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60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll

Royals

July 9-13, 2013

• Whom would you like to see succeed Queen Elizabeth to the throne—her son, Prince Charles, or would you prefer the title pass to her grandson, Prince William instead?

Skip Charles and jump to William.

Although English law dictates that Elizabeth II’s eldest son Charles should succeed her after her fifty plus-year reign on the English throne comes to an end, more Americans would rather break tradition and skip a generation. 30% would like to see the crown pass to the current Prince of Wales, Charles, but more – 43% - would rather it pass to his eldest son William. 28% of Americans do not have an opinion on the English line of succession.

Interestingly, younger Americans don’t like the idea of the throne passing to the 32-year-old Prince William. More Americans under the age of thirty want the crown to go to William’s 66 year old father Charles (39%) than William (29%). More Americans over thirty would prefer the crown to go directly to William (46%) than Charles (27%).

Who Should Succeed Queen Elizabeth II?

Total 18-29 30+

Prince William 43% 29% 46%

Prince Charles 30 39 27

Don’t know/No answer 28 32 27

• If you were fourth in line to become king or queen, would you most likely 1. Party hard because you’ll probably never actually be king or queen, 2. Take your royal responsibilities seriously because “Hey, you never know.”, or 3. Make your own path, independent from the royal family.

If your fourth in line, just do your own thing.

Charles’ second son Harry is now fourth in line to the English throne (after William’s son George). If they were in Harry’s position, more Americans would chart their own course away from the royal family than take their royal responsibilities seriously. If they were fourth in line to the throne, 46% of Americans say they would make their own path, independent from the Royals, while 38% would take their responsibilities seriously. Just 8% would party hard, because they’ll probably never be king or queen.

What Would You do if You Were Fourth in Line to the Throne?

Total 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Make your own path, independent from the Royal Family 46% 44% 60% 47% 40% 45%

Take your royal responsibilities seriously 38 41 30 37 40 34

Party hard because you’ll never be king or queen 8 11 8 10 6 6

• If you could pick one of the following celebrities to serve as the founding member of a new U.S. royal family, who would you be most likely to choose? 1. Warren Buffett, 2. Oprah Winfrey, 3. Gwyneth Paltrow, 4. Bill Gates, 5. Chris Rock, or 6. Queen Latifah?

Bill Gates edges out Oprah as a potential founding member of a new U.S. royal family.

America’s founders expressly rejected the idea of a royal family, but if Americans could reverse course and start one now, they’d choose Bill Gates as the founder over Oprah Winfrey by a hair. 22% of Americans would crown software mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates as William I, while 20% would instead rather begin the line with Queen Oprah when choosing from a list of six celebrities that also includes Warren Buffett (11%) , Queen Latifah (11%), Chris Rock (7%) and Gwyneth Paltrow (4%).

Men and women differ on this, however. For men the top choice is Bill Gates (23%), followed by Warren Buffett (15%), while women choose Oprah first (26%) followed by Bill Gates (20%).

Which Celebrity Should Start a New U.S. Royal Family?

Total Men Women

Bill Gates 22% 23% 20%

Oprah Winfrey 20 13 26

Warren Buffett 11 15 7

Queen Latifah 11 8 14

Chris Rock 7 10 4

Gwyneth Paltrow 4 4 4

• If you were a royal, which crazy thing would you be most likely to do?

If they were a royal, nearly half of Americans would marry a commoner.

In true egalitarian form, many Americans would marry a commoner if they themselves were royalty. When it comes to crazy things they might do if they were a royal, 46% said they would marry a commoner. One in five would instead give their closest friends fancy titles (20%), while 14% would take the opportunity to walk around the palace in nothing but their crown jewels. Just 4% would take a cue from King Henry VIII and consider beheading their spouse.

Americans under 35 are the most likely to want to parade around in nothing but their crown jewels (22%), while this is less enticing for those aged 65 and older (7%).

Which Crazy Thing Would You Most Likely Do if You Were a Royal?

Total 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Marry a commoner 46% 50% 56% 42% 38% 44%

Give your closest friends fancy titles 20 18 22 25 23 14

Walk around the palace in only your crown jewels 14 22 12 9 12 7

Consider beheading your spouse 4 5 2 4 4 4

• Which one of the following aspects of royal life is most appealing to you?

The tradition of royalty is more appealing than the wealth.

Americans find tradition to be the most appealing thing about royal life; 36% choose that, ahead of the wealth (24%) or the real estate (19%). Just 6% pick the pageantry, while 5% find the scandals most appealing.

Americans with lower incomes are equally unimpressed by the wealth. Just 23% of those earning $50,000 a year or less find the wealth to be the most appealing aspect of royal life – 37% pick the tradition instead.

Which Aspect of Royal Life is Most Appealing

Total Under $50K $50K-$100K $100K+

The tradition 36% 37% 33% 34%

The wealth 24 23 28 27

The real estate 19 19 18 17

The pageantry 6 5 6 7

The scandals 5 6 6 4

• To the best of your knowledge, which one of the following do you think is the oldest monarchy in the world?

Japan might be the oldest monarchy in the world, but most don’t know it.

What’s the oldest monarchy in the world that still exists today? The answer: Japan, with the Imperial House of Japan tracing itself back to 660 BC. Only 29% of Americans know this, however. Americans with a post graduate education do better, but even among this group, less than half (45%) identify Japan as the oldest monarchy in the world.

The precise start dates of some of the other monarchies picked could be subject to debate, but they all began squarely in the AD period. Still, 20% of Americans picked the United Kingdom as having the oldest monarchy, while 17% each picked Spain or Saudi Arabia, and 9% picked Monaco.

