GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Feb. 6, 2002 marks the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne in Great Britain (her coronation occurred over a year after her accession, in June 1953). A review of the American public's opinion of Queen Elizabeth reveals a figure that the American public views favorably, and who has long been the object of its admiration.
In a Gallup poll conducted after the 1997 death of Princess Diana, 47% of Americans said they had a favorable opinion of Queen Elizabeth. In December 1998, that percentage had increased significantly, to 68%. By way of comparison, Americans do not rate Prince Charles -- the queen's son and heir to the throne -- as favorably. In 1997, just 29% of Americans had a favorable view of the prince, although this percentage increased to 54% in 1998.
Nowhere does Queen Elizabeth's legacy with the American public stand out more than in Gallup's annual survey of the public's most admired man and woman for each year. Since 1948, no woman has placed in the top 10 more often than Queen Elizabeth has. As the table below shows, her 38 top 10 appearances significantly outnumber those of any other woman.
|
Number of Lists, 1948-2001, on Which Person Appeared Among Top 10 |
|
|
Queen Elizabeth II |
38 |
|
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis |
27 |
|
Margaret Thatcher |
23 |
|
Mamie Eisenhower |
21 |
|
Margaret Chase Smith |
19 |
|
Mother Teresa |
18 |
|
Clare Boothe Luce |
18 |
|
Helen Keller |
17 |
|
Mm. Chiang Kai-shek |
17 |
|
Nancy Reagan |
17 |
|
Betty Ford |
16 |
|
Eleanor Roosevelt |
14 |
|
Patricia Nixon |
14 |
|
Barbara Bush |
14 |
|
Oprah Winfrey |
14 |
|
Hillary Clinton |
10 |
|
Lady Bird Johnson |
10 |
|
Indira Gandhi |
10 |
In fact, only one man has been on the list of most admired men more often than Queen Elizabeth has been on the women's list: the Rev. Billy Graham, whose 44 appearances in the top 10 of the "most admired man" list is the highest for either gender.
Historical Perspective on the Queen's Coronation
In 1953, Gallup asked the American public questions about Queen
Elizabeth and her coronation. While the public generally described
her positively, the coronation was not an event that drew a large
amount of attention in the United States.
In response to the open-ended question, "What is your opinion of Queen Elizabeth?" 66% of Americans gave positive responses at that time. Specifically, 22% of Americans ascribed generally positive qualities to her (nice, earnest, honest). Another 15% said they had a good opinion of her but did not cite specific qualities. Additionally, 14% described her as capable (in reference to duties of being queen), 9% thought she was beautiful or lovely, 4% thought she had a queenly bearing (well-bred, genteel), and 2% described her as smart or intelligent.
While Americans thought of Elizabeth II in a generally positive manner, her actual coronation did not elicit much of their attention. When asked if they were interested in the coronation ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth, just 38% of Americans in 1953 said they were, while 61% said they were not.
Royal Family: Okay in England, but Not in the United States
Although Americans may consistently mention Queen Elizabeth among the women they admire most, there appear to be no signs that they would ever want a royal family in America. But, Americans appear to heartily endorse the idea of having a royal family in England. In a January 1950 poll, 49% of Americans thought the royal family was a good thing for the people of England, and 25% thought it was a bad thing. When that question was re-asked in 1999, an even larger percentage of Americans (64%) said the royal family was a good thing for the people of England, while 23% thought it was bad.
In 1950, just 3% of Americans said they thought it would be a good idea for the United States to have a royal family and 93% thought it was a bad idea. A re-asking of this question in 1999 found 11% of Americans saying a royal family would be a good thing for the United States and 87% saying it would be a bad thing.
British Continue to Support Monarchy, Although Many Would Prefer Some Modifications
A recent survey in the United Kingdom affirms that British public sentiment remains in favor of the monarchy, although with some modifications. About a third of United Kingdom residents interviewed by Gallup U.K. last fall said they prefer the monarchy just as it is, while a little more than half said the monarchy should continue to exist but that it should become "more democratic and approachable." Just 10% of the British public said the monarchy should be abolished.
PREFERENCES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MONARCHY
Which of these statements comes closest to your view -- [ROTATED]: the Monarchy and the Royal Family should stay pretty much as they are now, (or) the Monarchy and the Royal Family should continue to exist but should become more "democratic and approachable" rather like the Monarchy and the Royal Family in the Netherlands, (or) the Monarchy should be abolished and replaced by a non-executive figurehead president like the ones they have in some continental countries?
|
Stay the same |
Become more "democratic and approachable" |
Should be abolished |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2001 Sep |
32 |
56 |
10 |
3 |
|
2000 Jun |
27 |
60 |
11 |
3 |
|
1998 Nov |
25 |
62 |
12 |
0 |
|
1997 Sep |
15 |
72 |
11 |
2 |
|
1996 Nov |
31 |
50 |
16 |
3 |
|
1996 Mar |
28 |
51 |
17 |
4 |
|
1995 Nov |
16 |
54 |
15 |
5 |
|
1995 Oct |
32 |
50 |
13 |
6 |
|
1994 Sep |
36 |
49 |
12 |
3 |
|
1993 Nov |
30 |
56 |
10 |
4 |
|
1993 Jun |
35 |
50 |
11 |
4 |
|
1993 Feb |
24 |
65 |
9 |
2 |
|
1992 Dec |
26 |
59 |
13 |
2 |
Survey Methods
The results from United States polling are based on telephone interviews with randomly selected national samples of at least 1,000 adults, 18 years and older. For results based on these samples, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
United Kingdom Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews conducted by the Gallup U.K. poll with 1,004 respondents, aged 18+, from across Great Britain, conducted Sept. 12-18, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
