How the Irish voted in the abortion referendum

Exit poll data from Ireland’s historic abortion referendum has indicated a landslide win for advocating liberalisation of its restrictive laws.

Here are some of the trends that have appeared from polls carried out for the Irish Times and RTE:

– Young versus old

The polling data suggests a huge gulf in views held by Ireland’s youngest and oldest generations.

Both exit surveys recorded support for the Yes camp at approaching 90% among 18 to 24-year-olds.

By contrast, the over-65 group was the only age bracket to vote No, with around 60% wanting to retain the Eighth Amendment.

– Urban versus rural

As predicted, urban areas appear to have been more strongly in favour of repeal, at just over 70%.

But according to the polls, rural areas also voted Yes, with around 60 to 63% in favour.

– Region by region

In keeping with the urban/rural trend, Dublin had the highest Yes vote of around 78%.

In Leinster, just under two-thirds of voters (66%) backed liberalisation, with a similar figure in Munster.

In Connacht/Ulster, the figure was slightly lower at around 61%.