Caritas has presented the “Report on Exclusion and Social Development in the Community of Madrid” of the FOESSA Foundation (Promotion of Social Studies and Applied Sociology). The main results of this research work warn that social cohesion in our community has suffered an unprecedented “shock” as a result of the tension suffered by economic activity and employment due to the outbreak of SARS CoV-2.
The report that has been presented, together with the global report on the “Evolution of social cohesion and consequences of Covid-19 in Spain”, has been developed by 30 researchers from 10 universities and research entities. A team of professional pollsters has knocked on more than 90,000 doors at the state level and 7,000 homes in Madrid, collecting information from almost 19,000 people in the State, and 1,600 people in Madrid.
The results of this research show that in the Community of Madrid one and a half million people are in a situation of social exclusion. This is five points more than before the pandemic (from 17% in 2018 to 22%), that is, 370,000 more people in social exclusion. The increase in the number of people in more difficult situations is especially serious, with a 25% increase in situations of severe exclusion, which now reaches 800,000 people.
The results also indicate an increase in inequality among the poorest, who have seen their incomes reduced by 22%, which contrasts with the 18% growth in the incomes of people with higher incomes. The collapse of the income of the quintile with the lowest income explains the increase in severe poverty.
The households most affected by exclusion
The largest group within the space of social exclusion is that of households in urban areas headed by people of Spanish nationality. However, if we look at the percentage of people from a specific group affected by social exclusion, we see that there are households that are more likely to suffer from social exclusion:
• Those supported by women, the incidence of exclusion is 23% compared to 21% in the case of men.
• Those with two or more minor members. In households with two or more minors, the exclusion rate triples that of households without minors, reaching 4 out of 10 large families.
• Those in which the main breadwinner is a foreign national. The prevalence of social exclusion is 51%, compared to 17% of households headed by people of Spanish nationality.
• Single-parent homes headed by women. The incidence of social exclusion is 33%, being especially intense in women under 45 years of age.
On the contrary, the households with the least probabilities of social exclusion are those without members under 18 years of age; in which the main breadwinner has higher education and those headed by people aged 65 or over.
Employment, living and health, main factors of exclusion
In Madrid, the pandemic has also had a significant impact on the labor market. Although, comparatively, this impact has been less than that registered in the country as a whole and the last few months offer positive data, there are worrying data.
There has been a worsening of working conditions which generates more poor workers. Serious job instability has doubled and now affects 169,000 families. Long-term unemployment has had a particularly negative evolution, going from 30% in Madrid in 2018 to 39% in 2021 (over the total number of unemployed people).
Unemployment that affects the whole family has increased by 50% and causes all active people to be unemployed in 150,000 homes. Unemployment rates are particularly high among people under 25 years of age (33%) and among people of foreign nationality (19%).
Housing-related problems also affect a quarter of the population of Madrid. The price of housing has increased by 44% since 2015, well above the average for Spain, according to the Housing Price Index prepared by the INE. It is also affecting the increase in the cost of basic supplies (electricity and gas, mainly). Some of the most prominent indicators would be:
• 16% of households in the Community of Madrid fall below the severe poverty line after paying housing expenses, which places more than 400,000 families with reduced economic capacity to finish the month.
• The proportion of people residing in unsafe housing (with threat of eviction, precarious tenure, mistreatment) has tripled, from 3% to 11%.
Another relevant problem is the lack of access to medication or treatment due to financial problems. Almost 300,000 households (11%) have stopped buying medicines, prostheses, following treatments or diets due to economic problems. Also, it should be noted that the exclusion rate among people suffering from a mental illness is 10 points higher than that of the population as a whole. Madrid families in which someone suffers from a diagnosed mental health disorder reach 14%.
The digital gap
The increase in inequality affects not only income but also other areas. One of them is the digital divide. 240,000 homes are affected by it. It especially affects households made up only of people over 65 years of age and people without studies. Of these households, 82,000 are in a situation of social exclusion.
Social and family relationships
The Covid-19 crisis is eroding the quality of family, neighborhood and community relationships. The problems related to the social axis are those that in relative terms have grown the most since 2018. If then they affected 5% of the population, now they affect 14%. It represents an increase of 200% in three years.
Situations of isolation and social conflict have increased. The latter reflect an increase of more than 300% in relative terms. The situations that have increased the most have been those related to mistreatment, bad relationships within the home and adolescent pregnancies. The increase has been even more pronounced among people in social exclusion.
Mutual aid between households in the Community of Madrid has been reduced to 26% (compared to 40% in 2018). Households that neither give nor receive help have gone from 38% to 44%.
Straight
The social protection measures adopted by the different Administrations during Covid-19 have avoided a situation that could have been much worse than the current one, but it has not been enough. The social protection system must prevent new situations of exclusion or their intensification from becoming chronic.
It is necessary to highlight the limited development of the Minimum Vital Income, which in September 2021 only reached 19% of the population in a situation of severe poverty. It is also necessary to draw attention to the insufficient adequacy of the Minimum Insertion Income after the development of the Minimum Vital Income. Many people have seen their minimum income denied, withdrawn or reduced due to problems unrelated to their situation. It is urgent to ensure correct compatibility between both benefits.
It is necessary to guarantee a quality public health system, with special attention to people in social exclusion, as well as greater attention to mental health problems. It is necessary to promote new policies against residential exclusion, which is a problem that continues to increase in the Community of Madrid.
It is necessary to continue taking steps to counteract the digital divide, but at the same time maintain face-to-face service channels for people who are left out of this system.
It is important that Madrid society does not look the other way and take steps to guarantee the rights and equal opportunities of the inhabitants of the region.
