Queen dealt blow as 41% of young Brits want elected head of state instead of monarchy

A growing number of young Brits are now in favour of an elected head of state, rather than a monarchy, a new poll has found.

Some 41 per cent of 18-24-year-olds would prefer to ditch a king or queen in the future for a representative voted in by the people.

But 31 per cent still back the continuation of the monarchy, according to the data by YouGov.

The research showed that support for an elected head of state has swelled among young adults over the past two years.

It has overtaken the number of 18-24 years old backing the monarchy for the first time since YouGov has been asking the question.

Those who said they would opt for an elected head of state has grown from 26 per cent in 2019 to 37 per cent in 2020 and then up to 41 per cent in 2021.

Overall, people still support the monarchy, say pollsters (AFP via Getty Images)

The royal family has faced a turbulent period in recent years.

The Duke of York quit royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, and then the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent shockwaves when they left in 2020.

And this year the Firm was rocked by sensational claims made during an Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan.

The Queen, who has reigned for 69 years, is preparing to mark her Platinum Jubilee next year but support for the monarchy among young adults appears to have soured.

It has fallen from 46 per cent in 2019 to 40 per cent in 2020 and 31 per cent in 2021.

But the country still backs the Queen and her heirs overall with three in five people, 61 per cent, supporting the monarchy, while only 24 per cent would opt for an elected head of state.

Older age groups remain consistently in favour of a having a monarchy, with seven in 10 of 50-64 year olds (70%per cent) still backing the institution, compared to 71 per cent in 2019.

For those aged 65 and above, 81 per cent want the monarchy to carry on, while in 2019 the figure was 82 per cent.

Opinions among people aged 25 to 49 have only shifted slightly, with more than half (53 per cent) now in favour of retaining a sovereign as head of state - down from 58 per cent.

About a quarter (27 per cent) would prefer an elected state head.

YouGov surveyed 4,870 British adults in 2019, 3,127 in 2020, and 4,997 in 2021.