Carles Castro, 16 May 2022
Meeting of the Consell Executiu – Rubén Moreno / ACN
51% would vote in favour of Catalonia remaining in Spain in a legal and agreed referendum.
Only 26% of Catalans believe that the independence of Catalonia should be a priority for the current Government of the Generalitat, compared to 72% who reject that the autonomous Executive should focus its attention on this issue, according to a poll by Ipsos for ‘La Vanguardia’, carried out from 9 to 12 May.
Support for secession remains below 40%, but is still very high among pro-independence voters.
Even among Esquerra voters there is a clear division of opinion, with 48% of them rejecting secession as a priority Only among Junts and CUP voters are more numerous those who see independence as a central priority for the Government.
54% support some more subjects taught in Spanish
The restoration of the linguistic consensus, which was called into question by the ruling that fixed the presence of Spanish in schools at 25%, and which seemed on the verge of being restored with the frustrated pact between socialists, Esquerra, Commons and Junts, registers a certain majority in favour of schools teaching some more subjects in Spanish if a broad agreement can be reached.
Specifically, 54% of those consulted are in favour of increasing the presence of Spanish in the classroom, compared with 43% who are opposed. In this case, however, the alignment by blocs – pro-independence, on the one hand, and anti-secession, on the other – is quite decisive.
Some 70% of the Socialist electorate and more than 90% of the voters of the Partido Popular or Vox are in favour of including more subjects in Spanish. On the other hand, almost 80% of Esquerra voters, 84% of Junts supporters and 86% of CUP voters reject increasing the presence of Spanish. Only the voters of the Comuns are outside the logic of the blocs, as almost 60% of them also reject the inclusion of any more subjects in Spanish.
However, linguistic peace should not be far away. Thirty-six per cent of those surveyed by Ipsos feel equally identified with Catalan and Spanish. Another 42% identify more with Spanish, and 22% only with Catalan.
Data on schools in Catalonia
Only 24% express reservations about the Winter Olympics
The Ipsos poll addresses another controversial issue: the bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Pyrenees, which enjoys broad and transversal support, as it reaches both pro-independence and anti-independence voters. This level of support makes expressions of rejection or the frequent controversies that are affecting the image of this eventful proposal a minority.
Specifically, almost 70% of Catalans are in favour of the 2030 Olympic Games, compared to 24% who are opposed to varying degrees. In fact, the rejection front is mainly confined to 70% of the CUP electorate and 46% of the voters of the Comuns Front. In contrast, more than 60% of Socialist voters, 75% of Esquerra voters and even 51% of Junts supporters support the holding of the Games. Support among right-wing voters soars to 93% among PP voters.
ERC voters are divided, while Junts and CUP voters see separation as the main objective.
At the same time, and in the event of a legal and agreed referendum, 51% of those consulted would be in favour of Catalonia remaining in Spain, while 39% would be in favour of separation.
Faced with this dilemma, alignments are defined by blocs. 100% of PP voters, 85% of Vox voters and more than 80% of PSC voters would vote in favour of Catalonia remaining in Spain. Even 75% of the voters of the Comuns would reject secession. In contrast, all CUP supporters, 90% of Junts supporters and 77% of ERC supporters would vote in favour of independence.
In this sense, six out of ten citizens under 35 would support remaining in Spain, as would 71% of those consulted who have more economic difficulties to make ends meet. By linguistic identity, secession would prevail among those who feel identified only with Catalan, while remaining in Spain would be in the majority among those who feel identified with both languages or with Spanish.
76% of Catalans believe that they pay more taxes than in the rest of Spain
The perception of the so-called “fiscal plundering” becomes an internal problem in Catalonia when asked about the tax burden suffered by its citizens. The Ipsos survey found that up to three out of every four Catalans believe that they pay more taxes in Catalonia than in the rest of Spain. Only 15% believe that they pay the same amount, and an inestimable 1% think that they pay less.
These perceptions are shared by the vast majority of voters, to the extent that around 80% of PSC, Esquerra, Junts, Vox and CUP voters agree with this diagnosis. The percentage drops to 77% among PP voters and only falls significantly among the followers of the Comuns Party. Only half of the latter believe that more taxes are paid in Catalonia, while 35% believe that the same taxes are paid.
In this context, economic issues are the main concern of Catalans with the lowest incomes. On the other hand, among citizens with greater purchasing power, the main concerns are the actions of politicians and Catalonia’s independence. Hence, the overall result places the conduct of politicians as the main problem (20%) and secession as the second (19%). Below this, unemployment (12%) and the economic situation (11%) appear, which, nevertheless, brings the total number of mentions of these problems to 23%. Paradoxically, only 2% mention inflation as one of their main concerns. Independence is, by far, the main concern for Cs, PP and Vox voters.
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