Almost two in three say the Queen’s Speech is “an important tradition that should be continued” – but young Britons are less likely to agree than the old
Today is the state opening of Parliament’s 2013-14 session, a grand ceremonial event in which the Queen reads out a speech she has no involvement in writing containing a number of flagship policies the government will try to make into law.
Though it’s often said that the speech is pointless, an unneccessary relic of bygone times, the British public strongly disagrees: almost two in three (62%) say “the Queen’s speech is an important tradition that should be continued”, compared to just 23% who believe “it is not really appropriate for the Queen to read out a speech about the government's plans”.
Support for the Queen’s Speech drops with age however. While 71% of over sixty year olds support the tradition, less than half (49%) of eighteen to twenty-four year olds say the Speech should be continued.
