Abstract
ABSTRACT The distinction between constitutional monarchies and republics constitutes a striking divide in how modern democracies are institutionalized. However, the lack of data about citizens' preferences for a monarchic or republican model of democracy has hindered the analysis of public opinion about this topic. This research note introduces a comprehensive survey that gauges citizens' attitudes towards the monarchy in Spain. The survey was fielded in late 2020 and provides unique information such as respondents' preferences about different models of democracy, how they define an ideal monarch, and their evaluations of whether current and former Spanish kings live up to these ideals. We first highlight the unique features of the dataset and provide a detailed account of the variables included. We then illustrate the potential of this survey for the study of political culture through descriptive analyses of some of the key variables included in the dataset.
Highlights
Free and fair elections, the rule of law, and civil liberties are basic attributes of any democracy (Dahl 1971; Held 2006)
Taken together with the extensive socio-demographic and political background variables included in the dataset, this survey will be an excellent resource for researchers aiming to systematically analyze the foundations of citizens’ attitudes towards the monarchy and Spain’s political culture
We include a series of variables gauging respondents’ opinions about whether a referendum should be held in Spain to decide whether the country should remain a monarchy or become a republic; how they would vote in such a referendum; which position they think would win; and the type of republic they would prefer if Spain were to become one
Summary
The rule of law, and civil liberties are basic attributes of any democracy (Dahl 1971; Held 2006). Mass-media and polling firms like YouGov regularly field survey questions about the monarchy in countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain This data is generally not available to researchers, and their questions are different than those commonly asked in political culture surveys. Academically-oriented surveys, like the British Social Attitudes Survey or those conducted by the Spanish National Sociological Center (CIS), have in the past asked some questions about the monarchy. Their scattered and standalone nature prevents a systematic analysis of attitudes towards this particular model of democracy. Taken together with the extensive socio-demographic and political background variables included in the dataset, this survey will be an excellent resource for researchers aiming to systematically analyze the foundations of citizens’ attitudes towards the monarchy and Spain’s political culture
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