Majority Of Catalans Oppose Bid For Independence For First Time Since Referendum - Poll

More Catalans oppose the separation of Catalonia from Madrid than support it, a survey conducted by the regional Opinion Studies Center showed on Friday

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2019) More Catalans oppose the separation of Catalonia from Madrid than support it, a survey conducted by the regional Opinion Studies Center showed on Friday.

According to the poll, 48.6 percent of respondents answered negatively to the center's question "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state?" This was a 4.5 percent increase in those who opposed the Catalan independence movement since the last time the poll was taken in March.

At least 47.2 percent of people said they supported the region's independence, which was down by 1.2 percent since the last poll.

The poll was conducted on April 30 to May 6 with 1,000 respondents.

The margin of error is 3.1 percent.

The percentage of citizens in the region who are opposed to independence has not exceeded those who are in favor since June 2017, which was ahead of Catalonia holding a referendum on whether it wanted to become an independent state.

Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in northeast Spain with a distinct history dating back almost 1,000 years. Catalonia also has its own police force and controls some of its public services. It is a wealthy region and much of its claim to independence is based on its discontent with having its money controlled by the Spanish government through taxes.