The ‘Golden Age’ of the Monarchy? 13 million Brits plan on tuning into The Crown whilst King Charles receives 73% approval rating
LONDON, UK – 7 November 2022 – Following a turbulent year for the British Monarchy with the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II and ascension of King Charles III, Brits have never been more enamoured or interested in the secret life of the Royals, with Netflix set for record breaking viewing figures for season 5 of The Crown with 30% of Brits planning on tuning in, the equivalent to 13 million British viewers, SurveyMonkey research from Momentive has discovered*. King Charles III begins his reign with high favourability, as 73% of Brits hold a favourable opinion of the new king. His favourability ratings, however, are surpassed by those of Prince William (83%), Princess Kate (84%), and Princess Anne (78%).
The Crown Season 5
A third of Brits (30%) plan to watch season 5 of The Crown on Netflix, but just 5% say they consider the show to be an accurate representation of life in the monarchy. One third (33%) say the show is not an accurate representation, whilst (47%) think that “some elements are accurate.”
Younger viewers are more than twice as likely to believe that the Crown is an accurate representation of life in the Monarchy with 11% of 18-34 year olds believing it be the case against just 2% of those aged 65 and over.
Brits are split evenly between those who think Netflix should (43%) and should not (44%) have postponed airing a new season of the show out of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II, with 17% of Brits believing The Crown season 5 should have been postponed for a year or more.
The ‘people’s choice’: A generational divide in royal sentiment
Younger adults feel the most antipathy towards ‘the firm’: A third (35%) of young adults under the age 35 say the monarchy should be abolished, compared to just 23% of those aged 35-64 and 17% of those 65 and older.
Whilst King Charles III begins his reign with high favourability, Camilla’s favourability is much lower at just 58%. Princess Kate comes out on top as Britain's favourite royal with 84% favourability.
Among young adults, many of these favourability ratings are upended. Princess Kate (78%) and Prince William (77%) have the highest favourability ratings among Brits aged 18-34, with the largest generation divide seen in Harry Duke of Sussex and Meghan Duchess of Sussex’s favourability. Whilst just 26% of 65+ are positive towards Harry and 18% towards Meghan, the younger generation is far more forgiving, with 68% of those aged 18-34 having a favourable opinion of Harry, and 58% having a favourable opinion of Meghan.
| People’s ‘Choice’: Brits favourite royals revealed* | Total | Aged 18-34 | Age 35-64 | Age 65+ |
| Kate Princess of Wales | 84% | 78% | 83% | 91% |
| William Prince of Wales | 83% | 77% | 83% | 90% |
| Anne Princess Royal | 78% | 66% | 79% | 91% |
| King Charles III | 73% | 61% | 74% | 85% |
| Camilla Queen Consort | 58% | 48% | 57% | 71% |
| Harry Duke of Sussex | 50% | 68% | 52% | 26% |
| Meghan Duchess of Sussex | 37% | 58% | 35% | 18% |
*When asked if they have a favourable or unfavourable opinion
Despite Meghan and Harry’s general low favourability, 59% of Brits would support Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to the UK, with 77% of those 18-34 supporting such a move, compared to just 40% of those 65+.
Opinions split on the role and responsibilities of the monarchy
It is very or somewhat important to 84% of Brits that the monarchy support good causes and charities, but other roles are more controversial, including acting as a tourist attraction to improve GDP (78%), aiding in international relations (74%), and getting involved in domestic policy (48%).
About a third of Brits agree that King Charles should pay inheritance tax (39%), should pay for his own coronation (35%), should publish his holdings and accounts (32%) and should have to publish his tax returns (32%).
Methodology: This SurveyMonkey study was conducted October 26-29, 2022 among a national sample of 2,100 UK adults 18+. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on our platform each day. The modelled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 3.0 percentage points. Data have been weighted for age, sex, education, and geography using the Office for National Statistics’ 2010 Census to reflect the demographic composition of the United Kingdom aged 18 and over.
* UK population 18+ definition: 44,105,545
About Momentive
Momentive (NASDAQ: MNTV - formerly SurveyMonkey) is a leader in agile experience management, delivering powerful, purpose-built solutions that bring together the best parts of humanity and technology to redefine AI. Momentive products, including GetFeedback, SurveyMonkey, and Momentive brand and market insights solutions, empower decision-makers at 345,000 organizations worldwide to shape exceptional experiences. More than 20 million active users rely on Momentive to fuel market insights, brand insights, employee experience, customer experience, and product experience. Ultimately, the company’s vision is to raise the bar for human experiences by amplifying individual voices. Learn more at momentive.ai.
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