2023-07-19 17:00:00
After ten years of reign, how do the Belgians perceive King Philippe? How do they judge the way in which he exercises his function? What evolution do they detect in a decade? And deep down, do they trust him? And what regarding Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Elisabeth? These are all questions that Ipsos asked for The evening, The last newsRTL and VTM, in a “Barometer of the monarchy” with a view to this tenth royal anniversary, this July 21, 2023.
A score of 5.9 for Philippe, Mathilde and Elisabeth
Asked first of all regarding the rating they would attribute to King Philippe, our respondents agree on an average of 5.9/10 (voters of Vlaams Belang, and to a lesser extent of the PTB and the N-VA , unsurprisingly lowering the average, a remark that applies to the other questions devoted to the King’s bulletin). But there is hardly any difference in rating between Regions, genders or age categories.
Notable fact: when the same question is asked regarding Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Elisabeth, those polled give the same average score of 5.9, with no notable regional difference here either (Mathilde scoring a tad less than Philippe among voters of the three traditional political families, socialists, liberals and centrists, who give him between 6 and 6.5, once morest 6.6 to 6.7 for Philippe).
By way of comparison, the Belgians give a 5.3 to Princess Astrid, active in particular in the medical field and at the head of the princely economic missions. It should be noted that the Flemish give him a slightly lower rating than those of the Walloons, whereas at one time, when Philippe, still a prince, was decried, some, in the north of the country, wondered if Astrid might not rather ascend the throne… As for Prince Laurent, he brings up the rear with a 5.
55% satisfied with the way the King fulfills his role
When we ask respondents how they assess the way in which Philippe fulfills his role, 55% say they are very or rather satisfied, in a fairly homogeneous way between Regions and age categories, and 12% very or rather dissatisfied, a third being notice. Almost as many people trust him very or fairly very much, 54%, and trust him rather little or very little, 14% (32% expressing neither trust nor mistrust). But here, there are small regional differences: the inhabitants of Brussels and the Walloons are more confident than the average and the Flemings less so (51%), the latter also being more likely to express their mistrust (16%).
Proof, however, that Philippe’s strong presence in the north of the country is bearing fruit? In any case, it is the Dutch-speaking respondents who are the most positive when we ask the question of the evolution of the King during these ten years: 66% consider that he has evolved very or rather positively, once morest 59% of Walloons and people from Brussels, the average being 62%. Only 8% of Belgians believe that the King has evolved very or rather negatively, the Flemings being the least negative here too. Thirty percent see neither positive nor negative development.
Overall figures on the rise for the King, since on the occasion of his five years of reign in 2018, a survey showed 55% of Belgians having such a positive judgment on his development and 5% having a negative impression, 40% thinking that the King had not changed.
Let us add that in our barometer of the day, 39% of respondents think that Philippe has modernized the monarchy, once morest 26% who do not think so. And that 58% see him as a good ambassador for Belgium abroad, 15% disagreeing with this statement.
Revenge of the ex-prince
Overall, the royal bulletin is therefore of satisfaction, following ten years of reign. A rating that more than one political leader would be delighted regarding… And Philippe himself must see it as revenge, he who, as crown prince, struggled to convince. In 2007, for example, only one Fleming in three thought that Philippe would make a good king, according to a poll by VTM. And shortly before acceding to the throne, he only aroused the confidence of one in two Belgians… thanks to French-speaking voices: a majority of Flemings still did not trust him. But as soon as he was enthroned, the trend was reversed: three months later, he finally obtained more than half in the north, 59% confidence rate.
Better than in some other monarchies
Over the years, however, the figures have eroded by a few points. But the trend remains good, also in comparison with other European monarchies where the fall in popularity is marked. “The most spectacular case is that of the King of the Netherlands”, illustrates the historian specializing in the monarchy, Vincent Dujardin (UCLouvain). “In the spring of 2013, in certain articles in the Flemish press, Prince Willem-Alexander was shown as an example compared to his Belgian counterpart; and in 2017, 80% of the Dutch still said they trusted their King. But in April 2023, they were only 46%. The Dutch monarchy pays in particular for the trip to Greece of the royal couple during the pandemic or the late renunciation of an endowment from the heiress on the occasion of her 18th birthday. »
Read also The ten keys to the evolution of the King in ten years
King Philippe is therefore placed in the European average. And if he is more discreet than other monarchs, the Belgians are not necessarily asking for anything else. Only 21% believe that Philippe should reveal his private life more, 48% thinking the opposite. And they are no more waiting to see him more in the media: only a third want it, even if 44% would like to know the man better.
The survey was carried out by Ipsos Belgium among a representative sample of 1,000 Belgians aged 18 and over. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender and region. The survey took place from July 12 to July 17, 2023. The margin of error is 3.1%.
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