Concerns about housing have risen by 18.2 points and have set a new record as Spain’s number one issue, exceeding 55 per cent of mentions for the first time in the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) Opinion Barometer for October, the first since the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, which sparked what has so far been the largest mobilisation over housing ever recorded in Spain, with protest camps set up in several cities.
The forced eviction of this 87-year-old woman from Madrid, who was carried out on a stretcher from the house she had rented for seven decades and who died two weeks later, led to the Government’s approval of two decree-laws containing measures to tackle the housing crisis; however, both were repealed by Parliament, which led to the calling of a snap general election.
The fieldwork for this survey was carried out between 1 and 6 October, immediately following the repeal of the decrees. In the survey, housing is cited as the number one problem, with 55.7 per cent of mentions, followed by immigration, which has risen from third to second place (20.9 per cent), and the economic crisis (20.3 per cent).
With the October barometer, housing has now been the top national issue for 21 consecutive months. It first topped this list in December 2024, with 22.3 per cent of mentions, a figure that has done nothing but rise. A year later, it stood at around 40 per cent, and last May it reached its previous record of 48.8 per cent.
That spike came after Congress, with the votes of the PP, Vox, Junts and UPN, and the abstention of the PNV, rejected the decree-law that included a 2 per cent cap on rent prices and an extraordinary extension of tenancy agreements until the end of 2027.
The country’s second biggest problem – 34.8 points behind housing – is immigration, which accounted for 20.9 per cent of mentions in October, 1.2 points more than in September, when it ranked third. Meanwhile, the economic crisis has slipped from second to third place, falling by three tenths of a percentage point to 20.3 per cent.
The list continues with issues relating to the quality of employment, which ranks as the fourth biggest problem, setting a new record with 19.4 per cent of responses. This is 5.7 points higher than in September, when it was in sixth place.
By contrast, criticism of the Government and political parties has fallen by 3.7 percentage points to fifth place (15.1 per cent), followed by healthcare, which has risen by 3.3 percentage points to 14.4 per cent. In seventh place are political issues (10.1 per cent), in eighth place is unemployment, which has reached a new all-time low (9.6 per cent), in ninth place is education (8.7 per cent), and rounding off the ‘top ten’ is the poor conduct of politicians, cited by 8.6 per cent of respondents.
The list of personal concerns is also topped by housing, at 33.8 per cent – 5.9 percentage points higher than in September, when it was the second most cited personal concern. The economic crisis now ranks second (30.3 per cent), followed by healthcare (24 per cent), the quality of employment (18.85 per cent) and immigration (11.2 per cent).
The CIS, which last week published a specific study on housing carried out prior to Maricarmen’s eviction, has used the October barometer to gauge public opinion on this incident, which almost 54 per cent say they have followed in considerable detail and 34.8 per cent in general terms. Of this group, 75 per cent attach great or considerable importance to the eviction of the late octogenarian, compared with 22.7 per cent who attach little or no importance to it.
Among those who have followed the case, 57.1 per cent believe that in such situations the protection of vulnerable people should take precedence, whilst 32.7 per cent consider that ‘compliance with the law and contracts’ should be prioritised. In any case, 82.3 per cent of those interviewed maintain that housing should be prioritised as a constitutional right.
The institute chaired by the socialist sociologist José Félix Tezanos has also included questions in the barometer regarding the measures approved by the Government which were subsequently repealed by Parliament and which the government has re-approved with amendments, with the intention of having them ratified by the Permanent Committee of the Lower House before the elections on 29 November.
Of the 80.4% who say they are aware of the approval of these decree-laws, 57.2% view them positively, compared with 42.3% who criticise them. The measures with the most support are the reduction in VAT to 4 per cent for the construction of social housing (95.1 per cent) and the 50,000 credit line for the purchase of a first home (87.9 per cent).
Tax cuts for tenants and for landlords who reduce or freeze their rent also enjoy broad consensus (81.4%), as does the 10 per cent flat-rate tax on holiday lettings (75 per cent). The ban on property purchases by vulture funds or large property owners until 2028 has 67 per cent support, whilst the ban on evictions of vulnerable people until 2020 has 65 per cent support – practically the same as the tightening of conditions for seasonal rentals and room lettings.
By contrast, the most contested measure is the automatic and indefinite extension of tenancies, with 52 per cent criticising it. The two-year extension of tenancies due to end before 2029 garners the support of 58.6 per cent and is opposed by 37.4 per cent, whilst the surcharge on the Property Tax (IBI) for empty and holiday homes is backed by nearly 60 per cent but criticised by 36.2 per cent.
The CIS also investigated the public’s understanding of which authority has the greatest powers over housing, with the following results: autonomous communities (40.7 per cent), the central government (35 per cent) and local councils (10.2 per cent).
However, nearly half (48 per cent) are in favour of the central government having greater powers to improve access to housing, 24 per cent want the powers of the autonomous communities to be strengthened, and nearly 22 per cent want those of local councils to be strengthened.