Survey Reveals Half of King Charles’ Realms Would Choose Republic Status, Belize Split on Monarchy

A recent poll conducted by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Michael Ashcroft, has revealed that almost half of the countries in King Charles’ realms, including Canada and Australia, would choose to become republics if a referendum were held today. The survey of eleven thousand, two hundred and fifty-one persons across fourteen overseas countries found that six countries would vote to abandon the monarchy. Meanwhile, the other eight nations, including New Zealand and Belize, remain uncertain. However, most of the surveyed countries expressed their desire to remain part of the Commonwealth and cited the monarchy’s role in providing stability. In Belize, forty-eight percent of the respondents would vote to maintain the monarchy in a referendum held tomorrow, while forty-three percent would choose to become a republic. Meanwhile, nine percent of the participants said they were unsure or would not vote. When asked about their predictions for the outcome of a referendum, fifty-two percent believed that Belize would choose to stay with the Crown, while forty-three percent thought the country would opt for a republic. Interestingly, if a referendum were held ten years from now, forty-eight percent of the respondents believed that the country would choose to become a republic, compared to thirty-nine percent who believed that Belize would still choose the monarchy. For those who were in favor of keeping the monarchy, seventy-one percent stated that they thought it was beneficial for the country, while fourteen percent believed that the alternative would be worse and fifteen percent thought that the process of changing would be too disruptive. On the other hand, ninety-five percent of those who wanted Belize to become a republic believed that it would have real and practical benefits for the country. Only four percent believed that the monarchy should be replaced on principle, regardless of any practical benefits. Among pro-republic voters, seventy-four percent believed that the monarchy should never have been part of how Belize was governed, while twenty-four percent believed that it had been good for the country in the past but was no longer relevant. Additionally, eighty-six percent of pro-republic voters stated that they had been content with the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth, but now they believed it was time for a change. When asked about their ideal scenario, sixty-one percent of respondents, including ninety-three percent of pro-republic voters, agreed that in an ideal world, Belize would not have a monarchy, but there were more pressing issues to address. The survey was conducted online in February and March 2023 and included five hundred and ten adults in Belize. Lord Ashcroft’s analysis also highlighted the need for the Royal Family to modernize and reduce costs, with most agreeing that the monarchy needs to change to survive.