Since Friday, Haakon VIII and Mette-Marit have been at the head of the Norwegian royal family. But the 53-year-old queen’s debut has been met with mixed reactions. An InFact survey commissioned by the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet found that 37.8 percent of respondents believe Mette-Marit is only somewhat or not at all suited to the role of queen.

At the same time, 35.8 percent believe she is somewhat or very well suited to the role. Another 16.9 percent placed themselves in the middle, while 9.5 percent answered “don’t know.”

Mette-Marit Receives Mixed Reviews on Her Suitability as Queen

The survey was conducted by telephone on Monday, three days after King Harald’s death. A total of 1,058 people over the age of 18 participated. They were asked: “To what extent do you think Mette-Marit is suited for the role of queen?”

When It Comes to Trust, the Verdict on the Queen Is Clearer

A second InFact survey of 1,043 participants focused on trust in the queen. Some 40.3 percent said they had little or very little trust in her. Of those, 23.5 percent described their trust as “very little,” while another 16.8 percent described it as “little.”

Meanwhile, 31.4 percent expressed a high level of trust, including 12.6 percent who said they had “a great deal” of trust and 18.8 percent who said they had “a lot” of trust. Another 24.5 percent chose neither option, while 3.8 percent answered “don’t know.” Overall, the figures paint a clearer picture when it comes to trust than they do regarding her suitability as queen.

The Hospital Stay Occurred After the Survey

One recent health-related development was not reflected in the survey. On Tuesday, the queen was temporarily admitted to hospital for observation following her lung transplant. The survey had already been completed by that time.

Since August 28, Mette-Marit has served as queen alongside Haakon VIII. Much of the country’s attention is focused on her new role. That is precisely why the current poll numbers are being closely watched: they offer an early glimpse of public sentiment following the change in the Norwegian monarchy.

A Comparison With February Shows Better Results for Mette-Marit

In February, the figures were even less favorable. At the time, polling by Norstat for Dagbladet and NRK asked respondents about Mette-Marit’s suitability to become queen. Some 44 percent considered her unsuitable, while 22 percent considered her suitable and 35 percent were undecided.

At the time, 76 percent also said their trust in her had declined. This was likely influenced by additional information that had emerged about Mette-Marit’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The current figures are therefore more favorable than those recorded in February.