'Corrupt' Spaniards stay loyal to 'unhelpful' EU
Most Spaniards think the European Union is doing very little to help the country emerge from its five-year crisis but overall support for the institution remains strong, a new study shows.
Just over half of all Spaniards (51.4 percent) say the European Union (EU) is doing "little" to help Spain out of the crisis, the latest Barometer from Spain's Elcano Royal Institute shows.
One in three people, meanwhile, said the EU is doing "nothing".
But Spaniards are still showing strong support for the union.
They rate the EU highly among international organizations, giving the union a score of 5.1 out of 10, where 10 was "very positive".
The United Nations does best, scoring 5.6 out of 10,
At the same time. 60 percent of Spaniards say they would support a so-called 'United States of Europe' with a stronger political union.
But the survey respondents aren't positive about the likelihood of this happening: just under one in three people say it would "never take place" while 40.6 percent of people describe this is a "long-term" proposition.
The Elcano Royal Institute survey also found that 40 percent of people interviewed said political corruption was the main problem facing Spain, while unemployment was the chief preoccupation for 19 percent of people.
In the survey, Spaniards rated themselves as hardworking (73 percent) and tolerant (77 percent).
But 53 percent of the people interviewed said people in the country weren't trustworthy and 86 percent said Spaniards were corrupt.
The Institute interviewed 1,000 people between late May and mid-June to obtain its results.
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Just over half of all Spaniards (51.4 percent) say the European Union (EU) is doing "little" to help Spain out of the crisis, the latest Barometer from Spain's Elcano Royal Institute shows.
One in three people, meanwhile, said the EU is doing "nothing".
But Spaniards are still showing strong support for the union.
They rate the EU highly among international organizations, giving the union a score of 5.1 out of 10, where 10 was "very positive".
The United Nations does best, scoring 5.6 out of 10,
At the same time. 60 percent of Spaniards say they would support a so-called 'United States of Europe' with a stronger political union.
But the survey respondents aren't positive about the likelihood of this happening: just under one in three people say it would "never take place" while 40.6 percent of people describe this is a "long-term" proposition.
The Elcano Royal Institute survey also found that 40 percent of people interviewed said political corruption was the main problem facing Spain, while unemployment was the chief preoccupation for 19 percent of people.
In the survey, Spaniards rated themselves as hardworking (73 percent) and tolerant (77 percent).
But 53 percent of the people interviewed said people in the country weren't trustworthy and 86 percent said Spaniards were corrupt.
The Institute interviewed 1,000 people between late May and mid-June to obtain its results.
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