Fewer than one-in-five Canadians want monarchy to continue: poll

Positive perceptions among Canadians of the monarchy and members of the Royal Family are on the decline, according to a new poll by Research Co. 

According to the data, released Wednesday, only 19 per cent of Canadians would prefer that the country remain a monarchy, down 12 points since a similar poll conducted in September 2022.

Breaking down the data by region, 24 per cent of Albertans (down 18 points) and Atlantic Canadians (down 16 points) said they would prefer the continuation of the monarchy, while 23 per cent of B.C. residents (down 11 points) felt the same way.

The numbers are lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (20 per cent, down six points), Ontario (19 per cent, down 12 points) and Quebec (14 per cent, down 11 points).

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Only 32 per cent of Canadians had a favourable opinion of King Charles III, down 14 points since the last poll, according to the latest figures.

Fewer than one-in-four (22 per cent, down 10 points) of Canadians expressed similar feelings about Queen Consort Camilla.

“In February 2022, almost two thirds of Canadians (64 per cent) held favourable views on Queen Elizabeth II,” Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a news release. “Thirteen months later, the rating for the current monarch is exactly half.”

This latest poll found that the number of Canadians who held positive perceptions toward four other Royal family members also declined.

For instance, 54 per cent of Canadians (down 13 per cent) had a positive perception of both William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and felt less favourable toward Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (46 per cent, down 18 points) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (41 per cent , down 12 points).

Canadians who watched the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan” were more likely to think favourably of the couple at 71 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively.

Seventy per cent of Canadians (down four points) believe that King Charles III should commit to reducing the carbon footprint of the entire Royal Family, while 65 per cent (down four points) want him to advance the cause of reconciliation with Indigenous people.

When it comes to Prince William potentially becoming monarch of the U.K. and the other 14 commonwealth realms, 50 per cent of Canadians (down five points) said they would have liked to see him obtain the position.

About one-third of Canadians (35 per cent, up one point) say they would have a problem with King Charles III being featured on coins and bills in Canada.

Fewer than half of Canadians expect to still be a monarchy in twenty years, 47 per cent (down five points), while 36 per cent (up five points) think the country will feature an elected head of state by then.

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from March 3 to March 5, 2023, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error – which measures sample variability – is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

 

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.