Their Netflix show might be popular, but favourability towards Harry and Meghan has reached a new low, Ipsos survey reveals

Australians are conflicted on the future role of the monarchy with roughly half believing we should sever ties with British royalty, according to a new Ipsos poll.

However, Australians can see both positives and negatives to having the monarchy as the nation’s head of state, and the mixed opinions are unlikely to be conclusive enough to achieve the consensus required for constitutional change.

But Australians are clear on one thing: a little over eight in ten (83%) believe Queen Elizabeth II did a good job in her role as monarch. However (underscoring the uncertainty of the future of the monarchy in Australia), only a slim majority (59%) agree they are confident King Charles III will do a good job in his role as monarch.

Overall, Australians are very much split in their opinion when it comes to the monarchy. Roughly half (54%) agree that following the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, Australia should end its formal ties to the British monarchy.  However, 46% disagree. Respondents under the age of 50 are more likely to agree – 65% of 18-29 year olds and 59% of 30-49 year olds agree that links should be severed, compared to 49% of 50-64 year olds and 53% of those over the age of 64.

Despite the mixed feelings, Australians do want their voices heard. A majority (58%) of Australians agree that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should hold a referendum on the future of the monarchy in Australia, while four in ten (43%) disagree with this idea.

Arguments for keeping the monarchy in Australia

Australians see some valid arguments for keeping the monarchy in Australia:

• A majority (59%) agrees the constitutional monarchy helps to define Australian identity and should continue to be our form of government.
• More than six in ten (64%) agree that the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, will help keep the monarchy relevant to Australians.
• Nearly six in ten (59%) agree that the monarchy provides Australians with stability during precarious times.

Australians are split on whether the monarchy has too much of a role in national affairs – 49% agree with 51% disagreeing (21% strongly/31% somewhat)

Arguments for abolishing the monarchy in Australia

Conversely, many agree with arguments in support of severing ties with the British Crown:

• Six in ten (62%) agree that the King and Royal family should not have any formal role in Australian society as the royals are simply celebrities and nothing more.
• Only 49% agree that King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will help keep the monarchy relevant to Australians.
• A majority (57%) agrees the monarchy is too linked to the history of colonialism and slavery to have a place in today’s Australian society.
• A similar proportion (56%) agrees (24% strongly/32% somewhat) Australia is not truly an independent nation if it continues to support the monarchy.

Australians have mixed feelings about King Charles III; are unfavourable towards Queen Consort

With King Charles III relatively new to his role, Australians appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach to how he handles himself as monarch, although sentiment is more on the side of favourable than unfavourable.

However, the real challenge may be for Camilla, Queen Consort, who is coming into her role with 1½ times as many Australians viewing her unfavourably as favourably.

Interestingly there is a genuine split when it comes to the two Princes and their wives: William and Catherine are most favoured, while Harry is below his father, the King, and Meghan is in-line with Queen Consort Camilla.

Ipsos Public Affairs Australia Deputy Managing Director, David Elliott, said: “The findings are interesting from a number of different angles. While the majority agree that Queen Elizabeth did a good job in her role as monarch, they are less convinced about King Charles III. Further, as a nation, we are now pretty evenly split as to whether now is the time to sever ties with the monarchy, with people on each side of the fence seeing valid arguments for their stance.

“It is not overly surprising to see Aussies much prefer Prince William and Princess Kate than King Charles and the Queen Consort, Camilla. The popularity of the younger royals has been solid for some time. However, the real surprise is the fall in popularity of Prince Harry. Ipsos conducted a study in March 2018, just prior to their wedding, and Prince Harry topped the list as most liked royal in Australia (37%), ahead of William and Kate at 29%. At the time, Harry was also viewed more favourably overall, with 49% favourable towards him (48% for William).

“The results suggest the Prime Minister is right in his caution around any rapid move to sever ties with the monarchy, and in the government’s intention to consult widely before moving towards a referendum.”

About the Study:

This study did not have any external sponsors or partners. It was initiated and run by Ipsos, because we are curious about the world we live in and how citizens around the globe think and feel about their world.

These are the results of an Australian survey conducted by Ipsos on its Fast Facts online platform. Ipsos interviewed a total of 1000 Australian adults aged 18+. The data is weighted so that the sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.

Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don’t know” or not stated responses.

Sample surveys and polls may be subject to sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. The precision of the online surveys conducted is measured using a Bayesian Credibility Interval. Here, the Australian results have a credibility interval of +/-3.5 percentage points. For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please go to: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/2017-03/IpsosPA_CredibilityIntervals.pdf

As a foundation member of the Australian Polling Council Ipsos complies with the Council’s Code of Conduct. The purpose of the Code is to provide journalists and the public with greater confidence and trust in publicly released polling and survey data. We strongly encourage the inclusion of methodological details in any reference to published Ipsos results.

This study is compliant with the Australian Polling Council Code of Conduct. The Long Methodology Disclosure Statement for the study will be available at https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/disclosure_statements within two business days.