Update, 13th November 2026: The survey also revealed that 56% of Catalans supported the Spanish government's immigration regularisation measure, with 44% in agreement and 12% somewhat in favour, while 37% viewed housing as the region's top problem. Additionally, 23% reported receiving offensive online comments, 18% were targeted with hate messages on social media, and 17% received unwanted sexually explicit messages; 12% experienced digital identity theft and 9% had private photos or sensitive information shared without consent, while 78% received suspicious messages and nearly 40% did not know where to seek help in case of. (Source: NacióDigital).
Price Seen as Main Barrier
A large majority of Catalans identify high prices as the primary obstacle to accessing housing, whether for purchase or rental, according to the second wave of the Òmnibus survey by the Centre d’Estudis d’Opinió (CEO), published on Friday 13th November 2026. Specifically, 67% of respondents cite price as the main difficulty in buying a home, while 61% say the same for renting. The findings confirm that housing has overtaken other long-standing concerns, with 34% of respondents now viewing it as the most pressing issue in Catalonia. This marks a shift from previous years, when political questions such as the independence process dominated public debate.
Rental Supply and Tourist Accommodation Concerns
While price is the dominant concern, other structural issues are also highlighted. For renters, 15% of respondents point to the limited availability of housing as a key problem. An additional 11% identify the presence of tourist-use housing as a significant factor affecting the rental market. When it comes to purchasing, the second most cited obstacle is difficulty in securing a mortgage loan, reflecting ongoing financial access challenges despite relatively high home ownership rates.
Housing Costs Strain Households
The survey reveals substantial financial pressure on households. Nearly 30% of citizens allocate between 25% and 50% of their income to housing costs, including rent, mortgages, and community fees. A further breakdown shows that 27% spend 25–50% of their income on housing, 16% spend 50–75%, and 7% devote up to 75% of their earnings. Forty percent of respondents spend less than 25% of their income on housing, indicating a wide disparity in affordability across the region.
Ownership Remains Predominant
Despite rising prices, 68% of Catalans live in owner-occupied homes. Of these, 26% own their property outright, 22% are still paying off a mortgage, 2% inherited or received it as a gift, and 18% live in a home owned by parents or other relatives. Renters make up 38% of the population. Among them, 18% have a standard long-term rental contract, 4% rent a room or shared flat, 2% are on seasonal contracts, and 4% have their rent paid by someone else.
Housing is now the top concern for citizens, surpassing even healthcare, which ranks second at 22%.
Healthcare follows as the second most important issue for Catalans, cited by 22% of respondents. Immigration ranks fourth at 10%, ahead of the economy, which is a top concern for 7%. Fieldwork for the survey was conducted between late June and early September 2025, and the final sample included 1,797 residents aged 16 and over, selected from the Catalan population register. The margin of error is ±2.31 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Sources: VilaWeb, Generalitat de Catalunya, cope.es.
The Generalitat de Catalunya published its own press note on this.
