Public support for the monarchy has fallen to a record low, research carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has revealed today.
With the King’s coronation just a week away, the British Social Attitudes survey shows those who deem the monarchy to be very important has dropped to its lowest point of 29 per cent.
There was a positive spike in 2022 which coincided with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the passing of HM The Queen Elizabeth II, when 38 per cent deemed the monarchy as ‘very important’ and just 15 per cent said it was ‘not very important’.
But those figures have fallen back in 2023 – the year of King Charles III’s coronation – with just 29 per cent saying the monarchy was very important and 25 per cent saying it was not very important.
Commenting on the findings, Guy Goodwin, chief executive at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) says: “NatCen has been collecting data on public attitudes towards the monarchy for 40 years.
“Those who think it is very important for Britain to have a monarchy is at its lowest point since we have collected this information.
“Whilst we are observing a downward trend in support for the monarchy, it is clear from the data that important national events and celebrations, such as jubilees, marriages and births, have a clear and positive effect on society’s views towards the monarchy.
“Throughout the 2010s, we saw an increase in support for Britain to continue to have a monarchy, which coincided with the marriage of HRH The Prince of Wales and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.”
Guy Goodwin adds: “The majority of the public still support the royal family, and whilst support tends to be more amongst those aged 55 and over, the challenge going forward will be for the monarchy to deliver its relevance and appeal to a younger generation to maintain this support.”
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