The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the arrival of a crisis that at the end of 2019 seemed incipient. With employment trying to recover amid a labor market surrounded by ERTEs, Putin delivered one last blow by unleashing the war in Ukraine. The geopolitical conflict shook the fuel market, making all sections of the production chain more expensive. A situation that has triggered inflation to unprecedented figures in the Eurozone (located at 10.1% in November), as well as in Spain (at 6.8%). Thus, more than 70% of Spaniards have had to reduce their expenses, according to the latest Dym barometer for La Información.
Although in the last four months of 2022 an increase in vulnerable people is observed, 44.2% assure that they have not experienced economic difficulties despite having limited their consumption. Both the European institutions and the central and regional governments have implemented a series of measures to alleviate and mitigate the ravages of the crisis. From Moncloa, the VAT on electricity was reduced to 5%, the rent increase and the fuel discount have been limited, incentives for public transport have been approved, an aid of 200 euros for low incomes and the Salary has been raised Interprofessional Minimum (SMI) at 1,000 euros.
However, only 40% of citizens believe that the Executive’s measures to contain inflation are effective. The most optimistic are the voters of the government parties: among PSOE sympathizers, 21.6% express their support and up to 22.1% do so among those of United We Can (UP). The right wing is not as courteous and both the Popular Party (84.7%) and Vox voters (93.6%) mostly disapprove of them. Regarding the SMI, 38.3% of Spaniards believe that the increase has negatively affected hiring, while 42.4% believe that it has had no negative effects.
Regarding the general balance of the year, the main concern of the company is the escalation of prices, being the most mentioned word “inflation”, in line with what has been anticipated. It also appears among the words chosen to describe 2022 dire, disastrous, or bad. All of them related to negative elements or adjectives.
Institutional policy, the worst valued area
In the midst of the economic ups and downs, the political class has gained special prominence and not precisely because of its affability, with Congress, the Senate and politicians being the three institutions/actors worst valued in the survey, with a score of 3.3 out of 10; 3.1; and 2.1; respectively. Figures that may be a symptom of the discontent of a population that condemns the belligerence of the current political context.
On the contrary, the security forces (6.6) and the health system (6.3) are the best seen by the citizens, observing large differences between the left-right spectrum. In this sense, UP voters are the ones who give the most value to the role of health in 2022, compared to the preponderance that Vox results give to law enforcement.
