Poll reveals three main concerns

Joan Collins IMMIGRATION, the economy and unemployment are the three main worries of the Balearic population, according to a poll published yesterday by the Centre of Sociology Research (CIS). It said that 36 percent of those questioned in the islands think that the Constitution should be reformed, while 42 percent consider that it should be left more or less as it is now. In the Balearics, 25 percent of those questioned by the CIS gave immigration as one of their three main problems (as opposed to 24.9 percent nationally). However, the poll also revealed that the Balearics is the second autonomous region where a great porportion of the citizens think that there are economic problems (24.5 percent), behind Catalonia (24.6 percent) but well above the national average which is 15 percent. On the other hand, the Balearics is the second autonomous region where less people (20.6 percent) gave unemployment as the main problem among three options, only beaten by Murcia (19.3 percent), as opposed to 47.8 percent nationally. In addition, the poll revealed that Balearic citizens are most worried about environmental problems, 12 percent citing them as their prime concern in contrast with 2.3 percent nationally. As for those in the Balearics who are in agreement with reforming the Constitution, 31.1 percent defended the Monarchy (seven points more than the national average), while 27 percent thought that the Autonomous Statutes should be reformed. This makes the Balearics the autonomous region with the third greatest proportion in favour, behind the Basque region (43.7 percent) and Catalonia (48.5 percent). According to the CIS, half of those questioned in the Balearics said that they felt that Spain is their country, and 40 percent said they felt very proud to be Spanish (ahead of Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque region and Navarra); 46 percent were quite proud to be Spanish; 8.5 percent not very proud; and the rest were not proud at all.