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Norway

Support for the Norwegian monarchy continues to grow

In connection with King Harald’s birthday, , the state-run Norwegian TV channel NRK has conducted another major survey on the Norwegians’ attitude to the monarchy as a form of government.

The survey confirms that the Norwegian monarchy is very popular, as 78 % of the Norwegian population want it to continue. Only 15 % of Norwegians asked in this poll want a republic instead.

In January 2022, in connection with Princess Ingrid’s 18th birthday, 76% of Norwegians said they wanted to keep the monarchy, so support remains high. Then they also examined how young people’s attitudes were, and among the population that was between 16 and 20 years old, only 8 % of the young population wanted a republic. More than 80 percent say that they believe the Norwegian monarchy will exist so that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be queen one day.

The Norwegian royal family has been popular for a long time, and the royals have emerged as unifying figures. There have not been any major ideological debates around the royal house in the recent years nor have major scandals damaged their reputation. However, like all monarchies, they cannot take ongoing support for granted.

The best poll for the Norwegian royal house ever was when King Harald marked his Silver Jubilee when 84% of the population supported the monarchy. The worst poll was in 2001 when there was a lot of debate about the marriage of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit. At that time, support was only 58%.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.