SUPPORT for the Greens remains rock solid at 5% for the fifth consecutive Millward Brown/IMS poll, leaving the party reasonably well placed to hold its six seats and possibly make a gain or two. The party's support is highest in Dublin at 7%, though this is marginally down on the 8% vote it got in 2002 when it took five seats in the capital.
The satisfaction rating of party leader Trevor Sargent is unchanged at just 36%, the lowest approval rating of all the party leaders. However, Sargent also has the lowest level of dissatisfaction . . . with just 27% of voters voicing their disapproval with the Green leader. He also attracted by far the highest number of 'don't knows' on this question. Sargent is popular among Green voters, with 85% of them expressing satisfaction with his performance as leader and just 3% expressing dissatisfaction.
Support for the Greens is considerably higher among women voters than men (7% versus 3%) and among those in the 25-34 age group (9%), but is particularly low among farmers and those over 65. Ironically, for a party focused on the environment, the party's support base is almost exclusively urban. It attracts 7% in urban areas compared to just 2% from rural dwellers.
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