A poll conducted by Coininvest in March 2018 has discovered that 25% of younger Brits want to see J.K. Rowling featured on UK currency.
Coininvest polled 1,000 Brits about their thoughts regarding the public figures currently featured on UK bank notes. The results of the poll determined that 61% of 18- to 24-year-olds think the current featured figures are outdated, while only 18% of those over the age of 65 believe so. As a whole, 42% of the nation felt that the UK currency could use an update to include newer public figures.
With almost half of the nation wanting updated bank notes, Coininvest inquired further to determine who poll participants would like to see on their currency instead. The answers differed greatly between the various age generations, but a few individuals stood out as favorites. Although Queen Elizabeth has been a prominent figure on UK currency since 1960, 23% of the nation reported that they would also like to see her husband, Prince Phillip, featured. Prince Phillip was the favorite Royal named, followed closely by 21% of the public wanting to see Prince Harry on their bank notes.
The majority of those polled (78%) thought it was very important that the featured public figures be individuals who had a positive impact on British society. Along with a few Royals, a number of authors and actors also made the list. The most popular choice of everyone involved in the study was children’s author Roald Dahl (28%), followed by actor Alec Guinness (25%), most known for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Although J.K. Rowling didn’t make the top ten list for the entire British population, she was tied for fifth with retired footballer and sportscaster Gary Lineker at 25% among the public figures voted for by 18- to 24-year-olds. A common trend included those of the older generations voting more for historical figures to be featured, while younger participants wanted to see more people from pop culture.
If an update of UK currency occurs in the near future, based on the results of this recent poll, J.K. Rowling certainly has a chance to be featured. As the younger generation grows up, it’s likely that her popularity will continue to rise, placing her even higher on the charts in future polls.
The top ten public figures chosen by all ages, 18- to 24-year-olds, and those over the age of 65 are listed below.
The full top ten public figures Brits would like to see featured on UK currency:
- Roald Dahl – 28%
- Alec Guinness – 25%
- Prince Phillip – 23%
- Judi Dench – 23%
- Prince Harry – 21%
- Helen Mirren – 20%
- Michael Cain – 19%
- Princess Diana – 17%
- Isaac Newton – 17%
Top ten public figures 18- to 24-year-olds want on a banknote (who haven’t been featured before):
- Roald Dahl – 39%
- Prince Harry – 38%
- Helen Mirren – 31%
- Gary Oldman – 29%
- Gary Lineker – 25%
- J.K. Rowling – 25%
- Maggie Smith – 20%
- Prince Philip – 20%
- Ant and Dec – 16%
- Graham Norton – 16%
Top ten figures those over the age of 65 would like to see featured on a banknote (who haven’t been featured before):
- Alec Guinness – 52%
- Prince Philip – 35%
- Judi Dench – 33%
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel – 22%
- S. Lewis – 20%
- Prince Harry – 19%
- J.R.R. Tolkien – 17%
- Maggie Smith – 17%
- George Orwell – 15%
- Ian Fleming – 15%
Press Release
Money in our pockets: Brits want Prince Harry, Gary Lineker and J. K. Rowling on UK bank notes A fifth (21%) of young Brits would like to see Prince Harry featured on UK currency Roald Dahl (28%), Alec Guinness (25%), and Princess Diana (17%) were also favourites to be featured on UK money A quarter of Millennials would like to see Gary Lineker on UK bank notes Brits want Prince Harry, Gary Lineker and J. K. Rowling burning a hole in their wallets, according to research commissioned by Coininvest. The coin and bullion retailer polled 1,000 Brits to discover their attitudes towards the public figures featured on UK currency, as well as their thoughts on who they would like to carry in their wallets in the future. As four in ten (42%) Brits believe that the UK public figures featured on UK currency are outdated, Coininvest has delved further to discover who Brits would like to replace them. Brits back Prince Harry on UK banknotes and his upcoming royal wedding Queen Elizabeth has been featured on banknotes since 1960, but Brits believe that her husband Prince Philip also deserves the honour of being featured on UK currency with 23% of the nation backing him as their favourite Royal to be on a UK banknote. 