I’ve never quite understood America’s fascination with Britain’s royal family. I personally find the history behind it all to be very interesting, for sure, and I certainly admit to having had a heavy heart when I found out that Princess Diana had died; however, I’m never going to be found in the supermarket check-out line, combing through the tabloids to find out who Prince Harry is dating.
With all of the coverage of the royal birth recently, it got me wondering about how much our country really cares about the royals and, more intriguingly, why there is such interest. We asked these questions of 1,561 U.S. adults in the latest VeraQuest survey, and not too surprisingly, a majority of Americans (59%) report having at least some interest in Britain’s royal family, including 15% who attest to being “very interested”. Conversely, about two-in-five (41%) indicate that they are “not at all interested” in the royal family.
Those who are interested in the royals report the history aspect (58%) as the number one reason for their interest, followed by finding “the specific people within the royal family” to be interesting (39%), plus simply the uniqueness of it all – i.e., “it’s something we don’t have in the U.S.” (38%). One-quarter of Americans are intrigued by the pageantry and ceremonies (25%), or cite the sheer fact that Americans and the British have a close relationship (24%). About one-in-five (21%) admit that the drama/scandals/stories are what drives their interest in the royal family.
What I find fascinating is that younger adults (especially 18-29 year olds) are more likely to be “very interested” in the royal family than older adults. I would have thought that the history of it all would be something that appeals more to middle-aged and older Americans. But, in fact, these younger adults are just as likely to be interested in the history aspect as their older counterparts. That said, compared to older Americans (especially those 50+), 18-29 year olds’ interest is more motivated by the drama/scandals/stories, the wealth, and the politics surrounding the royal family…and less driven by the specific people within the royal family, the pageantry/ceremonies, and our two countries’ close relationship. So while following Prince Harry’s tabloid exploits is not exactly my cup of tea, they appear to be helping to keep some of our young adults interested in the monarchy.
Given the overall high level of interest, I was also curious to find out if Americans are perhaps jealous of the Brits, since we don’t have our own royal family here. But it turns out that while the majority of Americans are interested in the history and happenings of Britain’s royals, only 16% wish that the U.S. had its own royal family.
What is it about Britain’s royal family that has you intrigued? Even though we don’t have a royal family here, is there a prominent family in the U.S. that you feel is “close” to Britain’s royals, in terms of being as well-known and interesting to the American public?
Leave a Reply