Support for NI agreement falls to 56%
Support for the Good Friday Agreement has fallen to a record low in the North, according to a survey published today.
The study, which was carried out following the suspension of the political institutions on Monday, found that just 56% of the 1,000 people questioned support the agreement, compared to 70% four years ago.
The survey also found that just one-third of unionists would vote in favour the agreement if the 1998 referendum was held now.
Around 82% of nationalists said they would still vote for the agreement.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers poll also showed a hardening of attitudes among the unionist community, with 58% saying they don't want to share power with either SDLP or Sinn Fein, which represent the vast majority of Catholics in the North between them.
Across the community divide, more than half of respondents said the eradication of all paramilitary activity should be a pre-requisite of restoring devolved government.
In addition, more than half of nationalists said they would be prepared to see a re-negotiation of the agreement, despite the fact that the Irish Government, the British government, Sinn Fein and the SDLP have all ruled out such a move.
