People born during the Post-War Baby Boom, better known, sometimes derogatorily, as boomers, are, in Catalonia, the generation that is most interested in politics and at the same time the most pro-independence generation. This is revealed by the latest survey by Catalan public research agency Centre for Opinion Studies (CEO) on generational differences in political participation. And it finds that it is the boomers, those people born between 1946 and 1964, who are the most politicized, since they have the most interest in everything that surrounds politics. Specifically, on a scale from 0 to 10, boomers rank at 6.2, closely followed by Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, with a 5.9. Meanwhile, the two generations that put most space between themselves and politics are the oldest and the youngest: the so-called Silent Generation (those currently aged over 78) are at 5 and Generation Z (between 1997 and 2012) at 5.4. These similarities between the two generations were repeated during the survey on numerous occasions.
Generational definitions used in the survey, from the Pew Research Centre
In addition, the boomers are also the generation in which, when asked their view on what relationship Catalonia and Spain should have, the largest plurality believe that Catalonia should be an independent state. 34% of this age group believe so, a similar percentage to that of Generation X, which stands at 32%. Boomers are also the generation that is most in favour of Catalonia being a state within a federal Spain (23%) and the one that least approves (also with 23%) of it being an autonomous community within Spain. On the other hand, Generation Z is the one that most frequently - in 28% of cases - responds with "Don't know / No answer" to questions on the place of Catalonia within the Spanish state. This figure is growing in the younger generations, since among respondents of the Silent generation only 11% choose this option.
Responses to: What do you think the relationship between Catalonia and Spain should be like? Left to right: An independent state; A state in a federal Spain; An autonomous community; A region of Spain; Don't know/No answer.
Although, as CEO director Jordi Muñóz highlighted in the presentation of the survey results, all generations in Catalonia tend to be positioned towards the left on the ideological axis, again, the generation in which this trend is clearest is that of the Baby Boom. 53% of this generation place themselves on the extreme left (17%) and the left (36%), while only 17% are on the right (12%) and extreme right (5%). The remaining 30% are located in the centre. The generation which sees itself as least right-wing is younger - that of the millennials, with only 13% of the total, almost tied with the 14% of Generation X. Millennials are also those who identify most (21%) with the extreme left, while the youngest group, Generation Z stands out for its high percentage who associate with the extreme right, 9% of the total.
Self-positioning of respondents' political views on the left-right axis
On the other hand, the boomers are the generation who participate most in politics. Even if they are slightly surpassed by the much younger Generation Z when it comes to attending an event with political content or participating in demonstrations or rallies, it is the boomers who have shown most interest in Catalonia's mobilizations of recent years. 51% of respondents in this age group say they were interested in events related to the independence process, while only 35% of Generation Z had their attention drawn to this type of event. If we look at actual involvement in the mobilizations of the independence process, again it is the boomers (47%) who tend to get out onto the street most, while the members of the Silent Generation on this occasion surpass those of Generation Z, who are the least involved. In this regard, boomer women have been more involved in independence movements than men in recent years, 48% and 45%, respectively.
Interest in politics, average responses on a 0-10 scale.