Spaniards believe that the EU should invest in housing, industry and social policies rather than security and defense | Spain

The Monographic survey of the 40DB Institute. For the country and the chain to be on “the challenges of the European Union” in a context of great international uncertainty shows that the Spaniards retain the same level of Europeanism that a year ago – on a scale of 0 to 10, being 10 “totally Europeanist”, the population is, on average, in 7.4 -, but in some aspects the discourse of the extreme right, the most reluctant to common politics, begins to penetrate. Thus, 69.5%associate the EU with positive concepts such as « democracy » (38.4%), « protection of the welfare state » (30.9%) or « peace » (18.9%), and 49.5%cites negative concepts such as « bureaucracy » (26.4%), « international weakness » (16.4%) or « insecurity » (12.1%). And asked about the challenges to which « priority » should, first, « immigration » (38.5%), ahead of inequalities and poverty (cited by 37.6%), economic growth and competitiveness (34.4%) and close war conflicts (29.8%).

The extreme right parties have particularly advanced in the back of a xenophobic speech that criminalizes the immigrant, although, in an aged continent, the presence of the collective is key to economic development. A Report of the Bank of Spain He warned in 2024 that the country will need 24 million immigrants to maintain the relationship between workers and retired in 2053, within three decades, when the INE hopes that there will be 14.8 million pensioners. In another monographic survey on immigration made by 40DB. And published last October, 57% of the population declared that there are « too many » immigrants in Spain and 75% associated them with negative concepts. You can consult all survey data here.

In addition to those already mentioned, they complete the ranking Of European challenges to which “priority” should be given, according to the Spanish population, commercial conflicts with other countries (cited by 27.5%), the climate crisis (26.7%), defense and external security (24.5%), the future of agriculture (19.3%), dependence on external countries for technology and strategic resources (15.8%) and the growth of the extreme right and populism (12.2%). Immigration worries 36.8 percentage points more to Vox voters than to those of the PSOE and the climate crisis 19.1 more points to socialist voters than to those of Santiago Abascal.

In full debate for the European Rearme Plan and the increase in security and defense spending, the war conflicts of Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza concern in a somewhat more transversal way to the electorates of Podemos, add, PSOE and PP, all of them above 33%in degree of restlessness, in front of the voters of Vox (22.2%) and those of Salf (16.2%), the brand of the agitator Ultra Alise Pérez. As for defense and foreign security, the most restless is the voter of the PP (36.2%), followed by the electorate of the Abascal Party (28.5%) and that of the PSOE (26.4%). This challenge is not so priority for the electorates of adding (19.8%) and Podemos (8.7%), who oppose the increase in military spending. Despite Vox’s manifest support to Donald Trump, who has announced a war of tariffs, « commercial conflicts with other countries » are priority for almost 24% of their voters, just one point less than for those of Podemos.

The survey also highlights a mismatch of priorities between what the Spaniards expect from Europe and the issues that currently monopolize the debate within the Union. Thus, asked why they believe that the EU should now invest, the majority groups indicate housing, technology and industry, social policies, border control and renewable energies ahead of defense and security policies. For electorates, left -wing voters give priority to housing, social policies and renewable energies, while the right prioritizes the control of borders and security. The president of the Government announced on April 22 that Spain It will allocate 10,471 million euros more A Defense and that will meet this year with the commitment for that game to suppose 2% of GDP. 35.45% of that money will be to improve the conditions of the personnel of the Armed Forces, 31.16% for new technologies against cyber attacks, 18.75% for weapons and 16.73% for support to the management of emergency and natural disasters. Sanchez This plan will explain next Wednesday In Congress, where he will also give explanations about The blackout last Monday. The government will not vote in the Courts the increase in defense expenditure.

Citizens perceive the EU as unusual and not very effective

In % of respondents

55.8% of Spaniards perceive that the EU acts « little or nothing united » and 58.8% sees it little or nothing effective in the face of global challenges. The electorates of adding and the PSOE are the ones that best value the performance of the European Union and those of Podemos and Salf, the most critical. However, citizens trust EU training more than in Member States to face these challenges. For 67.6%, belong to the EU « has benefited Spain » and for 18.7%, no. These answers vary considerably according to the intention to vote. While PSOE and add voters believe in 84.7%to be part of the EU has been good for the country, in the electorate of the PP that percentage drops to 76.6%, in that of Podemos, to 62.6%, in that of Vox at 47.4%and in that of Salf, to 37%. In addition, almost 31% of Spaniards would want the European Union to increase their powers, 20.7% want them to become a federal state, with more capacity for action than its members and 11.9%, to dissolve.

The tariff dilemma

On April 3, Donald Trump declared a commercial war to the world with a 10% universal tariff and major punishments for his main partners. The president of the USA announced the highest import taxes in a century With a 20% surcharge to EU products. A week later, after the pressure of markets and criticism in their own party, decreed a partial truce 90 days about the commercial war. Asked about how the EU should answer, after that period, the US takes up tariffs, 79.2% are very or quite agreed that they should « encourage internal production to reduce its economic dependence »; 74.9% are in favor of approaching other countries to seek alternative commercial allies and a lower percentage, but greater than half of the population, 66.1%, believe that it should be « imposed in turn tariffs on US products. » By electorates, the most reluctant to these last two measures are Vox and SALF voters, although in both cases they would support both strategies in percentages above 55%.

Regarding which economic region they believe that the EU should maintain a privileged commercial relationship, the Spaniards point out in the first place (64.8%), followed by Latin America (64.2%), China (61.4%), other Asian countries (60.9%) and Africa (51%). Only Vox voters oppose the privilege of commercial relations with this last continent. He Government’s external action strategy document From here to 2028 it states that the European Union is provided with an economic “defense and deterrence” against the commercial war with a greater budget and sanctioning capacity against the “coercive tactics” of the US.