Introduction
Last week, the Center for Opinion Studies (CEO) published the first Political Opinion Barometer of the year 2024. This study, carried out before the announcement of early elections and the approval of the amnesty law in Congress, reveals interesting data about the political preferences of Catalans.
Election Results
According to the Barometer, the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (PSC) is emerging as the winner of the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, obtaining between 35 and 42 deputies. They are followed by Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) with 26-32 deputies and Junts with 24-29 deputies. These results reflect a clear preference among Catalans for left-wing parties.
Political Infidelity
The Barometer also reveals that approximately half of Catalan men have changed political parties in different elections to the Parliament of Catalonia. This shows that political loyalty is not common among male voters. On the other hand, women show greater loyalty to political parties, although there is also a significant percentage that has changed parties in some elections.
Analysis by Age
The study classifies voters by age and reveals that those over 64 years of age are the most loyal to a political party, with 49% having never changed their vote. In contrast, more than half of voters in the age ranges of 25 to 64 have changed parties at some point. Young people between 18 and 24 years old show greater indecision regarding their political loyalty.
Vote Retention
The Barometer also analyzes the vote retention of the different political parties. The Commons and the CUP are the parties with the highest vote retention, with 86% and 81% respectively. On the other hand, Ciudadanos (C’s) and Vox are the parties with the lowest vote retention, with 17% and 62% respectively.
Conclusion
In summary, the CEO Political Opinion Barometer offers an interesting insight into elections and political loyalty in Catalonia. The results show a preference for left-wing parties and a lack of political loyalty among voters. These data are important to understand the current political landscape in the region.
