Unions opposed to FairPoint Communications Inc.’s plan to buy Verizon land lines in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont released a poll Tuesday that says most northern New England residents who have heard about the acquisition and have an opinion on it stand in opposition.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America commissioned Fingerhut Granados Opinion Research to survey 1,500 northern New England residents, or 500 in each state. The survey took place between Sept. 10 and 12, before the unions began running ads against the acquisition.

Each respondent was given a brief description of FairPoint and information about the acquisition provided by the unions, according to Vic Fingerhut of the Washington, D.C.-based research firm.

Across the three states, 23 percent of those surveyed had heard of North Carolina-based FairPoint and had an opinion on the acquisition. Of that group, 60 percent thought the acquisition was “a bad idea,” and 40 percent thought it was “a good idea,” according to Fingerhut.

In Maine, 58 percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of FairPoint, while 34 percent said they knew the company and 8 percent said they knew the company after hearing a brief description from the pollster, according to Fingerhut.

Of the 34 percent of Maine respondents who had heard of FairPoint, 26 percent thought the acquisition was a good idea, 32 percent thought it was a bad idea, and 42 percent were undecided, according to Fingerhut.

Of all those surveyed in Maine, 11 percent thought the acquisition was a good idea, 51 percent thought it was a bad idea, and 38 percent were undecided, according to Fingerhut. Initially, 32 percent were opposed, but after the pollsters told respondents more about the deal, opposition rose to 51 percent, Fingerhut said.

A FairPoint spokesman said Tuesday in an e-mail that the company was not familiar with the poll but was “extremely pleased with the overwhelming public support at the three recent public hearings.”

Of concern to the unions is FairPoint’s financial capacity to retain employees while investing in and maintaining quality phone and high-speed Internet services, given the $1.7 billion it would have to pay Verizon.