5th in line to the throne Prince Harry was also a royal favourite to be featured on UK currency, with a fifth (21%) of the public wanting to carry the Prince of Wales in our wallets. Millennials, in particular, were keen for Prince Harry to be featured on a bank note (33%), and a fifth (17%) of 18-34-year-olds are also eager for his soon-to-be bride Meghan Markle to be featured on UK currency which may prove controversial as none of the respondents aged over 65 said they would like to see Meghan Markle featured on UK banknotes. The research also revealed that four in ten (42%) Brits are excited about the upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Younger Brits were found to be more excited about the royal wedding with almost half (48%) of Brits aged 18 to 24 and 54% aged 25- 34 are excited about the upcoming nuptials, compared to 36% of over 65s and 31% of 55-64-year olds. The South West of England was found to be the region most excited about the upcoming royal wedding, followed by Northern Ireland (50%) and South East (54%). Only a fifth (18%) of Wales were found to be excited about the wedding of the Prince of Wales. While some Brits may not be excited about the royal wedding, over half (52%) believe Meghan Markle will be a positive addition to the Royal family. Almost two thirds (65%) of Brits aged 25 – 34 said they believe Meghan Markle will make a positive addition to the royal family, followed by 57% of 18 – 24-year olds, and 51% of 45 – 54-year olds. Over three-quarters of Northern Ireland, respondents said they believe Meghan Markle will be a positive addition to the Royal family, followed by two-thirds of Brits from the South West, and 60% of Scots. Roald Dahl is Britain’s No.1 public figure they’d like to see featured on UK currency. Over three quarters (78%) of Brits said that it’s important that public figures featured on UK currency have had a positive impact on British society. Britain’s favourite children’s author Roald Dahl was named as Brits’ number one choice to be featured on UK bank notes, followed by actor Alec Guinness (25%) and Prince Phillip (23%). Dame Judi Dench (23%), Princess Diana (17%) and Michael Cain (19%) were also named as public figures Brits believe deserve the honour of featuring on UK bank notes. The full top ten public figures Brits would like to see featured on UK currency are: Roald Dahl – 28% Alec Guinness – 25% Prince Phillip – 23% Judi Dench – 23% Prince Harry – 21% Helen Mirren – 20% Michael Cain – 19% Princess Diana – 17% Isaac Newton – 17% Millennials and Baby Boomers differ in who they think deserves to be on our bank notes Coininvest discovered that the generational differences between millennials and baby boomers reflect in their attitudes towards UK currency. Two thirds (61%) of Brits aged 18-24 think the public figures featured on UK currency are outdated compared to 18% of over 65s. Their attitudes towards current UK currency reflected in their choices of public figures in the study. Older Brits would like to see more historical figures to be featured on UK currency, while younger Brits are more interested in people in pop culture to be featured on their banknotes. Brits aged over 65 would like to see actor Alec Guinness (52%) to be featured on UK money, as well as historic civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (22%). Other public figures baby boomers would like to see featured on banknotes include The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe author C. S Lewis (20%), Lord of the Rings author J R. R. Tolkien (17%) and author of classics 1984 and Animal Farm George Orwell (15%). A third (31%) of young Brits would like to see Dame Helen Mirren featured on UK currency, while a quarter (25%) would like to see Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker on UK currency, and a further 25% would like to Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling featured on UK currency. TV presenters were also a popular choice for young Brits as, one in six (16%) would like to see Graham Norton on UK currency. Top ten public figures 18 - 24-year olds want on a banknote (who haven’t been featured before): Roald Dahl – 39% Prince Harry – 38% Helen Mirren – 31% Gary Oldman – 29% Gary Lineker – 25% J. K. Rowling – 25% Maggie Smith – 20% Prince Philip – 20% Ant and Dec – 16% Graham Norton – 16% Top ten figures over 65s would like to see featured on a banknote (who haven’t been featured before): Alec Guinness – 52% Prince Philip – 35% Judi Dench – 33% Isambard Kingdom Brunel – 22% C. S Lewis – 20% Prince Harry – 19% J R. R. Tolkien – 17% Maggie Smith – 17% George Orwell – 15% Ian Fleming – 15% Source: Based on a polled via Onepoll conducted March 2018 For further information regarding the study, please visit the Coininvest website: https://www.coininvest.com/blog/en/future-face-of-finance/
