25 years after the Referendum: Support for a Republic declines

YouGov’s latest poll to mark 25 years since the Republic referendum finds that support for a Republic would receive fewer votes if held today. The poll found that the Yes vote would receive 41%, which is 4% less than the 45% Yes vote in the referendum held on November 6, 1999.

Paul Smith, YouGov Director of Public Data, stated,

“Our poll shows that if a Republic Referendum were held today, it would be defeated by 41% to 59%, a larger margin than in 1999.”

“While support for retaining the monarchy has risen over the last year, 20% of Australians are uncertain about whether they support a monarchy or a republic, leaving ample room for a campaign to persuade Australians to support a republic.”

“Sixty-five percent of Australians expressed little to no interest in King Charles's recent visit. A key driver of support for the constitutional status quo is the unpopularity of local politicians compared to most members of the royal family.”

1) Voting intention for a Republic is now 4% lower than in 1999

• Current voting intention stands at 59% No and 41% Yes for a Republic, reflecting a 4% swing towards No since the 1999 referendum, which was at 55% No and 45% Yes.

2) Support for Australia being a constitutional monarchy has risen 8% since 2023

• Support for remaining a constitutional monarchy after the King’s passing rose from 35% to 43% between September 2023 and October 2024; however, those favoring a transition to a republic as soon as possible decreased from 32% to 23%.

3) Australian view Royals (mostly) far more positively than their own politicians

Methodology: This survey was conducted between October 28th and 31st 2024 with a sample of 1501. Results are weighted to be representative of the population by age, gender, education, AEC region, household income, weighting by past vote (Federal vote and Voice referendum), with an effective margin of error of 3.2%. See Australian Polling Council methodology statement for full weightings.