Canadians Lukewarm on Monarchy, Would Pick William as Next King
Canadians do not appear particularly enthusiastic about the continuation of the monarchy, but almost half would prefer to see Prince William as the next monarch, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,008 Canadian adults, two-in-five respondents (40%) would like Canada to have an elected head of state, while 28 per cent would prefer to remain a monarchy.
This is the second highest level of support for an elected head of state since Angus Reid Public Opinion began tracking this question in October 2009.
More than half of Quebecers (54%) support the idea of having an elected head of state in Canada, while Alberta has the highest level of support for the monarchy (39%, followed by Ontario and British Columbia with 33% each). Men (54%) are more likely than women (33%) to call for an elected head of state for Canada.
At least seven-in-ten Canadians hold favourable views of Prince William (76%), Kate Middleton (75%) and Queen Elizabeth II (70%). Prince Harry is next of the list of popular members of the Royal Family with 62 per cent, followed by Prince Philip with 51 per cent. The results are decidedly less positive for Prince Charles (39%) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (23%).
Half of Canadians (49%) support reopening Canada’s constitutional debate to discuss the possibility of replacing the monarch with an elected head of state, while one third (33%) are opposed. Almost half of respondents (47%) would like to see Prince William take over as King after Queen Elizabeth II, while just 18 per cent would prefer to have Prince Charles as monarch.
People who wish to become citizens of Canada recite an “Oath of Citizenship” where they swear, or affirm, to bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Canadians are divided on the oath, with 48 per cent suggesting that it should be changed, and 45 per cent thinking it should remain as it is. While a majority of respondents in Ontario (55%), Atlantic Canada (53%), British Columbia (52%) and Alberta (51%) would keep the current oath, only 21 per cent of Quebecers concur.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
Methodology:From April 22 to April 23, 2013, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,008 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.
