Majority (53%) of Canadians Now Believe Canada Should End Formal Ties to the British Monarchy when Queen Elizabeth II's Reign Ends, Up 10 Points
Toronto, ON - With memories of the pomp and circumstance of the Queen's 90th birthday celebration and a recent visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children beginning to fade, a majority (53%) of Canadians now `agree' (23% strongly/29% somewhat) that `when Queen Elizabeth's reign ends, Canada should end its formal ties to the British monarchy', according to a new Ipsos poll conducted for Global News.
This figure is up a significant 10 points since a September poll taken ahead of the royal visit. Support for this position is higher now than it has been since 2010, with William and Kate's wedding, the birth of their two children, the Diamond Jubilee, the Queen's 90th birthday and royal visits all providing positive boosts to the monarchy in the interim.
Those most likely to feel Canada should sever its ties to the monarchy once the Queen's reign ends include men (57% agree vs. 49% of women) and younger Canadians: six in ten Millennials (58%) agree that ties should be ended, compared to half (51%) of Gen X'ers and half (50%) of those aged 55 and over. Support for this viewpoint is strongest in Quebec (73%), far ahead of BC (51%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (49%), the Atlantic provinces (47%), Alberta (45%) and Ontario (44%).160
It is interesting to note that a majority of Canadians now hold this view, despite very high approval ratings of the Queen's performance as monarch. Overall, eight in ten (81%) Canadians `agree' (30% strongly/50% somewhat) that `Queen Elizabeth has done a good job in her role as monarch', down from 84% around her birthday, but still up from the 73% recorded in June of 2010.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who are less inclined to feel Canada should end its ties to the monarchy after the Queen's reign ends are more likely to agree she has done a good job in her role as monarch. Women (83%) are more likely than men (79%) to agree, while those aged 55 and over (84%) are the most likely to think Queen Elizabeth has done a good job (vs. 80% of Millennials and 78% of Gen X'ers). Looking across the country, residents of English Canada more likely than those in Quebec (66%) to think favourably of the Queen's performance as monarch: 87% of those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba agree she's done a good job, as do 86% of Albertans, 86% of Ontarians, 85% of Atlantic Canadians, and 83% of British Columbians.
Canadians appear conflicted on the role that the monarchy has or should have in Canada. While six in ten (60%) `agree' (26% strongly/34% somewhat) that `the Queen and the Royal Family should not have any formal role in Canadian society' and that the `royals are simply celebrities and nothing more' (up 9 points since September), a similar proportion (61%) `agrees' (19% strongly/42% somewhat) that `the constitutional monarchy helps to define Canadian identify and should continue to be our form of government' (up 3 points).
Given the constitutional challenges of changing the system of government in Canada and its head of state, it is interesting to note that two in three (67%) `agree' (22% strongly/45% somewhat) that `Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will help keep the Monarchy relevant to Canadians', a sentiment that is up 3 points since September.
"The Crown" Viewers More Positive towards Queen and System of Government
Thirteen (13%) percent of Canadians have seen the Netflix series "The Crown" (5% all ten episodes/8% some of the episodes). Those who have seen at least some of the episodes are more positive towards the monarchy and the system of government. This either suggests that those who are more favourable towards the monarchy and form of government are more likely to watch the series, or that the series is making people more favourable towards the Queen and the institution - or a bit of both.
- 88% of those who have seen the series believe the Queen has done a good job in her role as monarch, compared to 80% who haven't seen the series.
- 75% of those who have seen the series agree that the constitutional monarchy helps to define Canadian identity and should continue to be our form of government, compared to 59% of those who haven't seen the series.
- 75% of those who have seen the series agree that Will and Kate will help keep the monarchy relevant, compared to 66% of those who haven't seen the series.
Interestingly, those who have seen the series are no more or less likely to agree that the royals are simply celebrities and shouldn't have a formal role in Canadian society, or that Canada should end its ties to the monarchy when the Queen's reign ends.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between December 15 and 21, 2016, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 3,004 Canadians from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting160was then160employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval.160 In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Vice President, Canada, Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2002
[email protected]
Mitra Thompson
Senior Account Manager, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 514 904 4329
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 87 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is controlled and managed by research professionals. They have built a solid Group around a multi-specialist positioning-- Media and advertising research; Marketing research; Client and employee relationship management; Opinion & social research; Mobile, Online, Offline data collection and delivery. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999. www.ipsos.com
