Majority of Young Spaniards See Migration as a ‘Real Threat’
A study published in Spain reveals that a majority of young Spaniards perceive mass immigration as a “real threat” and associate it with an increase in crime, while recognizing that there are “too many migrants” in their country.
The study, entitled, Young Españoles 2026 (“Spanish Youth 2026”) was published by the Spanish non-profit organization SM Foundationand it contains an exhaustive analysis of the current reality of Spaniards aged 15 to 24 in 2025 on a wide range of topics, comparing the results with those of 2020 and 2005.
Health, family, earning money, as well as free time and leisure activities were found to be the most important aspects for the young people who participated in the study. More than a third (38.4%) said they consider religion “somewhat or very important” in their lives, with 45% identifying as Catholic, up from 31.6% in 2020.
When it comes to migration, the study found notable changes in young Spaniards’ perceptions of migrants, with a significant increase in support for the concept that migrants should assimilate to Spanish customs and norms, and a documented decline in support for cultural diversity and respect for non-Spanish migrant customs among those surveyed. The study also documented renewed support for perceptions of what it describes as “real threats” to migration – the number of migrants and a growth in crime associated with mass migration.
As many as 61.7 percent said they believed the presence of migrants had led to an increase in crime in Spain, more than twice as many as the 27.6 percent who expressed the same sentiment in the 2020 survey.
Likewise, 65.6 percent of those surveyed said they had the impression that “there are starting to be too many migrants in Spain.” In contrast, only 34.2 percent declared this in 2020.
When asked for their opinion on the statement “We are making things too easy for migrants”, 58.9 percent of young people surveyed said they agreed with this sentiment in 2025, up from 30.4 percent previously.
Today, almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents said migrants should adapt to Spanish customs and culture, up from 47% in 2020. When asked for their opinion on the statement: “We must respect the customs of all migrants, unless they violate the Constitution,” 64.7% said they agreed.
“This trend suggests a resurgence of the perception of immigration as a massive and potentially destabilizing phenomenon,” the study says.
However, the study also found a decline in support for the statement that migrants are “taking away” Spanish jobs among the country’s youth, falling from 78 percent in 2005 to 43 percent in 2025. The perception that migration is “economically necessary”, according to the study, remains “stable”, with 51 percent of respondents expressing agreement with this statement in 2025. The study says that “these figures reflect a normalization of the situation of migrants”. the presence of the population in the labor market.
Unsurprisingly, political ideology was described by the study as the most decisive factor in terms of migration, followed by education level and social class, with higher support for inclusive ideas and integration among women, young people with higher levels of education and those who identify as left-wing.
The study found a notable 12 percent reduction among young people aged 15 to 24 who identify as left or center-left, compared to a 14 percent growth among those who identify as center-right or right, primarily among young Spanish Catholic men.
At the same time, the results revealed an erosion of trust in democracy and politics among young people, with 68 percent of respondents expressing that they are “somewhat or not” satisfied with the way democracy works – and “nearly half” expressing that they believe that a “harder approach is sometimes necessary and that an authoritarian regime is better able to maintain social peace.”
“This change does not appear to be a one-off event, but rather part of a broader trend that has gradually taken hold over time,” the study points out.
