A new US poll has revealed that Prince Harry’s popularity amongst Americans has dropped following the release of his memoir, Spare.
In the poll for Newsweek, data was collected by consulting firm Redfield & Wilton from 2,000 eligible US voters on 16 January, which was only days after Harry’s book came out.
The poll noted that 31 per cent of participants said they liked Harry while 38 per cent said they disliked him, resulting in his net approval of -7.
When Newsweek previously conducted this survey on 5 December, he had net approval of +38, which ultimately shows that his popularity has dropped by 45 points in one month.
Other participants went on to criticise the duke’s book in the latest poll; 44 per cent of them said that his memoir did not need to include so many details about his private life. On the other hand, 26 per cent of Americans said he was right to publish this information.
Meghan Markle’s numbers also changed over the month. Prince Harry’s wife’s net approval went from +23 to -13, a drop of 36 points. This result occurred after 26 per cent of Americans said they viewed the Duchess favourably and 39 per cent said they viewed her unfavourably.
The survey also looked at how Americans’ opinions about the couple changed after Spare was published. When asked this question, 16 per cent of surveyors said they had a more positive view of Harry while 24 per cent said they had a more negative view of him. 37 per cent said that their opinions of him did not change after his book was released.
For Meghan, 16 per cent of Americans said they have a more positive view of her while 23 per cent said they had a more negative view; 38 per cent said their opinions of her did not change.
The poll results suggested that Meghan and Harry “has alienated a core market among American 18-24-year-olds,” according to Newsweek. The publication also looked specifically at the opinions of Generation Z, finding that “26 per cent viewed Meghan positively while 34 per cent viewed her negatively.”
This isn’t the only poll that has examined the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s popularity since Spare’s release. According to a new survey conducted by YouGov, 47 per cent of Americans have a “very or somewhat favourable” opinion of Harry, while 34 per cent have a “very or somewhat unfavourable” opinion of him.
Meghan’s popularity rate had similar results in the YouGov survey as she did with Newsweek’s. In YouGov’s survey, 44 per cent of Americans admitted to having a “very or somewhat favourable” opinion of her and 36 per cent had a “very or somewhat unfavourable” opinion of her.
YouGov’s data also found that Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are the most popular British royals amongst Americans.
Outside the US, Harry’s popularity rate has plummeted in the UK. According to a poll conducted by Ipsos Mori, shared via The Telegraph, Harry’s ratings have dropped by seven percentage points since the publishing of his book. His brother’s popularity has plummeted and gone down eight percentage points.
The results also showed that Harry’s favorability is now down to 23 per cent. It was at nearly 70 per cent in 2018.
In his memoir, Harry made many revelations about his relationship with his brother, including details about an alleged physical aletraction where William pushed him to the ground.
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast,” Harry wrote. “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”
