Polarization has been described as a characteristic feature of Spanish politics in recent years, but the Survey on Polarization and Social Harmony in Spain published by the International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP) and the Esade Centre for Economic Policy (EsadeEcPol) shows that society is more cohesive than public debate suggests. The study measures focal points of polarization nationally and in seven regional states – and concludes that political tensions do not reflect social fracture and that there is a good level of social harmony in Spain.

Political parties appear as the focus of affective polarization (defined as the distance between feelings for the group with which we identify and the feelings we express for others) according to the study published this Tuesday. In contrast, within the same area of affective polarization, regions are a much smaller focus of tension than political parties. Moreover, society shows a good level of cohesion in aspects such as interpersonal trust and on ideological issues such as gender equality.

"The good news is that the assessment of social harmony and interpersonal trust is satisfactory," says Sandra León, researcher at EsadeEcPol and co-author of the study. She also highlights the "regional perspective" as another of the main contributions of the study and adds: "Regional heterogeneity often goes unnoticed in studies in which the focus is exclusively national”. Kristian Herbolzheimer, director of ICIP, also considers that "the survey shows that political tension is not a reflection of social reality".

Identity and ideological polarization

The identity dimension of polarization (related to how we define our own identity in contrast to that of others) also shows areas of consensus. Gender, region, and social class are the three characteristics least associated with identity: scarcely 20% of the population considers them "fairly" or "very" important.

In the ideological sphere, the survey shows wide consensus on various issues, including gender equality (supported by 75% of people) and fines for companies that pay women less for the same work. There is also majority support for transgender people to be able to change the gender on their identity cards and for redistribution through taxes and monetary transfers from richer to poorer households.

At the other extreme, the greatest ideological disagreement is on the Spanish transition to democracy. Almost half of Catalans do not see it as a source of pride (3.75 points), while half of the Madrid population is in complete agreement (6.75). Regional government also divides opinions: while in Catalonia and the Basque Country broad majorities favor greater decentralization, the majority in Madrid favors more recentralization. This option is also slightly more popular in the other regions covered by the study: Andalusia, Valencia, Extremadura, and Galicia.

Trust and social harmony

A high level of interpersonal trust is revealed nationally and in the regions. Levels of social harmony also obtain a positive evaluation in all dimensions and regions, although with significant differences depending on the level: from 7.22 for neighborhoods/municipalities and 7.02 for regions at the upper end – to 5.85 for Spain as a whole at the lower end. Catalonia shows the worst evaluation for social harmony in these three dimensions, although the differences are moderate compared to the national average.

These high levels of interpersonal trust contrast with a generally low level of confidence in governing institutions – and the central and regional governments fail to achieve a pass mark in public confidence. Local councils and the European Union score better than the central and regional governments. Central government receives the worst evaluations and is the only level of administration that receives an "F" from all the regions surveyed. Catalans have the lowest level of confidence in administrations at all levels and award their regional government the worst mark (4.1), while the Basques give their regional government the highest mark (5.37).

Sandra León points out that this fact is among the "not so good news" in the study, together with the fact that "affective polarization around political parties is very intense" and that there are divisions around issues such as the democratic transition and regional government. Kristian Herbolzheimer also points to the governing institutions factor as one of the negative conclusions in the study: "Some political discourses and attitudes are affecting confidence in government institutions, and this may put democracy at risk".