Which Country has the Oldest Monarchy in the World?

Total High school or less Some college College grad Post grad

Japan 29% 22% 30% 34% 45%

United Kingdom 20 22 14 21 21

Spain 17 15 22 18 12

Saudi Arabia 17 18 19 15 11

Monaco 9 12 6 6 6

• Which one of the following historical monarchs do you think was the worst?

Ivan “the Terrible” might deserve his name.

Who was the worst monarch in history? The top choice among Americans is Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia – picked by 32% - who consolidated the medieval Russian state but was known for some rather extreme behavior, such as beating his pregnant daughter-in-law and killing his own son.

Emperor Caligula of Rome comes in second at 17%, whose reported sadism and perversity led to his assassination. 14% pick King Louis XVI of France, the ill-fated last absolute monarch of France who lost his head in the French Revolution, while 10% still hold a grudge from colonial days and pick King George III of England, the monarch who ruled England during the American Revolutionary War. Just 8% pick Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last monarch of imperial Germany, while just 3% pick King Leopold of Belgium, whose regime was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the Congo.

Which Historical Monarch was the Worst?

Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia 32%

Emperor Caligula of Rome 17

King Louis XVI of France 14

King George III England 10

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany 8

King Leopold of Belgium 3

• Which one of the following is your favorite performance of a royal figure?

Many still fondly remember Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra.

From a list of memorable performances by women of royal figures, Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra reigns supreme. 29% of Americans said Taylor’s 1963 performance as Egypt’s queen was the best- in which she had 65 costume changes during the course of the film’s over four-hour running time – far ahead of Naomi Watts’ portrayal of Princess Di (13%) in the 2013 bio pic Diana. In a battle of the Elizabeths, Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth I (12%) beats out Judi Dench’s Shakespeare in Love portrayal of the same queen (7%), as well as Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II (11%). Another 11% pick Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, who became the Princess of Monaco by marriage at the age of 26.

Though the movie is over fifty years old now, even younger Americans pick Elizabeth Taylor first. 29% of Americans under 35 pick her portrayal of Cleopatra as the best from the list.

Which is Your Favorite Performance of a Royal Figure?

Total 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra 29% 29% 27% 31% 32% 26%

Naomi Watts as Princess Diana 13 16 11 14 10 14

Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I 12 16 12 9 13 7

Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II 11 9 11 10 12 13

Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly 11 10 9 17 7 12

Judi Dench as Elizabeth I 7 4 8 7 10 9

• During a performance, Mel Brooks once said, "It’s good to be the king." Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Most Americans agree with Mel Brooks: It’s good to be the king.

Americans agree with the words uttered by Mel Brooks repeatedly in “A History of the World: Pt. 1”: it’s good to be the king. 54% of Americans agree with that statement, while 40% do not. Men are particularly agreeable – 61% think it’s good to be the king, while woman are far more divided.

Is it Good to be the King?

Total Men Women

Yes 54% 61% 48%

No 40 34 46

• Is the Pope officially considered a monarch, or not?

Is the Pope a monarch? Most Americans say “No”.

The Vatican is considered one of the last remaining – and certainly the smallest – absolute monarchies in the world? Still, most Americans don’t consider the Pope a monarch. 58% of Americans do not consider the Pope to be a monarch, while 32% do.

Higher educated Americans are even more skeptical. While 40% of Americans with only a high school diploma or less consider the Pope to be officially a monarch, this is true of just 17% of Americans with a post graduate education.

Is the Pope Officially a Monarch?

Total High school or less Some college College grad Post grad

Yes 32% 40% 29% 26% 17%

No 58 48 60 66 80

__________________________________________________________________________________

This poll was conducted by telephone from July 9-13, 2014 among 1,011 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3 percentage points. The error for other subgroups may be higher. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll

Royals

July 9-13, 2014

VF-01. Whom would you like to see succeed Queen Elizabeth to the throne—her son, Prince Charles, or would you prefer the title pass to her grandson, Prince William instead?

*** TOTAL RESPONDENTS *** *** Age ***

Total 18-29 30+

% % %

Prince Charles 30 39 27

Prince William 43 29 46

Don’t know/no answer 28 32 27

VF-02. If you could pick one of the following celebrities to serve as the founding member of a new U.S. royal family, who would you be most likely to choose?

***** Sex *****

Total Men Women

% % %

Bill Gates 22 23 20

Oprah Winfrey 20 13 26

Warren Buffett 11 15 7

Queen Latifah 11 8 14

Chris Rock 7 10 4

Gwyneth Paltrow 4 4 4

None of them (vol.) 19 21 17

Don’t know/no answer 7 6 8

VF-03. If you were fourth in line to become king or queen, would you most likely:

************* Age ***************

Total 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

% % % % % %

Party hard because you’ll probably never actually be king or queen 8 11 8 10 6 6

Take your royal responsibilities seriously because hey, you never know 38 41 30 37 40 34

Make your own path, independent from the royal family 46 44 60 47 40 45

Don’t know/no answer 8 4 2 6 14 15

VF-04. If you were a royal, which crazy thing would you be most likely to do?

Marry a commoner, someone who is not royal 46 50 56 42 38 44

Give your closest friends fancy titles 20 18 22 25 23 14

Walk around the palace wearing nothing but your crown jewels 14 22 12 9 12 7

Consider beheading your spouse 4 5 2 4 4 4

Don’t know/no answer 16 4 8 19 22 31

VF-05. Which one of the following aspects of royal life is most appealing to you?

******** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ********

********** Income **********

Total ................
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