On Saturday, journalists from around the world will attend the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. However according to a new poll, the majority of the population in the UK are not that interested.
A YouGov poll, conducted on May 13th and 14th on behalf of the English edition of the Huffington Post, shows that 70% of the 1634 people consulted are “not interested” or “not interested” in the royal wedding.
This echoes other YouGov polls, including one conducted shortly after the announcement of the engagement. Half of the respondents said they were indifferent to this news.
“This level of disinterest is not a surprise,” said Tanya Abraham, a CBC pollster. If we think back to [Prince] William’s wedding in 2011, the majority of Britons were not interested in this event too. ”
Ms. Abraham, however, pointed out that these recent figures do not automatically translate into weak support for the monarchy.
In addition, less festivities are planned for the marriage of Harry and Meghan than for that of William and Kate, according to a YouGov poll conducted on May 10 and 11 on behalf of the antimonarchist group Republic.
“We are not a nation of Republicans for now, but we have ceased to be a nation of royalists. We were told that this weekend’s wedding is a national celebration. This is clearly not true, “said Republic Group General Manager Graham Smith.
International disinterest
This trend observed in the United Kingdom would also translate internationally. An Ipsos Mori poll conducted online from March 23 to April 6 among 20,793 people aged 16 to 64 reveals that 34% of Americans said they were interested in Saturday’s event. In Canada, 30% of respondents.
The popularity of Saturday’s wedding is growing in India, South Africa and Romania, where over 43% of those surveyed said they were interested in it.
The event draws less attention in Spain, Sweden and Japan, where less than 12% of respondents said they were “interested” in the celebrations.
Important media coverage
Despite the lack of interest of the British public, thousands of journalists will be at the rendezvous.
Some 5,000 reporters, including 160 photographers and 79 international media representatives, are expected in Windsor, according to the Kensington Palace.
