May 9, 2023
Belize would vote to keep the monarchy in a referendum according to new polling from Lord Ashcroft. However, six countries – including three in the Caribbean – would vote to become republics according to the survey.
Findings from the survey include:
- 48% of Belizeans said they would vote to keep the monarchy in a referendum tomorrow, while 43% would vote to become a republic. 9% said they didn’t know or would not vote.
- 52% said they thought a referendum tomorrow would result in Belize staying with the Crown, while 43% thought the country would choose to become a republic. However, 48% thought the country would choose to be a republic if a referendum were held in 10 years’ time, compared to 39% saying they thought Belize would still choose the monarchy.
- Lord Ashcroft’s polling found six countries where more said they would vote to become a republic tomorrow than to keep the monarchy. Three were in the Caribbean – Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas and Jamaica – plus Australia, Canada and the Solomon Islands.
- 71% of Belizeans voting to stay with the Crown said the monarchy was a good thing for the country; the remainder said either that the alternative they ended up with would probably be worse (14%) or that the process of changing would be too disruptive (15%).
- 95% of those saying they would vote to become a republic said this would have real, practical benefits for Belize. Only 4% said the monarchy was wrong in principle and should be replaced whether there are practical benefits or not. 74% of pro-republic voters said the monarchy should never have been part of how Belize was governed; 24% said it had been good for the country in the past but makes no sense today. 86% of them said they had been happy to continue with the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth, but now it was time for change.
- 61% of Belizeans, including 93% of pro-republic voters, agreed that “in an ideal world we wouldn’t have the monarchy in Belize, but there are more important things for us to deal with.”
- Two thirds (66%) of Belizeans agreed that the monarchy “might seem a strange system in this day and age, but it works”. Just over half (53%), though only 19% of pro-republic voters, said the King can unite everyone in the country no matter who they voted for.
- 60% said the royal family should be scaled down and its costs significantly reduced. 57% said it needed to modernise in order to survive.
- Asked to choose between the two statements, 57% said they saw the monarchy as a valuable force for stability and continuity; 43% saw it as part of a colonial history that has no place in Belize today.
- By just 51% to 49%, Belizeans said they thought the King and the royal family care a lot about Belize. By the same margin, they said the royal family did a better job of connecting with ordinary people than elected politicians.
- 58% of Belizeans said the monarchy made them feel warmer towards the UK, and 42% less warm. 52% said they thought becoming a republic would weaken ties with the UK, and 70% said they would want to remain part of the Commonwealth if Belize became a republic.
510 adults in Belize were interviewed online in in February and March 2023. A total of 22,701 adults were interviewed in the 15 countries in which King Charles is head of state.
The full report, Uncharted Realms: The Future of the Monarchy in the UK and Around the World, together with full data for each country,is available for free at LordAshcroftPolls.com