On Thursday morning, the results of the first investigation of the “Barometer of Sovereignty” were presented in the Olaso Tower of Bergara. Summary of the conclusions of the measurements carried out in November 2020. Questions of the 67 items were asked to 1,289 people: 629 from Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa; 420 from Nafarroa Garaia; and 240 from the Commonwealth of Iparralde. Citizens under the age of 65 have responded to the online survey and older people have answered the survey by telephone. Some of the most significant data are:

“In the context of an agreed and official referendum on self-determination, those in favour of the Basque State predominate (42.5%).” The citizens have been asked about a referendum agreed between "or the majority" of the political forces of the Basque Country and that would be approved by the Spanish and French States. 42.5% of citizens would vote in favour, 31.5% against, while 12.5% would abstain.

“If the Basque State improves its social, economic or gender policies, favorable positions increase.” According to the study, among those who would not vote in favour of the Basque State, support would increase significantly if social policies were increased (40%), if gender policies were deepened (37%), if the new state were to provide a "better economic situation" (33%) and if it were to be located within the European Union (33%).

 

“Most citizens (63%) would like to decide on their political future.” Some of the territorial knots appear in the results of this field in any way. To the question of whether each citizen should have the right to decide its administrative area, the results are similar: 64% of the citizens of the CAV, 63% of those in Navarre and 58% of those in Iparralde voted in favour.

“Municipalities are the best valued by the pandemic”, 42.6% of the population is “very or quite satisfied” of municipal management, according to the study. Almost the same result is given by citizens to autonomous governments (41.6%), those satisfied with deputies (34.3%), Europeans (30.7%) and French and Spanish (23.8%).

The National Train: tool to get to know the opinion of citizens

The National Train is the result of the collaboration between Telesforo Monzon eLab, the laboratory of Euskal Herrigintza of the Torre Olaso Foundation and the research group Parte Hartuz of the UPV/EHU, after the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Torre Olaso Foundation and the UPV. According to Metro Nacional, the issue of sovereignty is currently “at the heart of politics”, but “it is not very clear what the public’s opinion is about sovereignty, self-government, independence and the issues that can pass through them”. One of the main objectives of the Metro is to make these views known, working at the national level and making periodic studies public. Sociologists Asier Etxenike, Arkaitz Fullaondo, Igor Ortega, Iduzki Soubelet, Carlos Vilches and Julen Zabalo form the Scientific Committee of Mexico City.