As Queen Elizabeth II prepared for her coronation in Great Britain in May of 1953, Americans generally viewed her in a positive light, even though most did not.
The queen was highly regarded in the U.S. over the course of her 70 year reign. She was one of the top 10 most admired women every year, but her favorability ratings were low after Princess Diana’s death.
Queen Rated Positively Before Coronation, but Little U.S. Interest in It
After the death of her father, Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, but her coronation didn’t happen until 16 months later. Gallup asked Americans their opinion of the queen in an open-ended question, and two-thirds said she used affirmative phrases.
22% of U.S adults commented about the queen’s positive qualities, 15% expressed overall approval of her, 14% referenced the competence she exhibited in her duties, and 9% considered her appearance or demeanor to be appealing. 4% of Americans think Elizabeth II is admirable and queenly, and 2% think she is intelligent. People who were more critical of the monarchy than they were of the queen were more likely to express a negative opinion of the queen.
More than half of Americans said they weren’t interested in the coronation of the queen, and a third said they were. Women were more interested in the event than men were, as they were more interested in the event than men were.
Positivity Toward Queen Elizabeth Persisted Into 21st Century
The queen was rated favorably by more than eight in 10 Americans in 1957.
Between 1997 and 2003 Gallup gauged American public opinion of the queen. After Princess Diana’s death, Elizabeth’s favorable rating went from 45% in 1997 to 75% in 2002.
Queen Elizabeth has appeared on the top 10 list of most admired women many times. The queen had the distinction of being in the top 10 more often than anyone else. Although she achieved a top 10 ranking 18 more times than the next closest woman, Elizabeth never made it to the top of the list. She was one of the most admired women in the 1960’s.
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The data can be found in Gallup’s website.
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