The first barometer of the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) of the new political orientation strengthens the PSOE and sanctions the PP. After the single financing for Catalonia and in the middle of the Begoña Gómez affair, the public institute directed by José Félix Tezanos insists on giving Pedro Sánchez an advantage over Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and not only that, but also widens the distance from the PP by 4.5 points compared to the last available barometer, from July – there was none in August – published before the agreement between the PSC and the ERC to invest the socialist Salvador Illa as president of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
The public body returns from the summer holidays as they ended, granting victory to Sánchez if general elections were held today in Spain. Specifically, the CIS barometer, carried out between September 2 and 6 based on 4,027 interviews, gives PSOE 33% of the votescompared to the 28.5% that it grants to the Popular Party, far from the 33.1% that it obtained in the general elections. Thus, the socialists have slightly increased in voting intention compared to the last poll (32.9%), while the popular have fallen back by almost two points against 30.2% in July.
For his part, Vox erases part of the ballots lost by the PPwith 13.1% of voting intentions, compared to 12.2% in the last barometer, perhaps boosted by its tougher stance in recent weeks on irregular immigration. Thus, those of Santiago Abascal are the main beneficiaries of the fall of the PP, despite the decision of the party leadership in July to break the pacts with the PP in the autonomous communities where they governed together and to abandon the vice-presidencies and councils that they had occupied in these territories.
Still according to the CIS of Tezanos, Sumar grows up on this occasion more than a percentage point, up to 7.8% of support, and establishes itself as the fourth force, even if it remains well below the 12.3% of the votes obtained in the last general elections of 2023, in those that disputed the third place with Vox.
Below, Podemos continues to lose political weight and is already below the 4% mark (3.6%). The populist party Alvise PerezThe Party is Over (SALF), continues to grow by a tenth since its emergence in the European Parliament after the 9-J elections, although at a slower pace: it goes from 2.7 to 2.9% of voting intentions and threatens to snatch fifth place from a Podemos in free fall.
Regarding citizens’ opinions of political leaders, Sanchez is also the most appreciatedalthough none of them managed to pass. Specifically, the respondents gave the President of the Government a score of 4.2. The Second Vice President of the Government, Yolanda Díaz (Sumar), is the second highest rated, with an average score of 4.1, above the 3.9 with which citizens evaluate Feijóo. Finally, Abascal settles for a 2.8.
Immigration, the main concern
Immigration has become the number one national problem, according to the CEI survey. This topic is mentioned twice as much as in July, increasing from 16.9% to 30.4%which places it in front of political problems and unemployment, and in unprecedented records since 2007, after the “cayucos crisis”.
In just three months, concern about immigration has increased significantly among the Spanish population, going from eighth to first place in just 90 days.
