Important wake-up call in Cibeles due to the latest Quality of Life Survey prepared by the Madrid City Council, with data from 2024. Housing has become the most serious problem for the city’s inhabitants, with a level of concern that is not was observed for no other circumstance in recent years. 24.4% of Madrid residents identify it as their biggest problem and 37.4% as one of the three main problems.
The housing problem already rose many places in last year’s survey, although at that time it only represented the main problem for 9.7% and traffic, cleanliness or pollution were above it. Today all of them are far below the problems of Madrid residents: traffic/traffic jams remain at 10.6% and pollution/environment at 5.6%. Cleanliness is no longer seen as one of the top three problems, as in previous years, and falls to fourth place. Concerns increase about the high cost of living (from 7.9% in 2022 to 13.3% now) and unemployment and precarious employment (from 6.1% to 10.8%).
The data, outlined by the municipal spokesperson after its presentation at the Government Board this Thursday, are worrying for the municipal government since its grade has also fallen significantly compared to last year: citizens rate Almeida’s team with a 5.3, compared to 5.9 in 2023 or 6.1 in 2022, according to the evaluations of previous editions consulted by this newspaper.
The discredit for the rulers also extends to other administrations. The score for the Community of Madrid also drops to 5.2 (from 5.9 last year) and the State Administration even fails with a 4.2, a year after the low 5 obtained in the 2023 survey.
“These figures are in line with the surveys that are being carried out at the national level, it is a widespread concern throughout the country,” said the vice mayor, Inmaculada Sanz, to justify the rise of the housing problem. “It is a concern shared by this Government team, which is why it launched a specific department for housing policies,” he added.
The Madrid City Council has concentrated its action on expanding the offer, building more apartments both through the Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS) and giving land to private developers to build apartments with some levels of protection. It is also making efforts to approve urban developments in different parts of the city.
However, the Almeida Government flatly rejects requesting the limitation on rentals allowed by the state Housing Law. Other municipalities in the region have requested it. Yesterday, Wednesday, a young resident of Malasaña complained about this limitation to the mayor, during her walk on Dos de Mayo while checking the operation of her new surveillance cameras.
Go down on public transport, go up on the car
The data from the municipal survey, the most important of this type that takes place each year, indicate that satisfaction with living in Madrid has also decreased – slightly – to a score of 7.7, one tenth less than in 2023 and two less than in 2021.
The best valued aspects related to quality of life are the cultural offer, leisure and fun (8.2), followed by the international image of Madrid (7.7), the ease of doing sports (7.6) and mobility and public transportation (7.5). The only two issues that do not pass the pass, as in the previous survey, are the cost of living (4) and the ease of finding a home within the framework of your possibilities (3.3, compared to 3.5 from last year).
Regarding mobility, the means of transport most used by citizens for daily trips continues to be the Metro (64.8%), although it drops several points compared to last year’s survey (66.4%), as does than the rest of public transport. The use of the urban bus drops from 62.9% to 60.3%) and the Cercanías train from 21.1% to 19.5%.
Traveling by car, however, has increased in the last year: 50.8% of Madrid residents indicate that they use their private car for their daily trips compared to 49.2% who did so in 2023.
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