Two thirds of Canadians hold a favourable opinion of Queen Elizabeth II, but just one third feels the same way about Prince Charles.

The proportion of Canadians who want the country to remain a monarchy has increased just days after Queen Elizabeth II ended a visit to the country, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,022 Canadians, 36 per cent of respondents want Canada to remain a monarchy, while 30 per cent would prefer to have an elected head of state. A fifth of Canadians (21%) are indifferent in this particular matter.

In an Angus Reid Public Opinion survey conducted in May—before the Queen’s visit—33 per cent of respondents wanted the country to remain a monarchy, while 36 per cent chose having an elected head of state.

The Royals and Their Visits

Queen Elizabeth II remains highly popular, with 69 per cent of Canadians saying they have a favourable opinion of her (unchanged since May). Her husband, Prince Phillip, is not as well-liked—only 47 per cent hold a positive opinion of him.

Prince Charles draws more negative (44%) than positive (34%) reviews; his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is particularly unpopular, with 47 per cent of Canadians saying they hold a negative opinion of her, and only 17 per cent saying the contrary.

Prince William (66%) remains slightly more liked than his brother Harry (59%). A third of Canadians (32%) ignore who Kate Middleton—Prince William’s girlfriend—is.

While 41 per cent of Canadians would like to see more visits by the Royal Family to our country, 46 per cent oppose this idea. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) would eliminate all Royal visits to Canada, but 62 per cent disagree with this course of action.

After Queen Elizabeth II

When Canadians are asked who they would like to have as monarch in the event Queen Elizabeth II dies or abdicates, Prince William is chosen over Prince Charles by a 2-to-1 margin (39% to 18%). The proportion of respondents favouring Prince Charles—the direct heir to the throne—has dropped four points since May. A third of Canadians (32%) think there should be no monarch after Queen Elizabeth II.

Two thirds of respondents (66%) would like to see a Canadian serving as a head of state, a slight drop of three points since May. However, the proportion of respondents who are willing to open a constitutional debate on the monarchy has dropped significantly dropped, from 52 per cent in May to 44 per cent this month.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Jodi Shanoff, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
+416 712 5498
jodi.shanoff@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From July 7 to July 8, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,022 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.