The strategy of “payment in advance” and constant threats to the central government if it does not comply with its demands is providing less returns to Junts than could be expected. One of the surprises of the Ipsos survey emerges when citizens are asked about the party that best defends the interests of Catalans. And there, this uncompromising strategy does not reap the best results. On the contrary, 21% of those consulted point to Esquerra as the party that best protects Catalan interests, followed by 18% who mention the PSC.
Puigdemont's party occupies third position, indicated by 15%, and the PP (with 5% of mentions) and the CUP (with 4%) appear at a great distance. Of course, while 16% of ERC voters recognize JxCat as the best defender of Catalan interests, only 6% of Junts voters grant that virtue to the other pro-independence party. And at the same time, compared to 14% of socialist voters who recognize Esquerra's greater ability to defend those interests, only 5% of Republican voters assign the PSC leadership in the defense of Catalan interests.
The Ipsos survey also reflects that political problems have become the real problem for the vast majority of Catalans. The survey interprets the concerns expressed by citizens as a desire to leave the conflicts of the process behind and focus on more urgent concerns, such as the drought, the economic situation or the management of public services and the social agenda.
Specifically, in the three social issues that tend to concern citizens the most –housing, education and health–, Catalans see the PSC as the formation most capable of managing them. In the case of housing, 19% of those consulted point to the PSC as the most suitable to address this issue, followed by Esquerra (with 12% preferences) and, further away, Junts and the Commons (7% ). Of course, a striking 26% of those surveyed answered “none” to the question of which party can best manage housing.
In the case of education, 20% see the PSC as more qualified, compared to 15% who point to Esquerra and 10% to Junts. The PP is mentioned by 6% of those consulted, and 23% respond “none”. Finally, in the case of health, 22% consider the PSC more capable, nine points above Esquerra (13%) and 13 above Junts (9%). One in four respondents considers that no party is suitable to manage the health system.
