The Balearic Islands is one of the areas of Spain where disenchantment with the political class reaches the highest figures. The fact is that 73% of the citizens of the islands distrust politicians. In addition, this group bets for new leaderships in which honesty is valued above all, even much more than other virtues such as hard work.
These are the main results in relation to the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands that emerge from the report Social Observatory for Spain: Expectations, fears, joys and new demands, prepared by the Fundación Liderar con Sentido Común based on more than 20,000 interviews. It is the result of 19 opinion surveys carried out between June 2020 and March 2024. According to the organization, the data at regional and national level are“alarming” in terms of the “lack of trust in politicians”. For the Fundación Liderar con Sentido Común, an entity created in 2021 whose scope of action is Spain and Latin America and whose purpose is “to locate, promote and train new women and men leaders”, this analysis reflects “the urgent need for an authentic leadership focused on honesty, empathy and service to the community”.In the Balearic Islands, distrust exceeds the Spanish average by three percentage points (73% vs. 70%), and is, along with La Rioja,
the fourth most distrusted territoryonly behind Andalusia, Castile and Leon and Madrid (75%) in all three cases. Specifically, 70% of those surveyed at national level express distrust towards those who govern and, in addition, 63% feel that politicians do not act with common sense.
Leadership
Asked about who could solve the country’s problems, 26% of those surveyed at the national level affirm that “new leaders” and with respect to the qualities of these leaders, 77% think that it should be honesty, far ahead of others such as being hard-working, mentioned by 12%.in the Balearic Islands, 29% affirm that to solve the country’s problems “new leaders” are needed , and that their essential characteristic should be honesty. At the national level, the average is 26%. In this context, throughout Spain, 73% of those surveyed recognize positive attributes in women leaders (highlighting, for example, their courage and entrepreneurial nature). However, in the Balearic Islands 25% do not recognize any special attributes of female leadership. Something similar occurs in Navarre (20% think so). These are, precisely, two communities that have had female presidents -from different parties- at the head of their regional governments, since 2015 and 2011, respectively.
Politicians, the problem
The highest figures of confidence in politicians are registered in the Valencian Community, with 16 %, Aragon (14 %) and the Basque Country (13 %) and the lowest in Catalonia (5 %), and in this community and in the Basque Country the percentages of citizens who feel “nothing special” towards their political leaders mark maximums of 24 % and 25 %, respectively.Politicians are also the main problem for 51 % of the people of Madrid, 36 % of the Catalans or 34 % of the people of Extremadura and Navarre, much more than the economy, insecurity or unemployment, which mark maximums in the Basque Country (25 %), Catalonia (15 %) and Andalusia (23 %), respectively.
