No es la economía, estúpido. La evolución del perfil del desafecto español pre y postcrisis

Abstract

This article focuses on political disaffection understood as a negative feeling towards politicians, politics and its processes, and towards a system incapable of facing the citizens' needs and demands. Political disaffection has grown significantly in Spain during the recent period of crisis; what contradicts the culturalist theses previously held. The components of this attitude-political disengagement and institutional disaffection-present opposing tendencies, too. Up until now, both of them showed parallel trends, increasing or decreasing at the same time. At present, however, a disruption has occurred. Consequently, and given the importance of the juncture, this article tries to verify whether changes in disaffection are more influenced by economic junctures (as it is widely held in literature) or by political ones. Methodologically, discriminant analysis is used to know at an individual level the factors that determine the nature and characteristics of political disaffection in Spain. The main conclusion points to the importance of the political situation in the profile of disaffected Spaniards.