Boost in personal ratings for King Charles and Prince William after the Coronation – but support for a republic also reaches new high

• 63% are satisfied with the job King Charles is doing as Monarch, up 6 points since April
• Satisfaction with William as Prince of Wales also rises 11 points to 73%
• But while 62% still want to keep the monarchy, the 28% who favour a republic is the highest Ipsos has recorded in 30 years of tracking

The latest Ipsos Political Monitor, taken 10th to 16th May 2023, explores attitudes to the monarchy over time, public satisfaction with King Charles and Prince William and what impact, if any, the recent Coronation has had on people’s views.

Monarchy vs Republic

• 62% of Britons favour continuing with a monarchy (down three points from March) with 28% in favour of a republic (up three points). 
• The proportion of Britons who favour a republic is the highest Ipsos has recorded going back to the early 1990s (although the public still prefer retaining the monarchy by a more than two to one margin)

• Attitudes to the monarchy vary by age. 47% of 18-34s favour a monarchy and 40% a republic, whereas 74% of those aged 55+ prefer a monarchy and 18% a republic. 

Would Britain be better / worse off without a Monarchy?

43% think Britain would be worse off if the monarchy was abolished, 17% say Britain would be better off and 35% say it would make no difference. This picture is largely unchanged since the early 2000s, although the proportion saying ‘better off’ has increased slightly from 13% in May 2022.

King Charles as Monarch and the Coronation

• 63% are satisfied with the job King Charles is doing as Monarch (up 6 points in April pre-Coronation). 17% are dissatisfied (+2 pts).  This is back to similar levels he received as Prince of Wales last year.

• Meanwhile, 73% are satisfied with the job Prince William is doing as Prince of Wales and 10% are dissatisfied. The proportion satisfied is up 11 points from the 62% recorded in April.  As Duke of Cambridge, he received satisfaction ratings of 73% in 2021 and 81% in 2022.
• Most people think the Coronation itself has not had a significant impact on their perceptions of the monarchy. 19% say they feel more positive about the monarchy because of the Coronation, another 19% say they feel less positive, but 6 in 10 (61%) say it has made no difference.

Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos, said:

Both King Charles and Prince William have seen improvements in their public satisfaction ratings after the Coronation, to levels that most politicians would be only too delighted to receive.  And it remains the case that a clear majority of Britons want to keep the monarchy.       However, unlike Charles and William’s personal ratings, and unlike the examples of the previous Jubilees, that support for the institution itself has not seen a further boost after the Coronation ceremony.  Instead, the proportion who would prefer a republic has slowly increased to 28%, the highest level in 30 years of Ipsos tracking.  This reinforces the importance for the Royals to reach out to those who are more lukewarm in their support – especially young people.

Technical Note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,006 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone between the 10th  to 16th May 2023. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.