Key facts
- 89% of Spaniards hold Morocco responsible for the mass migrant crossings into Ceuta.
- A majority of respondents rated Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's handling of the crisis negatively.
- Two-thirds of those surveyed felt Sanchez's response was too slow.
- Combined voting intentions for the People's Party and Vox exceeded 50% for the first time in a poll.
- Vox was named the most capable party on immigration by 27% of respondents.
A poll released on Monday indicates that a significant majority of Spaniards are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government's response to the mass migrant crossings into Ceuta in late July. The 40dB poll, conducted for El Pais newspaper and radio station SER, found that 89% of respondents believe Morocco bears the most responsibility for the crisis. Additionally, a majority of those surveyed rated Sanchez's handling of the situation as "bad" or "very bad," with two-thirds stating his response was too slow.
The poll also revealed a shift in political sentiment, with combined voting intentions for the conservative People's Party and the anti-immigration, far-right Vox party reaching 50.2%, marking the first time their potential right-wing alliance has breached the 50% mark in an opinion poll during this legislative period. In contrast, the centre-left bloc's voting intentions fell to 36.1%. Specifically, the People's Party saw a slight increase to 32.4%, while Vox rose to 17.8%. Sanchez's Socialist Party dipped to 27.6% from 28% in the previous poll.
Regarding immigration, 27% of respondents identified Vox as the most capable party, ahead of the Socialists (18.4%) and the People's Party (13.9%). The survey also highlighted public opinion on border security, with seven out of 10 respondents favoring tighter border controls over protecting vulnerable migrants, and 82% supporting increased fences and surveillance at Spain's borders.