Support For Catalan Independence Hits Multi-Year Low-Poll

The latest opinion poll from Ipsos measuring support for Catalan independence shows a multi-year low level of enthusiasm for the autonomous community breaking away from Spain to form its own sovereign nation.

• If a referendum was held, how would you vote?: In favor of Catalonia continuing to be part of Spain: 51%, In favor of the independence of Catalonia: 39 %. Ipsos, 12/05/22
• Should Catalonia's independence be a priority for the current regional Government?: Yes: 26%, No: 72%, Ipsos, 12/05/22
• The 39% support for Catalan independence is the lowest recorded since a 2011 poll conducted for La Vanguardia newspaper showed 34% of respondents in favour. Since then the Catalan independence movement has seen two referenda on the issue (one legal, one illegal), while pro-independence parties have made sustained gainst in regional and European parliament elections.
• While the prospect of Catalan independence in the short term is remote, the issue remains a salient one for Spain's political and economic risk landscape. Catalonia is seen as an engine of Spanish growth, accounting for 18.6% of the country's GDP and 16% of its population in 2021. Given the independence, or at least pro-regionalist, movements in serveral autonomous communities, should Catalonia eventually gain independence it could spark shifts towards the same in regions such as the Basque Country, Galicia, and Asturias.