The majority of Spaniards agree that the State must take care of the well-being of its citizens and also that should invest more in public services, but at the same time they are in favor of lowering taxes. This is reflected in the survey on “Ideology and polarization” published this Wednesday by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), a survey that reflects that, despite the tension in the political sphere, the majority of Spaniards do not mind having neighbors, co-workers or relatives and friends with ideologies different from yours.
The survey asks several questions to find out citizens’ opinions regarding tax policies and, from a generic point of view, the numbers are clear: 58.8% of respondents agree that taxes are necessary so that the State can provide public services, while only 23.4% believe that taxes are “something that the State forces us to pay without knowing very well in exchange for what.” The minority position, shared by 16.4% of Spaniards, is that taxes are a means to better redistribute wealth in society.
When talking about taxes, the CIS also asks about public services and to what extent citizens would be willing to increase their contribution in exchange for better social assistance. The majority position, again, is very clear: there are 57.4% of those surveyed who are “strongly or somewhat agree” that the government should spend more in social benefits and public services, even if this means paying more taxes.
However, compared to this position, another response reveals that 59.5% of citizens are “very or somewhat agree” with the statement that “taxes must be lowered” so that there is “more money to invest and consume.” And Spain is also divided in two when asked about the public and the private: 63.2% of citizens affirm that “the Government should intervene in the economy”, but at the same time more than half of the people ( 51.7%) believe that, “in general, the private sector manages better and is therefore more effective than the public sector.”
Despite this majority that believes in the better functioning of the private than the public, for two thirds of those surveyed the role of the State should be broad: 66.6% consider that their mission is to take responsibility for “the well-being of all.” Only 17.4% of citizens believe that each person is solely and exclusively responsible for their well-being, while 13.7% believe in a reduced State that only takes care of “the well-being of the most disadvantaged citizens.”
Likewise, the survey also asks what citizens believe are the reasons why someone “thrives” or “succeeds” in life. And no less than 63.6% of citizens subscribe to the statement that “Success in life depends more on the effort of each person.” than the family in which they were born”, while 58.4% agree or strongly agree that “those who do not prosper in life are because they do not try hard enough”.