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The economic impact of COVID-19 has left a deep pessimism on Spanish households. At least one in two citizens (49%) declares themselves to be very or very concerned about their employment and the vast majority (72%) consider that the new reality brought about by the consequences of the pandemic will worsen their family's economic situation. , according to data from the Sigma Two survey for EL MUNDO.

The survey, carried out in the fifth week of the general confinement decreed on March 14 by the Government to stop the expansion of the coronavirus, indicates that the Spanish have assumed that the lifting of the state of alarm will lead to a period of economic crisis that in nothing will resemble the previous economic reality. The way out necessarily passes, with more than 90% support among those surveyed, for a social agreement between the Government, companies and unions that helps overcome the depression.

The visibility of the damage caused by the hibernation of the economy on the labor market is limited because the latest official data is from March 31 and did not include the massive processing of Temporary Employment Regulation (ERTE) files requested by companies. The Government then registered 900,000 more unemployed and 600,000 workers affected by ERTE, that is, officially employed but in an economic situation of unemployment.

The figures that have been considered since then by institutions and social agents multiply by five those affected by temporary employment regulations, which thanks to protection measures such as benefits have covered 70% of salary. It is a reality that seems much more in tune with the state of opinion of the Spanish.

The fact that one in two people interviewed fears about their future employment does not imply that half of the working population is free from fear . 21% of the sample declared not having a job, the majority (66%) because they are over 65 years old and are probably retired. The rest would already be unemployed. Thus, conversely, only a third of those who report having a job feel little or no concern about their employment .

Among those who fear for their work, the most concerned are young people between 18 and 29 years old (65%), the age bracket that usually corresponds with a greater weight of temporary contracts or first jobs . In fact, it is these types of contracts that have so far borne the greatest occupational impact of the coronavirus. Always with a very high level of concern, by degree of concern, the trend is downward the older the respondent is.

In any case, work is not the main reason for pessimism. When the question is transferred to the immediate future of the domestic economy, respondents admit their concern in up to 70% of cases, with a lighter weight among those over 65 (68%) than among those already in their 30s. and the 64 years can have family charges.

If you are looking for an approach by political affiliation and based on the last elections, Vox voters, with 75% of those interviewed, are the most concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on their economic situation . They are followed by those who declare having voted for the PP (74%). Those of Ciudadanos, PSOE and Unidas Podemos stand at 70%.

To the evaluation question about the role that state institutions or social agents such as companies or the Church are playing in this phase of the crisis, the applause is unanimous with the health professionals (98%) and with slightly less support than Civil Protection, and the firefighters (94%), the state security forces (93%) or the Army (91.6%). Companies receive a good valuation of 60% and the Church, a distribution of between 38% of those who think it is having a good role and 28% who think otherwise.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Citizens
  • PP
  • PSOE
  • United We Can
  • Vox
  • CIS survey
  • job
  • Unemployment
  • economy

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