ASEP’s Indicators System
<P>Economic and consumer’s indicators have deteriorated again, reaching the lowest levels in which they have been since last October. All indicators are clearly below the equilibrium level, suggesting dissatisfaction with the present and pessimism regarding the future, and they are the second lowest values during the last year. Satisfaction with how Democracy is working stays at a high level, though it is the second lowest during the last twelve months, while Satisfaction with the Government continues to fall, getting its lowest value since the 2004 elections, though there are still more satisfied than unsatisfied individuals. Besides, the persistent trend observed during the last months in voting intentions estimate have culminated this month in a two percent points difference in favour of PP, a difference which is significant and is a result of gains on the part of the PP and losses (towards abstention) on the part of the PSOE.
<P>The Crown receives this month the highest rating (6.4 on a scale 0 to 10 points), followed by the Armed Forces (5.7 points), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Congress, The State Council, the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power, the Spanish Government, and the Banks (4.8 points on a scales 0 to 10 points). The main political leaders are rated this month lower than last month’s. Felipe Gonzalez is again rated higher than Rodriguez Zapatero, who continues below 5 points, and then, ranked according to their rating, Bono, Guerra and Rodriguez Ibarra, Chaves, Rajoy, Llamazares, Mas, Aznar, Piqué and General Mena, Ibarretxe and Otegui (2.5 points on a scale 0 to 10 points).
<P>Catalan Statute
<P>- Spaniards believe that CiU is the party that has gained the most with the agreement on the statute, while they think that PP is the one that has lost the most.
<P>- 47% of Rs believe that the PSOE is the party that has given in the most, but 44% believe that the PP has been the most uncompromising in the negotiation of the statute.
<P>- Almost half the Spaniards have not read the statute that was approved by the Catalonian parliament neither the statute agreed upon between PSOE and CiU that is now being discussed in the Spanish Parliament, but those who have read them say that they don’t like either one.
<P>- A majority of Spaniards think that the new statute proposal is good for Catalonia but bad for the rest of Spain.
<P>- Spaniards reject the idea that Catalonia receives a distinctive treatment, and 86% think that all other regions have the right to receive the same treatment as Catalonia.
<P>- 49% of Spaniards reject the inclusion of the term “nation” in the statute, and an additional 27% has no opinion on this issue. The remaining 24% is distributed, in proportions lower than 10%, among those who think that the term should only be included in the introduction, in some of the articles, or in both, or that the term “nationality” should be on the preamble or some article.
<P>- 40% of Spaniards think that the Spanish Government should collect all taxes, 30% think that the Spanish Government and the Catalan government should each collect some taxes and only 14% support the idea that Catalonia should collect all taxes.
<P>-Similarly, only 15% of Spaniards think that Catalonia should have its own Supreme Court.
<P>- But Spanish public opinion is much divided with respect to the possible effects of the project for a new statute if it were approved. While 41% think that the statute will produce more lack of solidarity and even the breaking up of the unity of Spain, 30% think that it will reinforce the unity of Spain.
<P>- Around 30% of the electorate thinks that Zapatero is more to blame than Rajoy for the lack of agreement between their two parties, but a similar proportion thinks that Rajoy is more to blame than Zapatero.
<P>- In any case, 61% of Spaniards think that, in the end, there will be no agreement between the Government and PP regarding the statute, and only 11% think that there will be an agreement.
<P>- In general, 40% of Rs admit they are more in agreement with the position of the PSOE regarding the project of statute, and 30% admit to be more in agreement with the PP.
<P>- Once more, almost half the Spaniards wish that the territorial organization continues as it is now, but only 3% think that regions that so wish should have the power to declare themselves independent, but 10% would prefer a federal state, and 12% would prefer a Single Administration, while 6% would be in favour of the Spanish Government recovering powers that have already been transferred to regions.
