Nearly 40% of men say criticism of sexist jokes is exaggerated

About 40% of men in Catalonia agree with statements considered examples of modern sexism, according to a survey published on Thursday, March 5 by the Centre for Opinion Studies (CEO).

The poll shows that 38% of men believe criticism of sexist jokes is exaggerated, the same proportion as a year ago, while 39% say the feminist movement has gone too far.

Overall, about one-third of Catalans express views the CEO classifies as "modern sexism," a proportion that rises among people over 35. 

The gender gap remains clear, although a notable share of women also agree with these views: 28% say criticism of sexist jokes is excessive and 27% believe feminism has gone too far.

Another 38% of respondents believe some women file false reports in order to obtain financial benefits or harm their partner.

Immigration perceptions

Results highlight a gap between perception and reality regarding immigration. Four in ten Catalans believe immigrants make up the majority of the population when, in fact, they account for around 25% of residents. 

Attitudes toward immigration vary depending on origin. Around two-thirds of Catalans say they would feel comfortable if their child had a relationship with a Black, Latina, or East Asian person. It falls to 38% if the partner is from North Africa and 53% if they are Romani.

Language and other trends

The survey also reflects growing pessimism about the use of the Catalan language.

A majority of respondents (53%) say Catalan is used too little, the first time this view has been held by more than half the population. Meanwhile, 57% believe the language is spoken less now than five years ago, and 52% think its use will decline further over the next five years.

The survey also points to a decline in how often people talk about climate change. Two years ago, 45% of respondents said they talked about it several times a week; that figure has dropped to 30%.

On public safety, three out of four respondents believe criminal sentences are too light, while 42% say they feel little or no sense of safety when returning home at night.

When asked about politics, the pro-independence party Esquerra Republicana inspires the most sympathy among respondents, scoring 4 out of 10, followed by the Socialists (3.9), left-wing Comuns (3), pro-independence centre-right Junts (2.8), and far-left pro-independence CUP (2.7).