81% of Spaniards view the economy negatively, but 73% say it’s good for them

There are barometers that show amazing results when there is no contradiction. 81% of Spaniards negatively assess the economic situation of the country and 85% believe that the employment data is bad, but respectively 73% and 62% answer that their finances and employment situation are good. This is the latest Eurobarometer data from the European Commission, which compares the perception of Spanish and European public opinion on issues related to the economy, the main concerns of the public or the vision of the European Union.

The survey, which was presented this Friday, ran from January 19 to February 14. He has been asking questions about tensions in Ukraine, but the Russian invasion of the country came later, so it does not reflect public perceptions of the war or the social and economic consequences it has had across the continent.

Two years after the onset of the corovirus pandemic, restrictions are already a shadow of their former self, and in just two weeks, the mask will no longer be mandatory. Health care has fallen by 10 points compared to 2021, but it looks like the population will continue to put its fears at the forefront for a while. This year, 42% ranked it among the two most important issues facing Spain in early 2022. It was preceded by unemployment (35%), rising prices (27%) and economic situation (26%).

49% of respondents in Spain confirm that the pandemic had serious personal financial consequences for them, while 95% that it has serious economic consequences for the country. 60% of respondents across Europe believe that based on the EU response to the Coronavirus pandemic, it will make the right decisions in the future. In the case of the Spaniards, this percentage is six percentage points higher. However, about 85% believe that they need to be given more resources to be able to better manage the crisis and more than half (54% of Europeans and 55% of Spaniards) believe that a € 800,000 million recovery will be effective. Economic consequences of a health crisis.

Concerns about inflation are growing

Inflation was a topic that did not usually appear in most Spanish responses on other occasions. In this Eurobarometer, it increased by 21 points compared to 2021, and in the case of Europeans, by 25, to 41%. This was, in fact, the most popular response across the EU, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the candidate countries participating in this survey. When the survey was conducted, electricity was rising expensively for months. However, given the new panorama created as a result of the war in Ukraine, these data may now be completely outdated.

This barometer pays special attention to the perception that citizens have about the EU. All questions related to the greater weight of joint decisions within the union are answered in the affirmative. Even in Spain it is more positive than abroad. 76% of Spaniards believe that more decisions need to be made at EU level than 57% of Europeans. In addition, more than 80% believe that there should be a common foreign policy in terms of defense, migration and energy, somewhat higher than our European neighbors. The trend is changing in terms of strengthening external borders with more European border guards and coastguards. 64% of Spaniards are in favor and 25% against, 71% and 22% of Europeans respectively.

Another fact that runs counter to this common European policy interest is that only 45% of Spaniards surveyed and 47% of Europeans trust the EU.

Mass media and fake news

False news has recently been presented as a problem of democracy. 82% of Spanish citizens and 81% of Europeans believe this. This is a similar figure for Spaniards who say they find false news or information that they think distorts reality – 70% of the total union. This is exacerbated when 39% of Spaniards say it is not easy for them to detect this type of fake content.

In fact, citizens are “prone to distrust” of the media. The worst is television, which is trusted by 32% of respondents in Spain and 49% in the rest of Europe. Only 37% and 49% of citizens trust the written press. In radio 45% and 56%. The majority of the population also distrusts content on the Internet (64%) and social networks (72%).

As for the level of trust of the citizens, the toilets continue to receive great support. They are trusted by 84% of Spaniards and 78% of Europeans, while Spaniards show less trust than their neighbors in the rest of the institutions as a whole. In fact, no one else in our country argues. Justice remains at 47%; EU by 45%; Local and regional public authorities and public administration, 44%; Government, by 24%; Congress, by 19%; And political parties, 10%.