One in 10 Canadians believe King Charles III will do a very good job in his new role as monarch, with one third expecting him to an average job, according to a new survey.
But younger Canadians are less optimistic.
A Nanos survey conducted for CTV News found that adults aged 18-34 were far more likely to say the new monarch would not perform well.
Overall, Canadians were more likely to believe he would do a “good” or “very good” job compared to a “poor” or “very poor job”, with a combined 32 per cent answering positively compared to a combined 20 per cent answering negatively.
The survey polled 1,037 Canadians between September 30 and October 3 in order to gauge their opinions on the new King.
King Charles III ascended to the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September. His official coronation is expected to be held in May. The transition between monarchs has sparked new discussions of Canada’s relationship to the Monarchy.
The survey asked participants to rate their expectations of King Charles III’s performance, ranging from very poor to very good.
The most common answer was “average job”, with 32 per cent of respondents answering this way. Around 23 per cent said they expected a good job, while “poor job” and “very poor job” garnered 10 per cent of the response each.
Approximately 17 per cent said they were unsure. The survey noted that responses may not add exactly up to 100 per cent due to rounding.
Overwhelmingly, younger people surveyed expected less out of the new monarch, with just six per cent of those aged 18-35 years saying King Charles III will do a very good job.
Only 13 per cent of that age group said they expected a good job from King Charles III, while 29 per cent said they expected a poor or very poor job.
On the other end of the scale, 41.5 per cent of those aged 55 years and older answered that they expected a good or very good job, with just 12 per cent picking a poor or very poor job as their answer.
While those aged 35 to 54 years were less likely than older Canadians to expect much out of the new King, they still overall were more positive than younger Canadians, with around 30 per cent of this age group expecting a good or very good job, compared to around 22 per cent who answered a poor or very poor job.
Women were more likely than men to expect more out of the monarch, with only around 17 per cent of women saying they expected a poor or very poor job from King Charles III compared to 23 per cent of men.
The answer also differed by region: Quebec was the least likely to select “good” or “very good job” at 20 per cent, while the prairies had the highest percentage of negative responses, with around 26 per cent selecting “poor” or “very poor job”.
B.C. had the highest percentage of respondents who selected “good” or “very good,” with around 37 per cent. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces were close behind at around 35-36 per cent.
The Atlantic provinces had the lowest percentage of respondents who selected “poor” or “very poor” at just 15 per cent.
Some have suggested the change in monarch is a time to re-examine the necessity of the Monarchy in Canadian life. In March 2021, the desire among Canadians to drop the Monarchy rose to 45 per cent, its highest level in 12 years, according to a national survey.
METHODOLOGY
Nanos Research is a public opinion research firm.
Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land and cell lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,037 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, 2022, as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land-and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.
The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research.
