The Housing Barometer from the CIS and the Ministry of Housing reveals that 76% of Spaniards believe intervention in the market is necessary to ensure access. 91.4% support building more public housing and 95.4% back tax reductions on first purchases.
The 76% of Spaniards believe that it is necessary to "intervene" in the housing market "as much as necessary" to ensure access, according to the Housing Barometer published this Thursday by the Sociological Research Centre (CIS) alongside the Ministry of Housing, as reported by rtve.es. The study comes amid a social debate on the issue of housing access and in the midst of protests against evictions and mass mobilisations.
Concern about the state of the real estate market affects 87% of respondents, who declare themselves "very or quite worried". Housing has been identified as the main problem in Spain in the CIS barometers continuously since December 2024, reaching its peak last May.
Support for the construction of public housing is nearly unanimous: 91.4% advocate for administrations to build more protected flats. Over 80% prioritise access to housing as a constitutional right, compared to 13.5% who view it as a market commodity.
Among the measures included in the royal decrees approved by the Government, the freeze on rental prices for two years receives support from 70.6%. The limitation of tourist flats exceeds 75% support, and increasing taxes on large property owners (those with more than ten properties) garners 72%. The tax reduction on the purchase of the first home is the most supported measure, with 95.4%. Additionally, nearly 86% call for more guarantees for landlords against potential defaults.
Regarding expropriations, half of the respondents are in favour of expropriating land to build public flats, while 40% support expropriating vacant homes, compared to 54.3% who oppose it.
The survey is published following a series of events that have marked the political landscape: the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal on September 23, subsequent protests, the rejection of two housing decrees in Congress, the call for early general elections on November 29, and a general strike on November 11, just 48 hours before the start of the electoral campaign.
This Thursday, the first of the new housing decrees came into effect, which includes a two-year extension on rental contracts expiring before December 31, 2028, the halt of evictions for vulnerable individuals residing in properties owned by vulture funds, and 10 billion euros for the housing access aid plan. The second decree would come into effect on November 15.
As for ownership status, nearly 94% of respondents prefer to live in a home they own, and over 70% already do so. Only 8% live in protected flats: of these, 40% are in private developments, nearly 17% in regional government housing, 14.4% in municipal housing, and 5.7% in state-protected housing.
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