Poll: Royal wedding stokes interest in U.S., UK
CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.
With the royal wedding just a week away, most people in both the U.S. and Britain are following news of the event - at least a little bit.
According to a CBS News/New York Times poll, nearly 3 in 10 Americans (28 percent) say they're very or somewhat wrapped up in the pre-wedding news. Thirty percent say they're following it, but not very closely and 42 percent say they're not paying any attention at all.
Of those that are following the wedding, most say they plan to watch it next Friday. Among women paying attention, nearly 3 in 4 say they'll watch.
Complete Coverage: The Royal Wedding
Interest among Britons slightly outpaces that of Americans. In a separate poll commissioned by CBS News and conducted by the British online polling firm YouGov, 29 percent said they are following the wedding very or somewhat closely. But nearly half say they're not paying close attention and 1 in 5 say they're paying no attention at all.
Most of the royal family are generally popular on both sides of the Atlantic, with a few exceptions. Around 6 in 10 Americans hold a favorable view of both Queen Elizabeth and Prince William (61 percent and 57 percent, respectively). Forty-five percent view Kate Middleton favorably, though nearly the same percentage say they're undecided don't know enough about her to form an opinion.
PDF: Read the complete poll results
Americans' views of Prince Charles, William's father, are split. Thirty-eight percent hold a favorable opinion, 29 percent view him unfavorably and 27 percent are undecided.
William's mother, the late Princess Diana, still holds the greatest popularity among Americans, with three in four holding favorable views and just 5 percent viewing her unfavorably.
Eight in 10 Britons hold positive views of Queen Elizabeth and Prince William and 66 percent view Middleton favorably - the same percentage that views Diana favorably.
Less than half, 46 percent, view Prince Charles favorably and his wife, Camilla, enjoys just a 25 percent favorability rating (with 47 percent viewing her unfavorably).
The vast majority of those paying attention in both the U.S. and Britain approve of William giving Kate his mother's engagement ring (89 percent and 70 percent, respectively).
However, those following the wedding are split on whether it's appropriate for Kate to have a job following the marriage. Nearly half of Americans, 48 percent, disapprove of the bride-to-be holding a job, with just 41 percent saying it's okay. Among Britons, 52 percent think it's acceptable for Kate to work after the wedding, with 39 percent disapproving.
The U.S. portion of this poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,224 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone April 15-20, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent.
The British portion of the poll was conducted for CBS News among 2,431 adults by YouGov, using their online panel, April 18-19, 2011. The sample was weighted to reflect the profile of the entire adult population in Great Britain.