British Monarchy Has Fallen in Popularity With Gen Z
In the 20th century, as many monarchies around the world were abolished, the United Kingdom continued to maintain its royal family. However, the fate of the royal family in the future remains to be seen. After all, King Charles III and other royals are not very popular with the new generation of adults in the U.K.
Gen Z is critical of the monarchy
Gen Z — roughly defined as people born from the late 1990s to early 2010s — are increasingly gaining political power around the world. This generation tends to be either indifferent to or critical of the monarchy.
“I’ve always thought it was wrong that people can be born into a position of wealth and power, especially one that’s funded by taxpayers,” said a 19-year-old bartender and student from Kent (via Huffington Post).
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old strategist from London remarked that citizens cannot hold royals accountable in the same way they can for elected officials.
“We don’t question or hold them to account enough when they do wrong in the same way that a politician or regular person would be treated,” he said. “Placing King Charles in the position just feels like another unelected, non-tax paying, privileged old fossil in an archaic position built on colonial riches.”
A 21-year-old government worker also believes the monarchy should be “abolished,” saying, “We are facing an impending recession, climate crisis, housing crisis, and energy crisis. People are struggling to pay their bills and are being forced into poverty. These are real issues we’re all facing, but not the royals. The royals are dining on fine china and flying in private jets. The young people of this country have been let down for decades, and the royals have done nothing to help us. The monarchy is out of touch and needs to be abolished.”
King Charles is not very popular with Gen Z
It goes without saying that King Charles himself is also not very popular with Gen Z.
As pointed out by Huffington Post, one reason is there are still negative feelings left over from his scandalous divorce from Princess Diana in the 1990s. Charles was widely vilified by the press and the public for having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Consort Camilla) during his marriage.
Diana’s untimely death in 1997 elevated her popularity and lowered Charles’. Although much of this happened over 20 years ago, the events have been dramatized on the popular Netflix series The Crown, which allows the drama to stay relevant even today.
The monarchy is still popular in the U.K. overall
Related: Why Does the Royal Family Continue to Marry Relatives?
In spite of Gen Z’s opinions, the monarchy is still liked by the general population. According to research organization YouGov, royals like Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Princess Anne are liked by over 65 percent of the people surveyed. King Charles’ popularity rating is lower at only 55 percent.
Baby Boomers and women are the two demographics that are the biggest fans of royals. There’s no doubt that the royal family will still be here in the next several years, but it remains to be seen whether it can remain popular in the distant future.
