Social and political change is primarily driven by the interaction between institutions and policies and the hidden universe of public perceptions, values and attitudes. Spaniards score below the average of four other European countries for interest in politics, and above average for interest in world affairs, economics, science, medicine and health. The distribution of interest in politics shows a large segment in Spain positioned at the lowest end of the scale (points from 0 to 2), far from the European average.
In Spain, reading frequency is below the average of the other four countries, with a third of respondents reporting that they have never read a newspaper. Have you done any of the things I'm about to read about in the last 12 months?”
Relations between indicators of connection with the public space (associationism, participation, following of news media)
Greater involvement in the public sphere
Less involvement in the public sphere
Declared political orientation,
In the five countries, identification with the political left increases with the degree of interest in politics and level of education. Views on the health of democracy have greatly deteriorated in the UK and also France if we compare the results for 2019 with the results of 2009 and 2012. Percentage corresponding: "Responsibility for ensuring that all citizens enjoy a decent standard of living should rest mainly with the STATE ” Base: all cases.
Respondents in the UK are far less keen, particularly on corporate profits, with Germans the second most reluctant for the state to enter such terrain. Citizens in four of the five countries analyzed agree that income should vary depending on a person's qualifications, with agreement strongest in the UK, France and Germany. Majorities in France and Great Britain support high taxation to reduce inequalities - A majority of Italians indicate a preference for low taxation, even if it means that inequalities should not be reduced - Spaniards and Germans are divided between both alternatives.
In Spain as in the other four countries, the preference for high taxes to reduce inequality is, on average, significantly greater among those who position themselves on the left than among those who position themselves in the center or right. The degree of identification with Europe is in the medium range (more than six points, with Britain slightly behind the average of the other countries). This is felt most strongly in Germany, followed by Italy and France, while citizens in Spain and the United Kingdom are slightly less convinced.
Faced with a possible exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, I would like you to tell me how much you agree (strongly, fairly strongly, not very much or not at all) with the following statements. Asked about the possible exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, citizens perceive negative consequences on various fronts. It will lead to other countries also wanting to leave the European Union. It will weaken the role of the European Union in the world.
What do Europeans think?
Of the five countries surveyed, it is the one whose citizens identify most strongly with the political left. Identification with the nation state and its symbols on an equal footing with the other study countries. Largest in their demands for classic welfare state regulations and the first to advocate greater government intervention in key areas of the market.
What do the Spanish think and want?
Trust in groups and institutions
How much do you trust the following groups and people?” Average on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means you “don't trust them at all” and 10 means you “trust them completely”. Average trust in these groups in Spain lags behind the average of the other four countries, except in the case of civil servants. In general, Spaniards express a slightly lower level of trust in most institutions (with the main exception of universities) than the average of the other four countries.
How much do you TRUST the following organizations?” Average on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means you “don't trust them at all” and 10 means you “trust them completely”. Compared to trust in mainstream media, only a relative majority of the general population and an absolute majority of Internet users in Germany and Italy express trust in information provided by news aggregator websites. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?” Average on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means you strongly disagree and 10 means you strongly agree.
How much do you TRUST each of the following groups/organizations?” Averaged on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means "you don't trust them at all" and 10 means "you trust them completely". How much do you TRUST each of the following organizations?” Averaged on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means "you don't trust them at all" and 10 means "you trust them completely". Average on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 means you completely disagree and 10 means you completely agree.
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the courts in your country?” Average on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means you completely disagree and 10 means you completely agree.
A differentiated trust map Higher trust
Lower trust
Concerns over global issues
Only a small minority of Italians feel positive about their country's economic situation, followed by the Spanish and the French. In all societies except Germany, citizens believe that their personal economic situation is much better than that of the country as a whole. The British are the most satisfied with their personal economic situation, followed by the French and the Germans, in contrast to the negative perceptions of the Italians and the Spanish.
In Spain, the preference for cutting spending to balance public accounts is much greater among those on the right of the political arc than among those on the left, although this is clearly the majority option in this segment as well . In the average of the other four countries, the proposal finds particularly strong support among those who identify with the center and with the right. There is a strong consensus that some of the global challenges currently being discussed in the public debate are important for respondents' own countries, with a large majority considering climate change, terrorism, a cyber attack and immigration as very important issues.
Italians stand out for a particularly strong perception of the immigration problem, an issue that is also seen as serious by the Germans, then the Spanish, and less so by the French and British. Spaniards are more supportive than the average of the other four countries for accepting refugees for all three reasons. Among the hypothetical weaknesses of the refugee reception process, a majority in all countries believe that it is an economic burden that the country cannot afford and, also, that it increases the risk of terrorist attacks.
The spread of 'fake news' is now considered common in four out of five countries, with particular intensity in France and the United Kingdom.
COMMONALITIES
They have a shared perception that corruption in their own country is high (weak in the German case). They place more trust in the information provided by conventional media such as television, radio and newspapers than in digital media such as social networks and news aggregation websites. Despite these many commonalities, the results of the study reflect different models of participation and political culture.
Spain and Italy stand out for their low levels of association and participation and lowest press readership. Citizens call more strongly for welfare state services and are more approving of state intervention in various aspects of market functioning. Trust in institutions is much more fragile and the presence of corruption is felt more strongly.
The Spanish, who tend to be further to the left of the political spectrum, demand more state presence, prefer greater income equality regardless of qualifications, are among the most positive towards the EU and differ with Italians on their views on immigration and refugees . They are the strongest supporters of accepting refugees who have fled their countries for various reasons and of immigration policies that allow people in provided jobs to be available. Italians are more right-wing, have a more critical view of mainstream politics – a trait they share with the French – and express strongly negative opinions about European institutions.
They are the most likely to see immigration as a very serious problem, and the least sympathetic to the acceptance of refugees and all that it entails.
DIFFERENCES
France shares certain characteristics with Spain and Italy, but differs in the greater connection of citizens with the public space and the lower perception of corruption. Trust in institutions is at a medium to low level and, as in Italy, mainstream political parties are generally viewed with suspicion. Germany stands out from this first group of countries in that it expresses greater confidence in the way democracy works at home, and in its high levels of both interpersonal trust and trust in institutions and professions.
These levels of trust extend to government-related institutions and others such as the media and economic organizations. Citizens also express great satisfaction with their courts and have a very limited perception of corruption. The UK shares some features with Germany – overall trust levels, perceptions of corruption, views of the courts – albeit less forcefully.
Where it distances itself is in citizens' strong critical view of the current functioning of democracy in the country and low level of trust in state institutions, and also the media. The British show the perceptions specific to a multicultural society, more so than the Germans, and attach less importance to a homogeneity of characteristics as essential for civil coexistence. They are less opposed than the Germans to immigration and also to refugee reception and its consequences.
DIFERENCIAS
Weighting: Total European results are achieved by weighting each country's data according to its population share in the universe of European countries surveyed.
TECHNICAL NOTES
