King Charles is doing a “good job”, according to a majority of people surveyed for a YouGov poll ahead of the first anniversary of the late Queen’s death.
But when asked if Britain should continue to have a monarchy, or opt for an elected head of state, support for the institution fell as those questioned got younger.
The survey found 80% of the over-65s voiced their approval for the royal family but only 37% of 18-24 year olds did. Some 61% of all age groups questioned said the country should keep the monarchy, 24% wanted an elected head of state and 15% were unsure.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral in Scotland on September 8 last year, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
The King and Queen will mark the period privately at their Scottish estate.
YouGov polled 2,020 adults in Great Britain during August 26-28 and when the polling firm asked if the “King personally is doing a good or bad job”, 59% of those questioned said he was doing a good job compared with only 17% who say he is doing a bad job.
When asked if they thought the royal family were good value for money, 53% said they were, compared with 34% who said they were not.
Again the generations were split with three quarters of the over-65s saying the royals were good value for money – but among 18 to 24-year-olds, just 34% agreed.
The survey found 58% thought the monarchy was good for Britain, 21% considered the institution bad for the country, while 21% said it is neither good nor bad, and 11% were unsure.
Asked if they felt proud or embarrassed by the royal family, 48% of those questioned said they felt pride in the monarchy, compared to 19% who felt embarrassed. A further 30% said they are neither proud of, nor embarrassed by, the monarchy, while 3% answered “don’t know”.
