Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The six-monthly barometer corresponding to December 2020 paints a picture of general pessimism in the city, with the social and health crisis caused by Covid-19 providing the context for the figures. Conducted between 25 November and 3 December, with information from 799 Barcelona residents, the survey highlights people’s perception of the coronavirus, vaccination and health.

Most people in the city are pessimistic with regard to the Covid-19 health crisis. Seven out of ten people surveyed (69.7%) worry about the health of loved ones, 55.3% affirm that the situation causes them stress in all aspects of their life and nearly 50% state that the situation means they are concerned about their financial situation.

Of those interviewed, 44.4% state their health has been affected. The figure is higher among women (53.3%) and lower among men (34%).

Covid-19. Conspiracies, measures and vaccines

Four out of ten people surveyed believe the Covid-19 virus was created in a laboratory, with 16.5% of the opinion that it is a conspiracy by global elites to curb individual freedoms. Regarding the imposition of new restrictions, 57.3% of local people believe that more drastic measures are not needed, with the youngest generations the most reticent towards new restrictions.

Once the vaccine is validated by the health authorities and becomes available, nearly seven out of ten people interviewed assert they are willing to have the jab. Of these, 37.5% are convinced and 29.3% affirm that they would most likely have it. Women are the most reticent towards the vaccine while, by age, young people between the ages of 18 and 24 and elderly people over 64 are the most willing to be vaccinated.

Perceptions of the city, Catalonia and the state get worse

The exceptional nature of the situation over the last year has made the city a worse place for 69% of those interviewed, the same going for Catalonia and the Spanish state. Even so, those surveyed believe in the recovery and 61% think that Barcelona will improve over the next year.

As with the last six-monthly barometer, insecurity remains people’s main concern (12.4%), although the downward trend of six months ago continues, with a five per cent drop. Other issues which worry people include traffic circulation (9.4%), unemployment and labour conditions (9%), Covid-19 (8.3%), housing (7.4%) and economic problems.

The impact of the pandemic also affects people’s perception of the economy. This year, between 80% and 85% of those interviewed believe that the economic situation for Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain is bad or very bad. The future holds a degree of hope for citizens, and 54.4% believe that the city’s economy will improve in the coming year.

Rating for the management of municipal leaders

All institutions did worse in the ratings. In terms of municipal management, 46.1% of those interviewed considered it poor or very poor, compared to 39.2% who found it good or very good. Negative opinions of the management of the regional government came out at 53.1%, and that of the state government 59.8%.

If municipal elections were held today, Barcelona en Comú would win, closely followed by Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya. Some 12.2% of local people interviewed would vote for Ada Colau’s party, while 12% would vote for Ernest Maragall’s. The PSC would be the third political force, with a direct voting intention of 8.3% of the population. These parties would be followed by the CUP (3.6%), JxCat (3.5%), Cs (2.2%) and the PP (1.4%). Another notable aspect is the increase in people who are undecided on how they would vote (29.6%), and those unwilling to answer (15.2%).

The ratings for political leaders are also affected by the context of the crisis, with all of them faring worse. Ernest Maragall is the only political leader whose rating shows people approve of him, with a score of 5.2. He is followed by Jaume Collboni, with 4.7; Elsa Artadi, with 4.4, and the Mayor, Ada Colau, with 4.3. Mari Luz Guilarte was given a score of 3.5, Josep Bou 3.0 and Manuel Valls 2.7.

More information here.