1 in 5 think Britain should become a republic ahead of Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
One in five Britons think the UK should become a republic, but the Queen's popularity is high, a survey has revealed just days ahead of her Platinum Jubilee.
Data published by polling group IPSOS showed that 68% of people are in favour of Britain remaining a monarchy, up 8 percentage points since November last year.
Almost 9 in 10 (86%) of those polled said they are satisfied with the way the Queen is doing her job, with only 1 in 10 (7%) dissatisfied. Older Britons are most satisfied with her job performance, 95% of people aged over 55 are satisfied compared to 75% of 18 to 34-year-olds.
While the statistics also mean that 22% would support the UK becoming a republic, it's a figure that has changed only slightly over the past 20 years.
Almost half of those polled said the country would be worse off if the Monarchy was abolished, up from 39% in November 2021, while only 13% believe the nation would be better off without it. Last year's figure was 11%.
This year 33% of people said that abolishing the Monarchy would make no difference to the country, down from 41% last year.
Keiran Pedley, Director of Research at Ipsos in the UK, said: "As we look ahead to the Platinum Jubilee, the Monarchy is still very popular in Britain.
"Two-thirds would like to see Britain continue to be a monarchy and the minority that would like to see a republic – one in five – has not really changed much over time.
"Meanwhile, public satisfaction with the Queen and Prince William is sky high and whilst satisfaction with Prince Charles is lower, he is still much more popular than any of our leading politicians."
The news comes as the country prepares for an extended bank holiday this weekend.
Events will take place across the country to celebrate the Monarch's 70 years on the throne.
On Thursday (2 June) the Queen's birthday parade - known as Trooping the Colour - will bring together more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians.
The parade will start at Buckingham Palace and move down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, and will close with a six-minute flypast of more than 70 aircraft.
Friday, the second day of the extended Bank Holiday weekend, sees a national service of thanksgiving take place at St Paul's Cathedral.
It is expected to be attended by a large number of members of the Royal Family with Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew potentially among those attending.
Then on Saturday the Platinum Party at the Palace will see an host of musicians, actors and sports stars celebrate the monarch's 70 years on the throne.
On Sunday more than 200,000 events will take place across the country as part of the Big Jubilee Lunch. Screenings, street parties and picnics in parks are being held as part of a nationwide initiative to honour the Queen
The celebratory weekend in June will conclude with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday.
The pageant will involve thousands of performers from across the country and Commonwealth who will process down The Mall, telling the story of The Queen’s 70-year reign in a spectacular procession including interpretations of different chapters of her life by artists and communities.
The pageant will include a giant dragon puppet the size of a double decker bus, as well as corgis, acrobats, unicorns, dancers and circus acts.
Its grand finale will feature 150 ‘national treasures’ including Ed Sheeran who, along with members of the viewing public invited to become part of the performance, will gather and pay tribute to The Queen.
Watch: Platinum Jubilee: What will the weather be like for the celebrations?
