Some 44% percent of people would prefer a fresh general election than see an extension of the confidence and supply arrangement.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin met last night to discuss the arrangement – which has kept the minority Fine Gael Government in power over the past three budgets.
Negotiations on a new deal are due to begin next week.
Fine Gael remains the country’s most popular party according to the Irish Times/ IPSOS poll, carried out at the end of last week.
It puts them up two points to 33% - with Fianna Fáil down 1 to 25%.
Meanwhile Sinn Féin is just behind on 24% - a rise of 2 points.
Support for the Taoiseach and the Government as a whole has slipped – with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald the only leader to receive a boost.
Meanwhile, most voters feel last week’s budget will make little difference to their wallets.
A fresh election seems unlikely in the current climate – with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael reluctant to pull the plug on the Government while Brexit remains in the balance.
Ahead of tomorrow’s crunch summit of EU leaders tomorrow, the Taoiseach has said that securing a legally operable Irish border ‘backstop’ within the UKs Withdrawal Agreement remains the Government’s top priority.
Micheál Martin meanwhile, has warned that holding an election while Brexit talks are entering their most critical phase would create “dangerous instability.”
Mr Varadkar has called for an extension of the confidence and supply arrangement until 2020 – however Deputy Martin will face stiff opposition from some in his party if he moves in that direction.
The talks will largely be influenced by what comes out of Brexit negotiations over the next few weeks.
If a deal remains elusive, neither party will want to be seen as the one that brought down the government at such a sensitive time.
But if a final agreement looks more concrete, the Taoiseach may be encouraged to seek a more stable mandate from the people before Christmas.
The scramble over the weekend to shore up the support of Independent TDs would suggest that, for now at least, the threat of an election has receded.
