The YouGov poll has revealed that almost a third of SDLP supporters (28 per cent) would be happy to remain in the UK. And only a minority of their voters (44 per cent) wanted a united Ireland.

Perhaps more surprisingly, still, 16 per cent of those surveyed who were Sinn Fein voters said they too would opt for the Province remaining in the UK.

In all, across the supporters of the five main political parties here, 55 per cent wanted to remain in the UK; 24 per cent supported a united Ireland; the rest either back independence or had no definite opinion.

The poll was commissioned by the Ulster Unionists and Conservative Party as part of joint research to inform their merger talks

UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said: “While all polling must be treated with caution, I thought the figures were very stark and should be a great source of encouragement to unionists because they suggest that if unionism conducts itself in the right way, it could appeal to a much broader base.

“It was not a total surprise to us that there is a significant pro-Union support amongst what is ostensibly a ‘nationalist’ electorate when you refer to the party they feel comfortable with voting for, for other reasons.”

Conservative shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said: “I think more and more people, post the Belfast Agreement, St Andrews, the Referendum, are interested in issues and especially national issues across the UK.

“The poll confirms there is a demand for what we are currently talking about with the Ulster Unionists, which is national politics, and that people do look more to mainland Britain than perhaps to southern Ireland.”

Coincidentally, DUP MLA Nelson McCausland has said “the nationalist community no longer believes in the inevitability of a united Ireland”.

Mr McCausland based his assertion on the findings of a straw poll conducted at the West Belfast Talks Back event held as part of the West Belfast Festival.

“A clear majority did not believe it would happen,” he claimed.

The YouGov polling was done in May of this year.