The Barcelona city council often refers to the problems detected by its citizens as "perceptions", but in fact, these 'perceptions' are tabulated in the studies commissioned by the council itself. The latest edition of the Municipal Services survey, released this Friday, states clearly that there is great concern among Barcelona residents regarding two issues that frequently reach the headlines: on the one hand, problems of law and order; and on the other, issues of cleanliness. These two matters have not only become consolidated as the first and second-ranked general problems of the city, but they have also risen significantly.
Law and order is not only regarded as the city's most serious problem in the eyes of its residents - repeating the 'perception' of the previous Municipal Services survey, released in October 2021 - but, in addition, it is on the rise. If last year law and order was the number one problem for 14.5 percent of Barcelona residents, this year almost one person in every five see it as the city's top concern, specifically, 19.1 percent. Meanwhile, the question of cleanliness almost doubles in the percentage regarding it as the worst problem, going from fourth to second place in the ranking, and from 6.9 percent to 12.4 percent. Dropping in ranking, to third and fourth position respectively are access to housing (6.7%) and pollution and the environment (5.8%).
However, in the presentation of the results, the deputy mayor and city councillor responsible for presidency, budgets and neighbourhood plans, Jordi Martí Grau, played down the issue, commenting that although the municipal government is "concerned" about the data, the figures should not be separated from their "context" and that is why he recalled that in this study, "participants answer a single problem in an open question" and that in any case, there are parallels with "similar situations". All in all, Martí Grau expressed that the municipal government is "moderately satisfied", indicating that all municipal services with the exception of the car parking get a pass mark in the public assessment, "even law and order and cleanliness".
Nevertheless, despite what the municipal government says, the truth is that these two problems also appear at the top of the list in another ranking of the same survey, although changing positions: that of the main demand that residents make of city hall. In first place, with 11.5, the call is to 'improve cleanliness', and in second place, with 10.6, 'improve law and order'. Again, in defence of the council's performance, Martí Grau pointed out that 75% of those surveyed "approve of the city council's management" and also noted that in terms of the personal concerns of Barcelona people, the top places are occupied by economic problems (13.8%) and unemployment and working conditions (11.7%), while law and order is third (8.8%) and cleanliness, in sixth place (4.0%).