Positive perceptions of six senior members of the Royal Family—including King Charles III—are lower now than in September 2022.
Vancouver, BC [March 15, 2023] – The proportion of Canadians who would like to maintain a form of government with a monarch has fallen to the lowest level recorded in 14 years, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, only 19% of Canadians say they would prefer for Canada to remain a monarchy, down 12 points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in September 2022.
More than four-in-five Canadians (44%, +8) would prefer for Canada to have an elected head of state, while 22% (-2) do not care either way and 15% (+4) are undecided.
Fewer than one-in-four Albertans (24%, -18), Atlantic Canadians (also 24%, -16) and British Columbians (23%, -11) endorse the continuation of the monarchy. The numbers are lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (20%, -6), Ontario (19%, -12) and Quebec (14%, -11).
Across the country, only 32% of Canadians (-14) have a favourable opinion of King Charles III, while fewer than one-in-four (22%, -10) express similar feelings about Queen Consort Camilla.
Just over a third of Atlantic Canadians (36%), Ontarians (34%) and British Columbians (also 34%) hold positive views on King Charles III. The numbers are lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (32%), Alberta (30%) and Quebec (27%).
“In February 2022, almost two thirds of Canadians (64%) held favourable views on Queen Elizabeth II,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Thirteen months later, the rating for the current monarch is exactly half.”
Positive perceptions also fell for four other members of the Royal Family: William, Prince of Wales (54%, -13), Catherine, Princess of Wales (also 54%, -13), Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (46%, -18) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (41%, -12).
Canadians who watched the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan” are more likely to have a favourable opinion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (71% and 68% respectively).
Seven-in-ten Canadians (70%, -4) think King Charles III should commit to reduce the carbon footprint of the entire Royal Family, while almost two thirds (65%, -4) want him to advance the cause of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Half of Canadians (50%, -5) would have liked to see Prince William as monarch of the United Kingdom and the other 14 Commonwealth realms, including Canada. Just over a third of Canadians (35%, +1) say they have a problem with King Charles III being featured on coins and bills that will be used in Canada.
Fewer than half of Canadians (47%, -5) expect Canada to still be a monarchy in twenty years, while more than a third (36%, +5) believe the country will feature an elected head of state by then.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from March 3 to March 5, 2023, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error – which measures sample variability – is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
or more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca