Britain's Views On The Monarchy - 2002
Research commissioned by ITV1's 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' shows that three in four of the British population (77%) will be celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee this weekend, either directly or by following media coverage.
Research commissioned by ITV1's 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' shows that three in four of the British population (77%) will be celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee this weekend, either directly or by following media coverage.
The research also shows that 82% of the population are satisfied with the way the Queen is doing her job as Monarch — the highest level of satisfaction in ten years — but 78% believe that Prince Charles should take on more duties of state as Her Majesty becomes older.
Half of Britain (49%) thinks that Prince Charles should marry Camilla Parker-Bowles — the highest proportion since the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Three in ten (30%) of people believe that she should become Queen if Prince Charles became King. However, in this scenario, two-thirds (66%) of people believe Mrs Parker Bowles' title should be 'Consort to HRH'. One in ten (9%) believe she should have the title 'Queen Camilla' while 7% believe 'Princess of Wales' is most appropriate and further 7% prefer 'Princess Camilla'.
The nation is split 80% versus 20% in favour of Britain remaining a Monarchy and 41% of the British public feel that the Monarchy has strengthened following the deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. When questioned about the future of the Monarchy, 86% of the population believe it will be present in ten years time, 44% in 50 years time and only 26% think that Britain will have a monarchy in 100 years time.
Professor Sir Robert Worcester, Chairman of MORI, commented: "This is good news for The Royal Family with some of the highest ratings we have monitored for the Queen in the last two decades."
Topline Results
- Fieldwork dates: 24-26 May 2002
- All figures in percentages
- Base: Nationally representative sample of British adults, aged 16+ (1,002)
- Data have been weighted to the known population profile of British adults
- Interviews conducted by telephone by MORI Telephone Surveys (MTS) using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing)
- Numbers may not always add up to 100% due to computer rounding or multiple answers
Q1 If there was a referendum on the issue, would you favour Britain becoming a republic or remaining a Monarchy?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Republic | 19 |
| Monarchy | 74 |
| Would not vote | 3 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q2 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Queen is doing her job as Monarch?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Satisfied | 82 |
| Dissatisfied | 12 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q3 Assuming that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles stay together, do you think they should get married or continue their relationship outside marriage?
| % | |
|---|---|
| They should get married | 49 |
| Continue their relationship outside marriage | 22 |
| Neither/don't know | 29 |
Q4 If Prince Charles were to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles and he became King, do you think that Camilla should become Queen by his side?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 30 |
| No | 62 |
| Don't know | 8 |
Q5 And which of the following titles do you think would be most appropriate for Camilla to have if she married Prince Charles and he took the throne?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Queen Camilla | 9 |
| Princess Camilla | 7 |
| Princess of Wales | 7 |
| Consort to HRH | 66 |
| None of these | 7 |
| Don't know | 5 |
Q6 The Queen has recently indicated that she will not abdicate. To what extent do you agree or disagree that Prince Charles should take on more duties of state as the Queen becomes older?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Agree strongly | 38 |
| Tend to agree | 39 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 8 |
| Tend to disagree | 5 |
| Strongly disagree | 5 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q7 In which, if any of the following ways, do you intend to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee next weekend?
| % | |
|---|---|
| By attending a celebration in your local area such as a street party | 20 |
| By attending an event in your town or city | 15 |
| By travelling to another town or city to attend an event or celebration | 5 |
| By attending an event or celebration while staying with friends or relatives | 11 |
| By attending or taking part in a national event | 4 |
| Holding a special celebration with your own family or friends | 16 |
| Purchasing or collecting a commemorative item such as a mug or set of postage stamps | 17 |
| Watching the celebrations and events on television or listening to them on radio | 42 |
| Following the celebrations and events in magazines and newspapers | 26 |
| Other (please specify) | 8 |
| None of these | 22 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q8 In your opinion, is the Monarchy stronger or weaker following the deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Much stronger | 11 |
| Somewhat stronger | 30 |
| No change | 34 |
| Somewhat weaker | 15 |
| Much weaker | 4 |
| Don't know | 5 |
Q13 Looking to the future, do you think that Britain will or will not have a Monarchy in 10 years / 50 years / 100 years time?
| 10 Years | 50 Years | 100 Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Will | 86 | 44 | 26 |
| Will not | 9 | 33 | 46 |
| Don't know | 5 | 23 | 28 |
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