LESS than half of Irish people are in favour of a united Ireland, while the majority fear a return to violence if border checks are re-introduced post-Brexit.
That's according to a new poll conducted by Amarach Research on 1,000 adults and released by RTÉ's Claire Byrne Live.
Responding to the question, 'Do you want a united Ireland?' 49 per cent of people answered yes, while 29 per cent said no and 22 per cent said they don''t know.
49% of people want a united Ireland. Results of the #Cblive @AmarachResearch poll of 1,000 adults, polled on Monday. pic.twitter.com/WF2Npc9iLA
— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) December 5, 2017
Further analysis of the respondents showed that men were more in favour of a united Ireland than women, as were 18-34 year olds than any other age group.
The majority of people over the age 55 were not in favour of a united Ireland.
Ireland has a generation gap when it comes to support for a United Ireland https://t.co/2J7UOFgzvV @ClaireByrneLive #CBLive pic.twitter.com/fkKNVhnfpr
— Amárach Research (@AmarachResearch) December 5, 2017
Elsewhere in the poll, a 57 per cent majority of people fear a return to violence if customs checkpoints return to the border with Northern Ireland after Brexit.
Results of our #CBLive @AmarachResearch poll: A majority fear a return to violence if #Brexit brings border checks. pic.twitter.com/TPnFDgqIXq
— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) December 5, 2017
On the topic of Brexit, almost 70 per cent of people said they believed the exit process was negatively effecting Ireland's relationship with Britain.
68% of those polled for #CBLive by @AmarachResearch feel #Brexit process is damaging our relationship with Britain. pic.twitter.com/v9nMH55QYi
— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) December 5, 2017