News

Silence reigns

State surveys have not enquired regarding the monarchy since 2015; the crown has lost its splendour

Supposedly, following his message about Catalonia, Felipe VI’s popularity hit levels that the monarchy had not seen in more than 20 years, with Spaniards giving him an approval rating of 7.2 out of 10. But the survey was carried out by SocioMétrica, commissioned by the digital newspaper El Español. Also in August, newspaper ABC sounded out public opinion and, according to the GAD3 group, support is currently unusually high: Felipe VI topped all of the surveys carried out since the restoration of the monarchy with an approval rating of 75.3%. Without entering into the neutrality of these surveys (the surprising data speak for themselves), that may explain why enquiries related to the Crown have disappeared from the state’s own, official surveys.

The CIS elaborates the most complete demoscopic study in the State, but for 42 months, when nothing could possibly hide the fact that the credibility of the monarchy had hit rock bottom, it has not included questions about the crown. “Do you think the economic situation in the country is now better than a year ago?” Or “How would you describe the current government’s management?” The barometre also investigates the degree of confidence that the citizens have in State institutions and, until 2015, the monarchy was included.

When Juan Carlos left the throne, the crown had been hit by the Nóos case, a financial scandal that rocked the royal family. But things did not stop there. In April 2012, the personal life of the king himself hit the headlines following an accident on safari in Botswana and the public was introduced to his “special” friend Corinna, who has yet to disappear from the limelight completely. It also became news that the Treasury was paying some €500.000 for a “royal apartment” somewhere in Madrid.

With the abdication of Juan Carlos and the ascent of Felipe VI, the last official survey gave the new king a rate of approval of 4.34 out of 10. In Catalonia, the figure is very different, reaching a mere 1.8 out of 10

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