Abdication comes at low point for monarchy in opinion polls

King Juan Carlos is abdicating from the Spanish throne at a time when the popularity of the monarchy is at its lowest ebb, according to a number of polls. The last official survey from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), which was carried out a month ago, gave the crown an average approval rating of just 3.72 out of 10. This was a slight improvement on the last study, from 2013, which was down to 3.68. Scandals such as the alleged tax fraud and embezzlement of the king’s son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, as well as the public outrage over a hunting trip Juan Carlos took to Botswana, have all had a negative impact.

The monarchy has also suffered from the political crisis that is affecting other institutions in Spain. In fact, the Church, the Spanish parliament and the current government are all scoring lower than the crown in approval ratings.

Until 2004, the monarchy was the institution with the highest approval rating among Spaniards

Until 2004, the monarchy was the institution with the highest approval rating among Spaniards in all the official polls. For example, until 1995 it scored an average of 7.5, a rating that gradually fell as the years passed.

A number of studies point to the scandals that have plagued the Royal Household as having the greatest effect, as well as the fact that the majority of Spaniards – 60 percent – were born after Spain’s transition to democracy. Those who were not alive during the years after the death of Franco in 1975 did not bear direct witness to the king’s role in the – mostly – peaceful transition to democracy in Spain, something that has had an influence on the perception of King Juan Carlos among the public.

Follow EL PAÍS IN ENGLISH on Facebook and Twitter.