The Cluster17 survey conducted for Agenda Pública at the outset of the political season shows that King Felipe VI remains broadly favorable among Spaniards. When asked, “How would you rate the way King Felipe VI is carrying out his duties as head of state?”, 58% respond that he is doing it “good” or “very good,” while 35% rate it as “bad” or “very bad.”
Within the favorable bloc, 37% consider his performance good and 21.1% very good. On the other hand, 19.8% rate it as bad and 14.6% as very bad. The gap between positive and negative opinions reaches approximately 23 points, providing a clearly favorable citizen balance on Felipe VI’s performance twelve years after his proclamation as king in 2014.
Socialist voters value the king’s performance more highly than Vox voters
The broadest backing appears among voters who supported the PP. 84.5% of those who backed the PP in the 2023 general elections rate Felipe VI’s performance positively. Only 13.6% offer a negative evaluation.
The assessment is also clearly favorable among PSOE voters. 63.3% of those who voted for PSOE consider his performance good or very good, compared with 29.1% who rate it negatively. The king’s figure thus finds majority support among the electorates of the two main parties.
The reading changes among Vox voters. 39.9% approve Felipe VI’s performance and 54.3% rate it as bad or very bad. Consequently, the head of state’s performance receives a more favorable assessment among voters for Pedro Sánchez than among those for Santiago Abascal.
Among Sumar electors, 38% give a positive rating and 52.2% a negative one. The gap is greater among Junts voters: 15.7% approve the monarch’s performance and 81.3% condemn it.
“The difference between positive and negative opinions reaches approximately 23 points, providing a clearly favorable citizen balance on Felipe VI’s performance”
The political division exists. However, it does not map onto a neatly ordered left-right line: PP and PSOE voters share a clearly favorable valuation, while Vox, Sumar or Junts voters sit on the negative side.
Positive evaluation exceeds negative in all age groups, though a challenge looms for the young
The performance of Felipe VI manages to sustain a notable level of acceptance that transcends age. Support grows especially among older generations, but no age group records more negative than positive opinions.
Among people aged 65 to 74, 66.6% rate the king positively and 28.6% negatively. Among those over 75, the favorable backing reaches 60.3%.
The gap narrows among Spaniards aged 18 to 24. In this group, 47.8% offer a positive rating and 40.7% negative. Support does not reach an absolute majority, but retains a favorable balance of seven points.
“Emerging generations express a more balanced position, but they do not place the head of state in negative territory”
The data reflects an intergenerational base of support. Emerging generations express a more balanced position, but do not place the head of state in negative territory. Felipe VI thus maintains a favorable edge even in the group most distant from traditional institutions.
Women as an institutional buffer for the Crown
Women offer a more positive assessment of the king’s performance. 60.9% consider his actuation good or very good and 30.5% rate it negatively. The gap between the two blocks exceeds 30 points.
Among men, 56.4% express a favorable opinion and 38.2% a negative one. Support remains majority in both sexes, though women significantly widen the positive edge. The Crown thus finds one of its principal social backers among women.
A positive assessment that also breaks class barriers
The king’s performance evaluation does not draw a simple boundary between high and low earners either. Among those earning less than 1,000 euros per month, 56.5% rate his actuation positively and 33.9% negatively. Backing reaches 59.6% among those earning 2,000 to 3,000 euros, 60.7% among 3,000 to 5,000 euros, and 75.1% among those earning more than 5,000 euros monthly.
Territorial support: peaks in the big cities
Positive views outnumber negative across all municipality sizes. The highest backing appears in cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants: 64.7% view the king favorably and 31.3% express a negative opinion.
The approval also reaches 61.8% in towns of 20,000 to 49,999 inhabitants. In municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents, the balance is tighter, but the trend remains: 52.3% offer a positive rating and 43.5% negative.
Felipe VI retains a significant reserve of legitimacy and public recognition. This base allows the head of state to discharge his duties from a position of stability that few institutions can maintain in the current political landscape, according to Cluster17 for Agenda Pública.
The pan-European polling firm Cluster17 has established itself as one of the most precise in Spain. Its survey of the 2023 general elections was the second most accurate in votes and the third in seats, according to Electomanía. In 2024, with the poll published in Agenda Pública, it achieved the most accurate estimate of the Catalan elections and, again with this outlet, the third most accurate in the global ranking of seats and votes in the European elections.
