MEDIA RELEASE
Poll verdict on the future King Charles: "unpopular and untrusted – even at home"
EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2017
A new poll of public opinion in the UK is bad news for Prince Charles. Research conducted by FTI Consulting on behalf of the Australian Republic Movement shows that almost two-in-three Brits – 63% or those surveyed – do not want Prince Charles to replace the Queen when she dies.
The largest group prefers another member of the British royal family.
"Australia will have a new head of state within a few years. The only question is who," says Australian Republic Movement CEO and National Director Michael Cooney.
"Will we have a hereditary King Charles III who does not even command the support of the British people – or will we have an Australian, chosen by Australians?"
Remarkably, only 39% of those polled said they trust the man who will be King of England and could be King of Australia.
"The British public has come to know Prince Charles over many decades – and these results show they hardly trust him at all," says Mr Cooney. "Why should we?"
The results show monarchists can no longer rely on an argument for stability.
“Change is coming, and the only question is what kind," Mr Cooney says.
"A new head of state is inevitable – but an Australian republic is not. Australians can only vote no to King Charles by choosing a republic."
“Australia must have this debate now, before we end up with King Charles as our head of state. We are a democracy and we should set our own timetable, not wait for someone else to decide. Australia should have a national vote by 2020 on the key questions so that we can change our constitution by 2022."
Other highlights
The institution of the monarchy itself may be in doubt, with 57% of respondents agreeing with the statement “hereditary rule is not appropriate in this modern era.” This rises to 67% among those aged under 35.
Eighty percent (80%) of respondents agreed that a country’s head of state “should only be a citizen of that country,” rejecting on principle the current situation in Australia (of having a foreign head of state).
Awareness of Australia’s predicament is lesser known in the UK, with 33% holding the view that the Prime Minister was Australia’s head of state, rather than the British Queen (29%). Only 17% of those polled thought the Queen is best placed to embody the ‘spirit of Australia’ as Head of State. More than half (53%) said she embodied the spirit of the United Kingdom.
The poll of 2531 respondents was conducted between 25 and 28 August 2017. It has a margin of error of 1.9%.
The ARM is campaigning for a national vote by 2020 to decide whether Australia should have an Australian as head of state and how that head of state should be chosen.
Media Contact: Michael Cooney, National Director and CEO, Australian Republic Movement +61 417 248 650
FTI Research Data Tables
FTI Consulting is an independent global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. FTI’s multi-disciplinary team consists of professionals who have served in major strategy firms, research consultancies, political campaigns, financial institutions and academic institutions. FTI have earned a reputation for gaining insights from hard-to-reach audiences. http://www.fticonsulting.com/
• Research was conducted online • Research was conducted from 25th to 28th August • n=2,531 respondents (UK Adult General Population) • Results are weighted in terms of age, gender, location and voting behaviour in the EU referendum & General Election • For more information: [email protected]
Note: As a consequence of rounding up percentage results, the answers to some questions might not always add up to 100%.
Who do you consider is best placed to embody the spirit of the United Kingdom as the head of state? 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 An elected person specifically for this role 14 21 14 9 A government appointed person 3 6 4 1 Prime Minister 14 20 13 10 Head of UK Monarchy 53 31 51 69 Other 2 3 2 1 Don't know 14 18 16 10
Who do you consider is the head of state for Australia? 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 An elected person specifically for this role 9 11 8 8 A government appointed person 6 11 4 4 Prime Minister 33 24 35 38 Head of UK Monarchy 29 18 30 35 Other 1 1 1 0 Don't know 23 35 23 14
Who do you consider is best placed to embody the spirit of Australia as the head of state? 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 An elected person specifically for this role 18 20 18 18 A government appointed person 6 11 4 4 Prime Minister 30 24 30 35 Head of UK Monarchy 17 11 18 22 Other 1 1 1 1 Don't know 27 33 29 22
Generally speaking, which of the following best describes your attitude to the following:
The Prince of Wales 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 Trust 39 42 40 35 Cautious of 33 31 29 37 Suspicious of 13 15 13 12 Distrust 12 11 14 12 Hate 4 2 5 4
Who do you think should replace Her Majesty The Queen at the appropriate time to do so? 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 The Prince of Wales 37 28 35 44 The Duke of Cambridge 41 40 42 42 Other Royal Family members 7 12 7 4 None There shouldn't be a monarchy 15 20 17 11
How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements: Hereditary rule is not appropriate in this modern era 18 to Column % Total 35 to 49 50+ 34 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 (4) Strongly agree 24 29 25 20 (3) Slightly agree 34 38 36 29 (2) Slightly disagree 25 23 23 26 (1) Strongly disagree 18 10 15 25 Net: Agree 57 67 61 48 Net: Disagree 43 33 39 52 Mean 3 3 3 2 Effective Base 1718 519 442 759 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 Sample Base 2531 789 655 1087 Median 3 3 3 2 Interpolated Median 3 3 3 2
The head of state should only be a citizen of that country 18 to Column % Total 35 to 49 50+ 34 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 (4) Strongly agree 46 38 45 53 (3) Slightly agree 33 40 37 26 (2) Slightly disagree 14 17 14 13 (1) Strongly disagree 6 5 4 8 Net: Agree 80 78 82 79 Net: Disagree 20 22 18 21 Mean 3 3 3 3 Effective Base 1718 519 442 759 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 Sample Base 2531 789 655 1087 Median 3 3 3 4 Interpolated Median 3 3 3 4
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The citizens alone should choose who their head of state is 18 to 35 to Column % Total 50+ 34 49 Unweighted Base 2531 789 655 1087 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 (4) Strongly agree 26 34 25 22 (3) Slightly agree 32 39 38 24 (2) Slightly disagree 23 18 21 27 (1) Strongly disagree 19 9 15 28 Net: Agree 58 73 64 45 Net: Disagree 42 27 36 55 Mean 3 3 3 2 Effective Base 1718 519 442 759 Weighted Base 2531 738 691 1102 Sample Base 2531 789 655 1087 Median 3 3 3 2 Interpolated Median 3 3 3 2