The recent results of the City Council’s Municipal Services Survey showed that the feeling of belonging to Barcelona has fallen to historic lows among its citizens.
One of the most striking responses is that 29% of respondents confess that they would prefer to live outside Barcelona, if they had the means and the possibility to change their residence.
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Compared to the results of the 2015 survey, 69% of the Barcelona population interviewed at that time stated that their preferred place of residence was the neighborhood where they lived. Over the last few years, this figure has continued to fall.
The 2022 survey revealed that Barcelona residents’ sense of belonging to the neighborhoods they live in fell to unprecedented levels. For this year, the percentage recorded was 52%. In this order of ideas, the percentage is 17 points lower than seven years ago. This figure is the lowest since 1996.
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Decreased sense of belonging to Barcelona
The desire to live outside Barcelona is a feeling that is growing every day among citizens.
The 29% of respondents who expressed a desire to leave is the second highest figure in the entire historical series.
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By 2015 the picture was different, as only 15% of citizens said at that time that they did not want to live in the Catalan capital. But the increase is unquestionable.
On the other hand, in the recent 2022 survey, 18% of citizens responded that they would like to live within Barcelona, but in a different neighborhood from the one in which they reside. This figure is also unprecedented.
The district where they least want to live
Ciutat Vella is the neighborhood where its inhabitants least want to live. In fact, 63% of the citizens of this district would like to move to another place within the city (38%) or even outside Barcelona (25%).
Only 37% of those interviewed would stay in their neighborhood, which is the lowest figure in comparison with the rest of the city’s districts.
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Among the main reasons for the high level of dissatisfaction with living in Ciutat Vella are related to the problems of the area.
The main ones: lack of cleanliness, insecurity and difficulty in accessing housing, especially in the Raval, Sant Pere, Gòtic and Barceloneta neighborhoods. The feeling of belonging to the city has declined over the years.
Other important facts that have an impact on the feeling of belonging to Barcelona
With respect to the population of Barcelona, the number continues to fall in 2022. At present, the capital city has 1,639,981 registered residents, 1.2% less than last year.
However, it should be noted that the number of residents is the fourth highest in the last three decades, but mainly due to immigration.
