Quality of life in Spain is a vital factor to consider if you are planning to move to the country. Is Spain a good place to live? Let's see what the Spaniards think. Spaniards give a 6.8 rating to the quality of life in their homes, according to the latest edition of the 'Quiero Vivir Mejor' (I want to live better) study, carried out by the National Association of Ceramic and Construction Material Distributors (Andimac). This association however regrets that nearly 40% of Spanish properties do not help the welfare of the people living in them. The quality of life in Spain in 2021 has also seen a shift in the past year, with a wide range of effects of COVID-19 on homes in Spain being seen.
In general terms, the degree of satisfaction when it comes to quality of life in Spain in 2020/2021 is not as high as it should be. This is something which should be a concern in these "indoor years", in which homes have been the main refuge for people, as they have been forced to stay inside longer than ever by the various measures put in place to fight the coronavirus in Spain.
Andimac, the association that carried out the study, is not surprised by this discontent, given the fact that Spain is home to an ageing real estate market. The real estate market in Spain is aging at an annual rate of 2%, while building rehabilitation only affects 0.15% of it. In this way, currently 83% of homes in Spain are over 18 years old, which has its reflection in terms of comfort and welfare.
In this sense, the association stresses that a society truly committed to improving its living conditions must pay special attention to the habitability conditions of its homes, since the home is not simply a basic space for shelter, but a fundamental pillar of well-being, now more than ever.
In this sense, Andimac argues that the COVID-19 crisis in Spain has highlighted a problem that affects an increasingly large part of those living in Spain: our housing stock has not aged well and does not meet the needs, values, social and personal expectations of welfare.
Proof of this are the results of this study, which in Andimac's opinion should contribute to designing policies to improve the quality of life of citizens within their homes in Spain.
Which areas of life require a change in homes in Spain? The study highlights that residents in Spain continuously expressed dissatisfaction in aspects related to noise, temperature loss or the capacity to adapt spaces to people's needs, which this year - due to the massive introduction of teleworking - have been particularly altered. Therefore, acoustic and thermal comfort and ergonomics in Spanish homes receive the worst marks, while lighting, accessibility and energy saving are the categories given the highest marks by Spaniards.
Men living in families are most satisfied
Looking at gender of those who contributed to the results, the report shows that women are less satisfied than men with their household situation in Spain. Their average score is 6.76, compared to 6.88 for men.
Likewise, those who live with a family or a partner are those who show greater well-being within their homes. Specifically, they value the quality of life in their homes with a 7; a substantially better mark than that given by people living alone or with other people who are not family members. Their score does not even reach 6, making them the most dissatisfied category.
Keeping in mind the results of this quality of life survey, the employers' association stresses the urgency of implementing a national rehabilitation and reform plan for housing in Spain. This is in view of the distribution of European funds, for which it supports a single model that can be managed from the communities in Spain and easily extrapolated to a territorial level, and accompanied by incentive measures for users in both fiscal and financial matters.
"This plan would not only contribute to strengthening one of the main driving forces for the reconstruction of Spain and the creation of employment, but would also make it possible to improve the quality of life of the Spanish people and residents in Spain, which is the aim of all public management", said the Secretary General of Andimac, Sebastián Molinero.