84.3% of Spaniards support reforming the Constitution

MadridTaking advantage of the joint event held this Tuesday by the Valencian Parliament (Les Corts) to celebrate the longest-standing Constitution in history, the CIS (Center for Sociological Research) survey for February included questions about the Magna Carta. While 82.3% believe it has contributed to the advancement of social rights in Spain, an even larger number of respondents think it needs some reform. Specifically, according to the institute directed by José Félix Tezanos, 84.3% believe the current Constitution "needs some reform." 66.5% think these changes should be "significant," while 32.1% believe they should be "minor." In order of priority, respondents believe modifications are needed regarding "social, economic, and labor rights," while the form of government—monarchy or republic—is only mentioned by 13.8%. Looking at the results by political party, all parties advocate for constitutional changes, although there are fewer supporters on the right. 72.3% of PP voters and 82.7% of Vox voters support changes; while on the left, this percentage rises even further: 90.5% in the case of PSOE voters; 100% of ERC voters; 93.2% of Sumar voters; and 95.6% of Junts voters. The differences between parties emerge when voters are asked about the direction of these changes. Basque and Catalan separatists and nationalists prefer to change the Constitution regarding territorial issues or the model of state: monarchy vs. republic. These indicators drop to a minimum in the other parties, which prefer modifications to social issues.

PSOE ahead of PP and rise of Vox

Regarding the election results, Tezanos is going against the grain of all the polls and predicting a PSOE victory. But that's not all: he's widening the gap between Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to almost 10 points. He gives the PSOE a 32.6% vote share, while the PP gets 22.9%. Vox is also gaining ground, reaching 18.9%, one point higher than in the previous poll. Sumar remains around 7% of the vote despite the debate in recent weeks about how the left should present itself. "What the CIS is doing is corruption," retorted the PP, arguing that it makes no sense for them to contradict private polls. "It's also the opposite of what the ballot boxes are saying in the regional elections," declared PP Deputy Secretary Carmen Fúnez, "Pedro Sánchez is leaving the PSOE at historic lows."

If asked directly about their preferred president, Pedro Sánchez also wins by a wide margin. According to the CIS (Spanish Center for Sociological Research), 39.7% prefer him as the occupant of La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's official residence), ahead of 16% who say they prefer Santiago Abascal and 15.6% who prefer Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Meanwhile, Gabriel Rufián of ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia) continues to be the most highly regarded politician on the left, with 6.6%, ahead of Yolanda Díaz of Sumar (4.9%). Isabel Díaz Ayuso receives 5.3%.

Regarding the problems facing Spaniards, the top concern remains housing with 42.8%, followed by immigration (20.3%) and the economic crisis (18.1%).

Against Trump

The other issue generating consensus among Spanish society is opposition to US President Donald Trump, whom Sánchez is precisely trying to contrast with. According to the CIS (Spanish Center for Sociological Research), 76.5% of Spaniards have a "bad or very bad" opinion of Trump, compared to only 15.7% who say they have a "very good or good" opinion. Similarly, 83.5% oppose the United States' attempt to control Greenland, and 79.5% believe the US president is a "danger" to world peace. On the other hand, 70.7% of those surveyed are "very or quite worried" about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while concern about the war in the Middle East is lower, at 66.2%.