Three out of every four people who live and vote in Catalonia feel proud to be Catalan, as reflected in the socio-political survey carried out by the Centre for Opinion Studies (CEO) for 2022. Specifically, 44% respond that they feel very proud to be Catalan; one in three feel quite proud and only 19% feel little or no pride in being Catalan. When the question is about the feeling generated by being Spanish, a little over half (55%) are very or quite proud of that identity (25% very proud, 30% quite proid), while 41% feel little or no pride in being Spanish. The survey was conducted between December 2nd and 30th, 2022, although responses were received until February 10th this year. The sample consisted of 5,569 people and was carried out using the new self-administered survey methodology (with answers on paper and on the internet), released with the Government assessment.
The study confirms the link that exists between the level of pride in being Catalan or Spanish and the sense of belonging. Among those people, residents who are on the electoral roll in Catalonia, who feel only Catalan or more Catalan than Spanish, the pride in being Catalan rises to 96%, while they are not (or are only slightly) proud of being Spanish (97% of those who identify as only Catalan are not proud to be Spanish). The same is true in reverse: of the population that identifies exclusively as Spanish, only 20% feel proud to be Catalan, while 71% feel little or no pride in being Catalan.
GRAPH: Pride in being Catalan and Spanish, respectively
From left to right: % Very proud, Quite proud, Not very proud, Not at all proud; Grey = No response
At the same time, there is also a relationship between party preferences and national identity. In the case of pro-independence parties, 98% of Junts supporters feel very or quite proud to be Catalan and 83% feel not very or not at all proud to be Spanish. As for those close to the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), 96% feel very or quite proud to be Catalan and 76% feel not very or not at all proud to be Spanish. With reference to those who sympathize with the CUP, the percentage feeling significant pride in being Catalan is 88%, while 92% feel little or zero pride in being Spanish. Of those who vote Socialist (PSC) or for En Comú Podem, over 7 out of 10 are quite or very proud of being Catalan. If we look at the supporters of Ciudadanos (Cs), Vox and the People's Party (PP), there is a numerical tie between those who very or quite proud of being Catalan and those who feel little or no pride in this identity. Among these three parties, those who feel very or quite proud of being Spanish exceeds 80%.
GRAPH: Which party's voters are proudest of being Catalan?
Half of Catalan residents agree with a third gender option in official documents
In questions about gender and the LGTBI+ collective, 48% of respondents said they favoured the inclusion of a third gender option for those who do not identify as male or female, while 23% rejected it and 29% did not answer. Support for the third gender option is wider in the case of the young population, since almost six out of ten are in favour of this possibility among young people. When asked about their views on transsexual and transgender people being able to change their sex in official documents without a previous psychological diagnosis, 43% see it as fine, 30% do not and 27% do not answer.
Do you believe that official documents should have a third gender option for people who don't identify as being female or male?
Regarding surrogacy ("wombs for rent"), 15% consider it to be always a good option, while 48% see it as good only in some cases. Almost one in five respondents (18%) are totally against it. Among men and women, support for surrogacy is quite similar. On the other hand, three out of four people are in favour of regulating prostitution, 16% align themselves with the option of abolishing it and 6% would maintain the current situation. By gender, the difference is not great: 79% of men see the regulation of prostitution favourably, while in the case of women, support is 71%. Finally, two out of three respondents maintain that women still do not have enough rights (67%), but fewer agreed that there is a lack of rights for trans and non-binary people (61%) and the LGB collective (57%).
Asked to estimate what percentage of the Catalan population was born outside Spain, respondents overestimate it. On average, they consider that there are 36 people born outside the Spanish state for every 100 people in the country. According to the Statistical Institute of Catalonia, the real figure is 21%. Vox supporters are those who make the highest estimate for people who live in Catalonia but were born outside the Spanish state: they put it at 47%.