While Queen Lauded and People Warm to Prince Charles,
Country Split on Future of Monarchy in Canada

Toronto, ON - Following lavish celebrations in London and across the commonwealth to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years as sovereign of the United Kingdom, Canada and other commonwealth countries, a new Ipsos Reid poll has revealed that the celebrations have maintained her already-high levels of personal support, and Canadians have grown more favourable to the idea of the monarchy in Canada, in general.

Eight in ten (83%) Canadians `agree' (42% strongly/41% somewhat) that `Queen Elizabeth has done a good job in her role as monarch', unchanged from when the same question was asked in July of 2011, following the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Just two in ten (17%) `disagree' (5% strongly/12% somewhat) that Queen Elizabeth has done a good job.

Rather than enjoying the celebrations with the extended royal family, as she did to mark her 50th jubilee, the Queen was mainly seen in public with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall - first in line to the throne, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - second in line to the throne, and Prince Harry - third in line to the throne. These members of the royal family have been criss-crossing the commonwealth in celebration of the Queen, and Prince Charles and Camilla visited Canada two weeks ago.

It appears that the jubilee, along with the royal visit to Canada, has led Canadians to warm slightly to the idea of "King Charles", as the country is now pretty evenly split on whether Prince Charles should skip his place in line for the throne and pass the reign on to his son, Prince William (54% say yes, down 6 points since July 2011; 46% say no, up 6 points).

However, it remains clear that Will and Kate are the future of the monarchy, with three quarters (75%) `agreeing' (29% strongly/46% somewhat) that `Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, will help keep the monarchy relevant to Canadians', although this is down 6 points from polling conducted immediately following their royal visit to Canada last year. Still, just one quarter (25%) `disagrees' (8% strongly/17% somewhat) that they'll help keep the monarchy relevant in Canada.

Jubilee Gives Constitutional Monarchy a Boost...

The jubilee appears to have had a positive effect on Canadians' perceptions of the institution of the monarchy, in general. A minority (46%) of Canadians now `agree' (17% strongly/29% somewhat) that `the constitutional monarchy is outdated' and that they would `prefer a republic system of government with an elected head of state, like they do in the United States', down 7 points since November of 2010. A majority (54%) now `disagrees' (26% strongly/27% somewhat) with this notion (up 7 points).

Less than half (47%) `agree' (21% strongly/26% somewhat) that `when Queen Elizabeth's reign ends, Canada should end its formal ties to the British monarchy', down one point since a similar poll conducted in June of 2011. Conversely, a slim majority (53%) `disagrees' (27% strongly disagree/26% somewhat) with ending the monarchy in Canada (up 1 point).

Moreover, six in ten (61%) `agree' (22% strongly/39% somewhat) that `the constitutional monarchy helps to define Canadian identity and should continue to be our form of government', up 4 points since November 2010. In fact, 63% of respondents who were not born in Canada agree that the monarchy helps to define Canadian identity. Conversely, four in ten (39%) Canadians, overall, `disagree' (16% strongly/23% somewhat) with this assertion.

Canadians have even become more passive in some areas where they used to feel more strongly. For example, only a slim majority (53%) now `agrees' (21% strongly/32% somewhat) that `the Queen and the royal family should not have any formal role in Canadian society' and that they are `simply celebrities and nothing more', down 8 points since November of 2010. Nearly half (47%) `disagrees' (18% strongly/29% somewhat) that they are simply celebrities, up 8 points.

Half (51%) of Canadians `agree' (16% strongly/35% somewhat) that `Canada's head of state should be the Governor General, not the Queen', down 5 points since November 2010. The other half (49%) of Canadians `disagree' (49%) (20% strongly/29% somewhat), up 5 points.

However, most (66%) continue to `agree' (30% strongly/37% somewhat) that `Canada's head of state should live in Canada', although the proportion that thinks so has decreased by 9 points. Conversely, one in three (34%) `disagrees' (10% strongly/23% somewhat) that the head of state should live in Canada (up 9 points).

In the end, there doesn't appear to be an overwhelming appetite for change as half (52%) of Canadians `agree' (12% strongly/39% somewhat) that `the issue of the monarchy and our form of government isn't important' to them, and so `why go through the fuss of changing something that seems to work okay', up 1 point since November 2010. The other half (48%) of Canadians `disagree' (18% strongly/30% somewhat) with this statement, down 1 point.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 6 and 8 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. 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:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

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