An opinion poll carried out by You.Gov on behalf of The HuffPost questioned 1,064 Spaniards about their travel plans for the summer and the usefulness of the Covid measures. 61% of Spaniards want to travel this summer, but only 8% have plans.
Semana Santa is not over yet, but many Spaniards – despite a possible fourth wave – are already thinking about the summer. They hope to travel then, although doubts about the course of the pandemic play a major role.
Forecasts from poll
According to 69% of those surveyed, the forecasts are not good. They feel the Public Health and Autonomous Communities have not devoted enough resources to checking measures are complied with. At the same time, 61% of those questioned said they already had a beach trip, terrace visit or summer trip in mind.
Plans postponed
Of the 61%, only 3% admit to having already planned their summer holidays, while 5% are in the process of doing so. 18% will wait to see how the pandemic develops before booking. The remaining 35% do not know if it will be possible to travel but want to. As long as the pandemic is not fully under control, 32% say they definitely will not travel.
Turning point
The acceleration of the vaccination plan could be an important turning point. The Ministry of Health emphasises ‘good behaviour’ over Semana Santa; what happens next towards spring and summer “is in our hands”.
Opinion about the measures
Two out of three Spaniards find the usefulness of the measures and the control of compliance insufficient. Only 22% think the measures are appropriate, 69% do not. Concern is greatest among young people (18-24) and middle-aged adults (35-44) (73%).
Teenagers and young people are the most reluctant to accept the plan of government and autonomous regions: only 15% think the measures are adequate, well below the average of 23%.
In recent days, there were moments of chaos in Madrid and Barcelona. Despite the fact there is still a state of alert and a perimeter lockdown, many people wanted to leave the city. However, the vast majority of the Spanish population is taking the measures into account. 88% of those questioned said they had not travelled. Only 11% of those questioned admitted to wanting to go ‘somewhere’, with young people between the ages of 25 and 34 accounting for a slightly higher percentage (16%).
Out of the region
Of the117 people who indicated in the poll they were planning to travel, 16% said they were prepared to leave their sub-region temporarily. In the age groups 18-24, 35-44 and 45-54, this was even at 22-23%. Among the adults aged 25-34 and over 55 who said they would travel, there was hardly any desire to leave the region.
Trick, treat or valid excuse?
Most striking is those who say they do want to leave their community. 43% would break the rules, either by ‘taking a gamble’ (21%) or by using some administrative ‘trick’ (22%). 37% believe they had an objective reason justifying the trip, while 10% said they were not aware of the restrictions.
