THE majority of Scots see the monarchy as “mostly an English thing” and would vote to become a republic in the event of independence.
Extensive new polling from Lord Ashcroft found more than three quarters of Scots (77%) think the royal family should be scaled down and its costs significantly reduced.
The poll also found the monarchy is viewed as “mostly an English thing” in all the other UK nations.
However, of the four UK nations, only Northern Ireland would vote to remove the King as head of state in a referendum held tomorrow (by 46% to 42%).
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While the margin in north of the Border is slimmer (46% to 32%), Scotland, England (57% to 22%) and Wales (54% to 23%) would all vote to keep King Charles as head of state in a vote held tomorrow.
The UK as a whole would vote by 56% to 23% to remain a constitutional monarchy, the polling found.
The generational divide in support for the monarchy was reflected in the results, but there was a wealth of “don’t knows” among the younger age groups.
For people aged 18-24, “don’t know” was the most common response (38%) to the question of whether they would vote to keep the monarchy. In that age group, 28% said they would vote to back the royals, and 34% said they would want to remove them.
At the opposite end of the age scale, some 74% of people aged over 65 said they would vote to keep the monarchy, compared to 14% who wanted it removed and 12% who did not know.
Among voters who would prefer to remove the monarchy, just 27% said such a move would bring real, practical benefits. A majority (69%) said that the monarchy was wrong in principle and should be replaced whether there are practical benefits or not.
North of the Border, people’s views changed in the event of Scotland becoming an independent country. Some 44% of people said they would want to have a separate, Scottish head of state, compared to 38% who would want to keep the British monarchy after a Yes vote.
The results may reflect the fact that some 58% of Scots said the monarchy felt like "mostly an English thing", with 36% seeing it as something shared by the whole UK.
This view was reflected across the UK. In England, a plurality thought the monarchy was mainly an English thing (47% to 43%), with the same feeling prevailing in Wales (48% to 43%).
In Northern Ireland, the majority view the monarchy as mostly an English thing (59% to 39%).
Elsewhere, a clear majority of Scots (60%) agreed that "in an ideal world we wouldn't have the monarchy, but there are more important things for the country to deal with".
However, 57% also agreed that "the monarchy might seem a strange system in this day and age, but it works”, and a majority (56%) also said the monarchy means we have more stability in Britain than we would have without it.
In Wales, the polling found that the existence of the title “Prince of Wales” enjoys majority support (51% say it should be kept, against 32% who say it should be abolished).
In Scotland, 1470 adults were polled between March 3 and 15, and six focus groups were held in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Overall, the polling from Lord Michael Ashcroft, a Tory peer and former deputy chair of the party, asked 22,701 people throughout all 15 countries in which King Charles III is head of state.
It found that six Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Jamaica, and Australia, would vote to remove the British monarchy and become republics.
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However, eight Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, Belize, and Tuvalu, would vote to keep the British monarchy in place.
Ashcroft said: “Within the UK, the position [of the monarchy] looks secure. The country would vote to keep the monarchy by a comfortable margin. After years of turmoil people especially value a constant presence above the grim spectacle of day-to-day politics, value the work of individual royals and believe the monarchy brings huge economic benefits to the nation.
“At the same time, there is wide recognition of a need to move with the times and many – especially in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in minority communities – feel the institution is only for some types of people, not including themselves.”
The full results from the Lord Ashcroft poll can be found on his website here.
There is also an interactive map detailing the headline results across the whole of the UK and the wider Commonwealth here.
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