Two out of three Irish voters are in favour of legalising assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses, according to a new Behaviour & Attitudes poll for The Sunday Times.

Following the collapse of proposed legislation in the Dail earlier this year, seven out of ten people (71 per cent) said they would be opposed to the state prosecuting someone for helping a terminally ill person to end their life, while just 12 per cent said they would support a prosecution and the rest did not express an opinion.

Sixty-eight per cent of those interviewed said they would support legislation that would enable people with terminal illnesses to commit suicide in certain circumstances, to avoid pain or suffering, while one in five were opposed to this and the remaining 12 per cent had no opinion.

Support for assisted suicide was highest among those under the age of 35, with 79 per cent in favour. It was more than 20 percentage points lower among older voters, those aged 55 or over.