The main global security challenge, and the first concern in this sense for citizens in Spain, is climate change; above war conflicts and Russia and immigration. Concern in Spain about the climate emergency has grown seven percentage points in one year, and has gone from being considered the main challenge by 22% of the population to 29%. This is indicated by the Transatlantic Trends survey, commissioned by the BBVA Foundation and carried out in 14 countries with 1,500 surveys per country.
At a global level, the war in Ukraine and Russia continue to condition the global risk map; These are the issues that are the main security threat for all states. This is the center of greatest concern for international public opinion, with a total average of 27%, followed by climate change (19%) and immigration (18%).
However, in the case of Spain, the climate threat is the main source of global concern (above wars and immigration). It is what worries 29% the most, a percentage higher than the rest of the issues on the world agenda, above the war between countries and Russia (20%), immigration (19%), cybersecurity (9%) or terrorism (4%)
Climate change is also the main global security challenge for citizens of Italy (35%), Portugal (31%), France and Canada (both 27%), while this trend moderates in the Eastern European countries. Europe, in the United Kingdom and Turkey.
In the group of countries, the degree of identification of this challenge hardly changes compared to the previous year as it increases very slightly in most countries. However, this increase is notable in Spain (as the percentage of those who mention it first increases from 22% to 29%).
Spanish citizens value positively the action of the scientific community when it comes to confronting the climate crisis (58% believe it is doing “a lot” or “quite a bit”), they moderate this opinion in the case of NGOs (50% % give both positive answers) and do not have such a good opinion regarding the action of the EU (41%), the Government (37%) or the citizens themselves (34%).
Their evaluation is very negative about the companies, since only 25% approve; and their consideration of the action of the United States or China is even worse.
In fact, Spaniards are among those who value the actions of different actors (both country governments and institutions) in this field most unfavorably.
What is the most important security challenge that Spain will have to face in the coming years? The map of global challenges has registered some notable modifications in Spain with respect to 2022.
Climate change continues to be perceived as the main challenge by the majority of citizens, since the percentage that mentions it has risen from 36% in 2022 to 45% (considering the first and second mentions together); war between countries fell six percentage points each (28%) and Russia (12%), and now immigration is placed second in mentions, rising one point (32%).
Cybersecurity is now more worrying (rising from 18 to 23%) and pandemics, much less than in 2022 (from 21% to 13%), while anxiety over terrorism remains entrenched at 12%.
The identification of climate change as an important security challenge is shared by all Spaniards (the difference is minimal between men and women), although it is accentuated as the level of education increases and, notably, among those who declare themselves to be left.
The percentage of those who see it as a great threat (considering the first and second mentions together) is 39% among those who have primary education and 48% among those who have completed “tertiary studies.” It is cited by 61% of citizens who consider themselves left-wing and 33% among those on the right.
Immigration, on the other hand, is more of a concern to those who declare themselves to be on the right and to men. The war between countries is mentioned to a greater extent by the youngest people and immigration, on the other hand, is more of a concern to those who declare themselves to be on the right and to men. War between countries is mentioned to a greater extent by younger people.
The Spaniards foresee an international order in the future in which China and the United States have the greatest influence, followed at a distance by the European Union. The forecast of greater influence from China is accentuated among men, older adults, those with tertiary education and those who declare themselves left-wing.
The forecast for greater influence of the European Union, on the other hand, increases among young people, with primary education and those who declare themselves to be right-wing.
One of the issues that draws broad consensus in all the countries surveyed is the majority support – 69% on average – for the idea of offering financial aid to Ukraine for its reconstruction (more in Canada, Turkey and Europe than in the United States). There is also a great consensus around offering Ukraine entry into the EU (63% on average and into NATO (61%).
