Poll verdict on the future King Charles: "unpopular and untrusted even at home"

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1 MEDIA RELEASE Poll verdict on the future King Charles: "unpopular and untrusted even at home" EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2017 A new poll of public opinion in the UK is bad news for Prince Charles. Research conducted by FTI Consulting on behalf of the Australian Republic Movement shows that almost two-in-three Brits 63% or those surveyed do not want Prince Charles to replace the Queen when she dies. The largest group prefers another member of the British royal family. "Australia will have a new head of state within a few years. The only question is who," says Australian Republic Movement CEO and National Director Michael Cooney. "Will we have a hereditary King Charles III who does not even command the support of the British people or will we have an Australian, chosen by Australians?" Remarkably, only 39% of those polled said they trust the man who will be King of England and could be King of Australia. "The British public has come to know Prince Charles over many decades and these results show they hardly trust him at all," says Mr Cooney. "Why should we?" The results show monarchists can no longer rely on an argument for stability. Change is coming, and the only question is what kind," Mr Cooney says. "A new head of state is inevitable but an Australian republic is not. Australians can only vote no to King Charles by choosing a republic." Australia must have this debate now, before we end up with King Charles as our head of state. We are a democracy and we should set our own timetable, not wait for someone else to decide. Australia should have a national vote by 2020 on the key questions so that we can change our constitution by 2022."

2 Other highlights The institution of the monarchy itself may be in doubt, with 57% of respondents agreeing with the statement hereditary rule is not appropriate in this modern era. This rises to 67% among those aged under 35. Eighty percent (80%) of respondents agreed that a country s head of state should only be a citizen of that country, rejecting on principle the current situation in Australia (of having a foreign head of state). Awareness of Australia s predicament is lesser known in the UK, with 33% holding the view that the Prime Minister was Australia s head of state, rather than the British Queen (29%). Only 17% of those polled thought the Queen is best placed to embody the spirit of Australia as Head of State. More than half (53%) said she embodied the spirit of the United Kingdom. The poll of 2531 respondents was conducted between 25 and 28 August It has a margin of error of 1.9%. The ARM is campaigning for a national vote by 2020 to decide whether Australia should have an Australian as head of state and how that head of state should be chosen. Media Contact: Michael Cooney, National Director and CEO, Australian Republic Movement

3 FTI Research Data Tables FTI Consulting is an independent global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. FTI s multi-disciplinary team consists of professionals who have served in major strategy firms, research consultancies, political campaigns, financial institutions and academic institutions. FTI have earned a reputation for gaining insights from hard-to-reach audiences. Research was conducted online Research was conducted from 25th to 28th August n=2,531 respondents (UK Adult General Population) Results are weighted in terms of age, gender, location and voting behaviour in the EU referendum & General Election For more information: Dan.Healy@fticonsulting.com Note: As a consequence of rounding up percentage results, the answers to some questions might not always add up to 100%. Who do you consider is best placed to embody the spirit of the United Kingdom as the head of state? An elected person specifically for this role A government appointed person Prime Minister Head of UK Monarchy Other Don't know Who do you consider is the head of state for Australia? An elected person specifically for this role A government appointed person Prime Minister Head of UK Monarchy Other Don't know

4 Who do you consider is best placed to embody the spirit of Australia as the head of state? An elected person specifically for this role A government appointed person Prime Minister Head of UK Monarchy Other Don't know Generally speaking, which of the following best describes your attitude to the following: The Prince of Wales Trust Cautious of Suspicious of Distrust Hate Who do you think should replace Her Majesty The Queen at the appropriate time to do so? The Prince of Wales The Duke of Cambridge Other Royal Family members None There shouldn't be a monarchy

5 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements: Hereditary rule is not appropriate in this modern era (4) Strongly agree (3) Slightly agree (2) Slightly disagree (1) Strongly disagree Net: Agree Net: Disagree Mean Effective Base Sample Base Median Interpolated Median The head of state should only be a citizen of that country (4) Strongly agree (3) Slightly agree (2) Slightly disagree (1) Strongly disagree Net: Agree Net: Disagree Mean Effective Base Sample Base Median Interpolated Median Continued over page

6 The citizens alone should choose who their head of state is (4) Strongly agree (3) Slightly agree (2) Slightly disagree (1) Strongly disagree Net: Agree Net: Disagree Mean Effective Base Sample Base Median Interpolated Median