Is Spanish society broken?

There is a consensus among analysts that a populist wave is sweeping the world, particularly the so-called Western democracies. Spain is not immune to this phenomenon, but its effects are less pronounced compared to other neighboring countries, in part due to its citizens' tolerance of immigration, according to the Ipsos study "Populism in Spain 2025 ," which, among other questions, asks whether Spanish society is broken.

The far-right electorate falls into the contradiction of wanting referendums and at the same time strong leaders.

According to this study, which is part of a much larger survey conducted in 31 countries and analyzes issues that fuel populism, such as social unrest, the gap between citizens and elites, and perceptions of immigration and national identity, Spaniards display a comparatively more tolerant attitude toward immigration than the global trend. For example, only a third of Spaniards believe that Spain would be stronger if the arrival of foreigners were halted, which contrasts with data from, for example, Hungary (48%), Germany (45%), Italy (40%), France (39%), and the United Kingdom (38%).

Vox voters and, to a lesser extent, PP voters see Spanish society as broken and in decline.

But the same data reveal that perceptions of the migration phenomenon in Spain are extraordinarily polarized. Thus, more than seven out of ten Vox voters are suspicious of immigrants, a proportion that drops to four out of ten among PP voters. Voters for Sumar (10%) and the PSOE (26%) are on the opposite side. This explains, to some extent, the xenophobic incidents that have occurred in recent weeks, perpetrated by a minority and met with rejection by the vast majority.

Spaniards show a more tolerant attitude towards immigration than the global trend.

Something similar occurs with the perception of society. Spaniards view Spanish society as broken (55%) and in decline (57%). However, this perception again depends on the lens through which it is viewed. Nearly nine out of ten Vox voters and six out of ten PP voters agree with Spain's social fracture, and eight out of ten Vox voters and more than six out of ten PP voters believe it is in decline. In contrast, only around four out of ten PSOE and Sumar voters believe this. More specifically, 74% of those surveyed believe the main division in society is between ordinary citizens and the political and economic elite. This is a widely shared view across both age and ideology. In any case, social unrest translates, according to the Ipsos analysis, into a deep distrust of politicians. In fact, they appear to be the country's biggest problem, mentioned by 41% of respondents, followed – surprisingly, very far behind – by housing (15%).

However, Spain shows less intensity of social breakdown compared to other countries, where populist discourse has taken root more significantly. It is among the countries with an average social breakdown index at 60%, tied with the United States, clearly above Switzerland (42%), the Netherlands (45%), or Sweden (46%), but significantly below the United Kingdom (66%), Argentina (64%), or Hungary and France (63%). In fact, this index, calculated by Ipsos as an average of various questions on the perception of political and economic elites, was ostensibly higher in Spain in 2016 (67%), with the effects of the financial and debt crisis still present and the Catalan territorial crisis of 2017 brewing. It reached its lowest point in 2022 (53%) following the government's handling of the successive COVID crises and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has since risen in parallel with the political tension caused by Pedro Sánchez's investiture.

The survey results also raise certain contradictions typical of populist discourse, such as the fact that 65% of citizens believe the most important political issues should be decided through referendums, while at the same time, 33% believe a strong leader is necessary, willing to "break the rules." Vox voters are the most vulnerable to this contradiction, with 74% in favor of referendums and 54% in favor of a strong leader. Another contradiction concerns taxation and public services. Just over half of those surveyed are against raising taxes—73% in the case of Vox voters and 65% in the case of PP voters—but a large majority believe that spending on healthcare (82%), education, job creation (76%), and public safety (70%) should be increased.