Researchers didn´t have much time to show a clear picture of what Movement 15-M protestors really look like.
So in the spirit of this movement, they distributed surveys through various online social networks and in the streets. And some of the data they uncovered are especially meaningful.
58.86% of the protesters were employed and of these 24.6% had a bachelor´s degree. This data contradicts information that characterizes them as uneducated. 45.15% of those surveyed saw little chance that they would lose their job, but the remaining 46.43% saw little chance that they would find one.
According to a study done by the University of Valladolid, 34.18% defined their ideology as leftists and 28.48% as left-of-center, while 1.9% identified with the right and 6.33% were right-of-center.
Social Networks
Disenchantment with high unemployment, unthinkable salaries and lack of opportunity has united the protesters, and they are asking for social change through online social networking sites.
Javier Callejo is an associate professor of Sociology at the University of Valladolid and partner at the social and market research company Gather, which conducted the first study on the protesters. According to Gather, the most surprising data show that 82.28% of the members of M-15 found out about the movement through social networking sites.
"This suggests a departure from social movements that have occurred up until now," explained Callejo. "The form of this generation´s information has changed and now it is possible for them to organize easily and rapidly." And the problem is that this huge shift has caught the political system off guard.
Elections
A study done before the elections showed that 26.58% of the protestors considered that Spain´s greatest problem was the dominant political parties. The next biggest problem was unemployment, according to 25.32% of those polled.
60.51% described the political situation as very bad and 44.94% considered that within a year nothing will change.
Other questions shed light on the protesters voting intentions. 81.01% assured that the movement wouldn´t influence whether they decided to vote or not. 59.55% assured that the demonstrations wouldn´t reverse their vote, compared to 33.71% who indicated that it would.
In the data sample, 51.9% of the respondents were young adults between 25 and 34 years old. 18.35% were between 18 and 24 and 23.42% were between 35 and 44.
Edited in English by Brandon Dyches and Jose L. de Haro (for comments contact: joseluisdeharo@eleconomista.es)
