From the most characteristic personality traits of Catalans to their favourite dishes. These are some of the new questions included in the CEO's first Public Opinion Barometer of 2023 published this Wednesday, which offers a portrait of some aspects that, according to those surveyed, define what Catalans are like. The survey, based on the responses of 2,000 people and which, as usual, also offers a projection of seats in hypothetical elections to the Parliament of Catalonia and the Spanish Congress, also, this time adds a special section aimed at finding out the perceptions among Catalans themselves of their character, values and attitudes.
Using the model of the so-called Big Five personality traits, respondents were asked to rate from 0 to 10 the extent to which they described themselves as responsible, open to experiences, extroverted, emotionally stable and affable. Above all, responsibility is the value most identified with by those who were surveyed, with an average score of 7 out of 10. According to the CEO, this indicates that "the Catalan population tends to be quite responsible and committed to their obligations". Catalans are also moderately open to new experiences and ideas, with an average of 6.6 in this value. Overall, extraversion receives an average of 5.7, which "reveals that quieter and more intimate situations are preferred over social ones." From this survey, the CEO also notes that the Catalan population can feel affected by stressful situations and "may be less inclined to trust other people and to express their emotions".
Variables from top to bottom: Responsibility, Openness to experience, Extroversion, Affability and Emotional stability
What Catalans are like: personalities change with age
The character of Catalans, however, varies according to age. By cross-checking the responses in different age groups, the survey allows it to be seen how young Catalans tend to be moderately more open to new experiences and ideas (an average of 6.5, with the highest value among 18-24 year-olds ), while among the older population the stand-out feature is that people tend to be less affable (average of 3.8 among people over 64). On the other hand, people aged between 35 and 49 are the ones who define themselves as most emotionally unstable (an average of 4.1).
Personality traits (Responsibility, Openness to experience, Extroversion, Emotional stability and Affability) across age groups
Differences between the age groups are also noticeable in their political and social opinions. Although among young people aged 18 to 24, only 18% agree with the statement "With so much immigration one no longer feels at home" (the lowest percentage of all age groups ), this age group also shows some opinons that are typical of the right. 35% of young people in this group agree with the fact that "it is necessary to lower taxes even if this means reducing public services and benefits". And 39% of 18-24 year old respondents believe that "the less the government intervenes in the economy, the better it will be for the country". "We observe a certain trend in this direction", admitted CEO Jordi Muñoz in a recent interview with ElNacional.cat. "We find a certain movement among younger age groups towards positions that we traditionally identify more with the right, especially in socio-economic issues linked to taxes, the welfare state, and public services. On the other hand, there is less support among the young for right-wing positions on cultural questions linked to attitudes towards immigration, gender equality or the LGTBI group. Young people are more progressive than the older generations, but on socio-economic issues the impression is that there is a certain movement to the right" , summed up Muñoz.
Catalan preferences: 'paella' and Barça
This edition of the CEO Barometer also asked respondents about other issues such as Catalans' gastronomic preferences, favourite football teams and the level of material well-being at home. As for the meal-time favourites, the most mentioned are paella and other rice dishes (21%), pasta and fideuada (15%), starters and tapes (12%) and meat and chicken (12%). All in all, a large proportion of respondents consider that there are other dishes that best represent Catalan cuisine, such as meaty escudella broth (20%), botifarra sausage with beans (17%), pa amb tomaquet - tomato bread - (14%) and springtime specialty calçots (13%). As far as football is concerned, almost half of all Catalans say they are FC Barcelona fans (49%). It is notable, however, that there are more fans of Real Madrid (8%) than of Espanyol (2%).
Dishes preferred by Catalans: From top to bottom: Rice and paella; Pasta and fideuada; Meat and chicken; Starters and tapes; Vegetable dishes; Soups and stews; Fish and seafood; Canelons and lasagne; Pizza; Desserts and sweets; Sushi
Regarding the level of material well-being, it is notable that 88% of the people surveyed affirm that they have been able to pay their electricity, water and gas bills in the last year. Slightly fewer, 81%, indicate that they can afford to have their own car; there are 79% of Catalans who keep their home at a comfortable temperature in summer and winter and 75% go on vacation away from home for at least one week a year. On the other hand, only 24% have a second home and 20% pay someone to help them with household chores.