How important is the monarchy to British people?
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For more than 30 years, NatCen’s British Social Attitudes survey has been asking the British public their views on the monarchy. The 2015 BSA report highlights important changes in attitudes towards the royal family.
First of all, regardless of when we asked, most people said having a monarchy was very important or important for the country. But the size of this majority has decreased significantly in the past 30 years. In 1983 more than four-fifths of the population (86%) were in favour of the monarchy. This figure fell to 66% in 1994 and it remained stable until 2011. This period of lower consensus coincided with allegations of Prince Charles’ infidelity and his subsequent separation from Diana.
By 2011 the tide of public opinion rose again: the percentage of those who supported the monarchy reached 74% of the population. Indeed, this increase has been sustained and in 2015 almost three in four people (73%) remained in favour of the monarchy. This strong rise in support is likely ...
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