<P>Government’s Performence
<P>- More than two thirds of Rs agree with the visit of Zapatero to Ceuta and Melilla, and about half of them agree with the order given by Bono to the Armed Forces in the sense that they must only talk and communicate in Spanish.
<P>- But opinions are much more controversial, with a certain prevalence of agreement, regarding the sanction and dismissal of General Mena due to his statements towards the Catalan statute, regarding the policy that is being followed in the Basque Country in order to reach the end of violence, regarding the transfer of documents from the Salamanca Archive to Catalonia, and regarding the apparent interest to substitute ERC by CiU in the tripartite government of Catalonia.
<P>- But more than half the Rs (52%) seem to disagree with the acceptance that Catalan language be declared compulsory for all those who are residents in Catalonia, as against 25% who show themselves in agreement.
<P>- More than half the Spaniards are favourable to the law that limits the possibility to smoke in public places, but public opinion is divided into two more or less equal parts with respect to whether it will be, or will not be, implemented.
<P>- Though 39% of Rs believe that Zapatero does not resemble any of the previous Presidents of Government, 30% think that he resembles Felipe González more, and 48% think that Aznar is the President to whom he less resembles.
<P>- Rs have been asked, through an open ended question that had no suggestions at all, for the names of ministers and the positions they occupy in the Government. 55% mention, in such a spontaneous manner, Jose Bono and they also were right in mentioning his position within the Government, 29% mentioned correctly Mª Teresa Fernandez de la Vega’s name and position, 16% mentioned correctly the name and position of Pedro Solbes, 13% mentioned correctly the name and position of Jesús Caldera and Miguel Angel Moratinos respectively, but less than 10% mentioned correctly the names and positions of the remaining ministers.
<P>Lack of Security
<P>- 5% of Spaniards 18 years and over have been some time the victim of a robbery in the street with physical aggression, 8% have suffered robbery at their home, 13% have been robbed in the street without physical aggression, 17% have suffered some robbery on their car, and 10% have been the victims of other types of crime.
<P>- Only 27% of Rs say that they have no fear to be the victims of some crime.
<P>- And, as in other recent studies, the main fears of Spaniards refer to getting a grave or fatal sickness, and less frequently mentioned, to suffer a traffic accident, a terrorist attempt by ETA, or an Islamic terrorist attempt.
<P>International Affairs
<P>- More than half the Rs think that the electoral victory of Hamas in Palestine will make more difficult the road to peace between that country and Israel.
<P>- More than half also think that, after the US intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, the situation in the Middle East is now more dangerous.
<P>- As to what should Europe and the US do with respect to Iran, once this country has continued with its nuclear program, almost half the Rs think that they should put pressure on Iran through economic measures, and smaller proportions think that they should not intervene at all (17%) or that they should use force if it were necessary (11%).
<P>Mass Media
<P>- When Rs are asked about the two regions that are mentioned in excess or about the two regions that are less mentioned in the media, Catalonia (76%), the Basque Country (48%) and Madrid (28%) are said to be the most mentioned, while Extremadura, Andalucia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla-Leon, La Rioja, Murcia and Aragon are said to be the ones less mentioned in the media.
<P>- Almost half the Rs think that the quality of TV programs is now similar to that when there were fewer TV channels, but 35% think that it is now worst, and only 12% think that the quality has improved.
<P>- More than 40% of Rs answer that if it were in their hands to change TV programming they would give more time to films and documentary films, and more than 20% would give more time to information and debate programs, and to soap operas. But 62% would give less time to “gossiping programs”, 48% would give less time to shows like “Big Brother”, and 21% would give less time to football games and to information on football.
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<TD><U>Technical data</U>: National stratified sample by region and size of habitat, random selection of municipalities and census sections (about 130 sampling points), random routes and final selection of respondent in the household based on stratification by sex and age. A total of 1,209 face-to-face interviews were obtained at respondent’s home in February 6-12. Research direction: ASEP.personales cara-a-cara en el hogar entre el 6 y el 12 de febrero. Dirección y realización ASEP.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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