Published on ConservativeHome on 05 May 2023.
Yesterday we looked at what my new polling tells us about how people in the UK see the monarchy in the run-up to the coronation. Today I will explore how things look in the “Commonwealth realms” – the 14 other countries around the world where the King is the head of state.
My polling found that in six of these countries, more said they would vote to become a republic in a referendum tomorrow than would choose to remain a constitutional monarchy. Margins for a republic were tight in Antigua and Barbuda (2 points), Australia (7 points) and Jamaica (9 points), but rather less so in The Bahamas, Canada (both 24 points) and the Solomon Islands (25 points).
In all 15 countries, the proportion thinking a referendum would result in the status quo was higher than the proportion saying they would vote for a republic. In Antigua and – notably – Australia, more said they thought their countries would choose to keep the monarchy tomorrow than that it would vote for change, despite the results of their own “referendum” question.
In most countries, large majorities of pro-republic voters thought such a move would bring real, practical benefits. However, substantial minorities of them in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and most of them in the Solomon Islands, said the monarchy was “wrong in principle and should be replaced whether there are practical benefits or not.” Majorities of pro-republic voters in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Jamaica agreed that having the monarchy had been good for their countries in the past, but makes no sense today.
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