:: ASEP/JDS ::

For the eleventh time since 1996 ASEP has asked about Spaniards’ preferences regarding the territorial organization of Spain. The question is very simple, since several options are offered to the respondent, one that implies returning to a somewhat more centralized state (or less decentralized): “that the National Government recovers some powers already transferred to the Regions (Autonomous Communities)”, another one that implies no change at all (“That everything continues as now”), a third one that implies more coordination among the different public administrations (“Establishing a Single Administration, so that overlapping of national, regional and local powers is avoided”), and two additional ones that imply a larger decentralization (“Establishing a federal state”) or even absolute decentralization (“That regions that so wish may declare themselves as independent states, separated from Spain”). It is evident that the majority of Spaniards prefer that everything continues as now, but since 2006 one may observe an increase in opinions that would prefer the Government of Spain to recover some powers already transferred to the regions, to the point that this option is now the second most preferred. On the contrary, the option of a federal state is preferred by less than 10% of the electorate, and independence for regions that so wish only receives support from less than 5% of the electorate

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