The inheritance gap: more than half of Catalans will not inherit any property.
The priority measure for the population is the construction of public housing, followed by limiting tourist apartments.
BarcelonaWhat do Catalans think about the construction of 50,000 public housing units? And about the rent cap? How many of them want to buy a home? How concerned are they about the housing crisis? Does it affect them directly? All these questions and many more related to housing now have concrete answers. The Center for Opinion Studies (CEO) published a dedicated survey on the subject this Friday to gain an in-depth understanding of Catalans' housing preferences.
"Last week's survey was about inequality. In the case of housing, which is the big issue and will continue to be so, we offer ideas as to why it will continue to be so. We want to go beyond the political debates we have," CEO Director Joan Rodríguez explained to ARA. Regarding public policy, this survey complements the housing responses from the penultimate omnibus survey, which asked respondents to choose between two different public policies.
The first change stems precisely from this methodological change. While Catalans previously prioritized regulating rents over building more social housing, now, when asked separately, the trend changes: the priority measure for the population is the construction of public housing (85%), followed by limiting tourist apartments (74%). Then, in the same proportion (71%), they support three policies: regulating rents, mandating social rentals, and direct rental subsidies. When citizens are asked specifically about the 50,000-apartment plan, the consensus is also high: Catalans give an average score of 8 out of 10.
The survey also asks Catalans about a topic that has recently been a topic of public debate: how many Catalans will inherit a home? According to the CEO, 55% of Catalan citizens will not inherit any homes, 27% could inherit part of them, and 12% an entire home. 4% of respondents say they could inherit two or more homes. The percentage of people who say they will inherit a home is very evenly distributed across age groups: among those aged 16 to 24, 35.4% could inherit; among those aged 25 to 34, 29.7%; among those aged 35 to 49, 35.9%; and among those aged 50 to 64, 29.8%. Logically, this figure plummets for those over 65, falling to 7.6%.
Buying to do business, the cause of the crisis
What has contributed most to the rise in housing prices in Catalonia? The CEO now focuses on this in pairs of questions. And the result is clear: they believe the most influential factor is the purchase of homes for renting or commercial purposes. This option is considered by 56.5% of respondents when asked, along with the lack of new housing construction (39.9%). Similarly, the purchase of homes for renting or commercial purposes (59.4%) exceeds the interest of foreigners with high purchasing power (36.5%), and the increase in tourist apartments (60.1%) also exceeds the lack of new housing construction (36.2%).
Housing: a right or an asset?
While the idea that housing should be a guaranteed right, as established by the Constitution, is widespread in the current debate on the housing crisis, the CEO survey delves deeper into this conception.
57% of Catalans believe that housing cannot be considered solely an economic resource that is freely bought and sold on the market, but 32% say that it is a resource, but that it should be subject to some regulations. 10% believe it is an economic resource from which an economic profit should be made, like any other product. However, 63% of Catalans believe that private property should always be respected, with very few exceptions, while only 33% believe that it is preferable to impose restrictions on property rights whenever appropriate to guarantee other rights or political priorities.
Half a million young people are considering buying a home.
Three out of four people consider owning a home an "important life goal." The age group is one million, meaning at least 500,000 young people.
"As it will be impossible to meet demand, housing will become an asset, creating a social divide that will determine the future of society. Housing cannot be built due to the demand that may exist," Rodríguez emphasizes.
