Democracy is the preferred government option for almost 80% of the population.
The CIS (National Electoral Commission) has conducted a survey on the quality of democracy in Spain. This study reveals that 79.2% of citizens prefer democracy to any other form of government. Furthermore, 71.9% emphasize that the way the transition to democracy was carried out in our country is a source of pride for Spaniards. People aged 25 to 34, at 68.1%, and those aged 18 to 24, at 72.6%, have the lowest percentages of people who consider democracy preferable to any other form of government. Conversely, those who believe that in some circumstances, an authoritarian government is preferable have the highest percentages. Among people aged 25 to 34, the percentage is 17.4%, and among those aged 18 to 24, it is 17.3%. Regarding the functioning of democracy in Spain, 20.6% feel "very or fairly" satisfied, 23.9% somewhat satisfied, and 54.9% say they are "slightly or not at all" satisfied. Furthermore, 85.1% believe that the current mechanisms available to the Spanish democratic system are insufficient to combat corruption. While 14% believe they are. Trust in institutions The Armed Forces, with an average of 6.8, are the institution in which citizens have the most confidence, followed by the courts of justice, with 4.76, regional governments with 4.7, and the Constitutional Court with 4.27. Initiatives to improve the functioning of democracy 87.6% believe it is necessary to create or expand new forms of citizen participation in political affairs and decisions. Regarding the measures or initiatives that could be taken to improve the functioning of democracy, 13.1% of Spaniards think that a bottom-up democracy would be good (more citizen power, referendums, real democracy...), 11.1% opt for a change in the electoral system (more proportional, open lists, limitation of legislatures, other changes to the electoral system to make it more representative...), and 10% talk about kicking out politicians, avoiding partyocracy, fewer parties, government by technicians, more trained politicians, and even government without politicians. Political parties 76.1% strongly or somewhat agree that there can be no democracy without political parties; 55.6% strongly or somewhat disagree that all political parties make very similar proposals for governing. And 69.3% agree that there are enough parties to vote for in the elections. Within the party, 86.1% say they "strongly agree or agree" that the role of a member's ombudsman should be included (in case their rights are violated), and 84.3% say they are in favor of giving greater participation to the party's youth. Justice 52.2% strongly agree or agree with the statement “women have the same chances of advancing in the judicial career as men.” 78.5% strongly disagree or disagree with the statement "the justice system treats the rich and the poor equally." And 89.8% disagree with the statement that "the justice system treats politicians the same as ordinary citizens." Media 88.7% say the media favors some political options and/or economic interests more than others. 74.7% "strongly agree or agree" that the media is concentrated in a few hands or media groups. And only 16.7% of Spaniards believe the media does not report hoaxes or lies, while 80.7% believe they do. Regarding the freedom and independence of journalists to practice their profession, 56% of citizens believe they have less than 10 years ago, 24.1% think they have more, and 16.8% say they have the same freedom and independence as a decade ago. These and other data are collected in this survey conducted from April 8 to 15 with 4,010 interviews.
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