2024

The results of the opinion poll show that at this stage, 52% of voters support changing the constitutional provisions relating to the definition of family, with 15% against and 27% unsure. A further 5% say they will not vote.

Similarly, 59% of respondents said they would vote in favour of the changes relating to care and the role of women in the home, with 12% against and 23% undecided. Again, 5% say they will not vote.

The poll also reveals that the majority of voters have little knowledge about the referendums, with 53% saying they know “hardly anything at all”, 36% saying they know “a little” and just 8% saying they know “a lot”.