Generations sharply divided over keeping monarchy

There is a sharp generational divide in attitudes towards the monarchy, suggests a YouGov opinion poll, with young people much less in favour of it.

Among 18 to 24-year-olds, only 30% say the monarchy is "good for Britain", compared with 77% among the over-65s.

The survey of more than 2,000 adults in Britain comes as the first anniversary approaches of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The pollsters found that overall, 62% want to keep the monarchy.

But they report a "remarkable difference between generations", with younger people much less supportive on remaining a monarchy and more sceptical about the Royal Family representing good value for money.

For King Charles, as he approaches his first year on the throne, 59% of people thought he was "personally doing a good job".

The pollsters say there has been a broadly consistent picture of "overall positivity towards the monarchy", but there is also a sizeable and rising minority who are opposed.

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A decade ago, the same YouGov tracking survey found 17% wanted an elected head of state, which in this latest survey has risen to 26%, the highest in a series of regular surveys from YouGov going back to 2011.

On whether Britain should continue to be a monarchy or be replaced with an elected head of state, the poll found:

• 62% support the monarchy

• 26% want an elected head of state

• 11% don't know

But underneath these overall figures, the survey shows widely diverging views.

On whether the Royal Family is good value for money, 75% of the over-65s believe they are, but only 34% of 18 to 24-year-olds feel the same.

And while 80% of the over-65s want Britain to stay as a monarchy, that falls to 37% for the 18 to 24-year-olds.

There is also less support for the royals in Scotland or Wales than in England, where London has higher levels of people against the monarchy than elsewhere in the country.

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Historian and royal commentator Ed Owens says the lack of support among the young should "certainly be of concern" to the Royal Family.

But he says it will be difficult for the royals to turn this around, when many of the factors are outside their control.

Dr Owens says opposition to the monarchy is part of a wider sense of "disenchantment" for younger generations about issues such as unaffordable housing, stagnant wages and student debt.

"The system doesn't seem to be working for them, so why should they celebrate an institution that seems to be at the heart of that system?" says Dr Owens.

But he says there is hope for the monarchy in the popularity of some individual royals, with Prince William appearing to have an appeal across age groups.

Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy campaign Republic, said the survey showed a "general trend of falling support, and that younger people will not be won back to the monarchist cause".

"Sooner rather than later we'll see support for the monarchy fall below 50%," he said.

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