The self gains ground: we are increasingly individualistic

BarcelonaEarly in the morning. There are no seats, except for a passenger who occupies the adjacent seat with their backpack. Many travelers are standing. Public transport users have surely experienced this scene more than once. A situation, however, that can generate two responses. In one scenario, the passenger removes their backpack and makes space to sit. The implicit implication of this action is that the space is shared and the group is more important than personal comfort. An action that conveys complicity for the journey (and the suffering of delays), understood as an act of collective action. However, there is also another scenario: the passenger does not remove their backpack, while looking away to the window or at their mobile, trying not to be addressed. "This is my space until someone claims it." Many will not do so to avoid confrontation.

Two popular scenarios linked to two cultural patterns: the prioritization of the group (the first case) or the individual (the second). In Catalonia, for a large part of our history, there has been a patrilocal family structure, a social system based on physical, cultural, and relational proximity to parents and grandparents. A network of relationships that began to erode with industrialization and the growth of cities, but which has created a cultural capital in which certain collective elements, such as family or close friendships, have shaped attitudes and behavior. It is not for nothing that Catalonia and southern Europe are among the European territories where collective attitudes are still predominant.

Individualism is gaining ground

However, collective attitudes are not in vogue. Individualism, the tendency to focus on what happens to us and not so much on our surroundings, is gaining ground. Previously, individualism was linked to economic progress and was a trait more of the middle and upper classes. Currently, however, it is also growing among groups with fewer resources. That is, the belief that effort allows overcoming crises or that individual actions tend to be good without worrying about possible negative collective implications is increasingly common.

In recent years, the degree of interpersonal trust among Catalans has fallen significantly among Generation Z (people born between 1997 and 2012), a trend that is particularly intense among men. Similar indicators show the increase in the group of people, many of them young, with individualistic attitudes and a negative sentiment towards institutions. This dissatisfaction is explained, in part, by the perception that institutions do not solve problems. But it also arises from a new cultural pattern that is progressively strengthening. Ideas such as privacy or personal, rather than group, goals are gaining ground.

The increase in individualism has been associated with potential benefits, such as tolerance for plurality or mobility, but also disadvantages. As individualism grows, intergenerational cooperation or cooperation between people who do not know each other erodes, the sense of shared identity is torn apart, the associative fabric decays, or distrust and dissatisfaction with power increase. And this also has political implications: for example, in recent years research has shown how the far-right grows in associative deserts or in places where social capital is low or declining.

High individualism and high risk aversion

According to Hofstede's index, which assesses the cultural traits of different contexts around the world, Spain combines relatively high levels of individualism (always below Northern Europe and Anglo-Saxon countries) with high levels of risk aversion. In comparative terms, the country's citizens like regulation, but at the same time have the moral feeling that they are driven to avoid rules and laws that "complicate life." There is great concern about changing situations, which leads many, for example, to seek stable and defined jobs, such as those in public administration. A risk aversion that also makes it more difficult to receive political support for structural, large-scale changes that the country probably needs. It is a mystery how the increase in individualism will affect a context in which people do not want change, but the temptation of every man for himself and frustration are not usually a good cocktail.

This week's curious chart

The Spotify Top 3

With around 750 million users worldwide, 290 million of whom are subscribed to the paid version, Spotify has dominated the music (and, to a lesser extent, podcast) streaming sector for years. Among the many data it produces, and thanks to a recent UOC project seeking to understand artist collaboration patterns, we can see which songs have occupied the top 3 on the platform for the most weeks, from 2016 to mid-2025. Leading the list is "STAY", by Justin Bieber, with 38 weeks at the top of the charts. It is followed by "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd (36 weeks) and "As it Was", by Harry Styles (31 weeks). Another interesting point is to see how the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" stands out in the charts, but, as expected, only during the Christmas season.