Caritas 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 findings of this research work warn that social cohesion in our community has undergone an unprecedented “shock” due to the strain suffered by economic and employment activity due to the SARS CoV-2 epidemic.
The report that was presented, together with the global report on “Evolution of social cohesion and consequences of Covid-19 in Spain”, was developed by 30 researchers from 10 universities and research institutions. A team of professional pollsters knocked on more than 90,000 doors statewide and 7,000 homes in Madrid, gathering information from nearly 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 find themselves in a situation of social exclusion. This is five points more than before the pandemic (from 17% in 2018 to 22%), or 370,000 more people in social exclusion. The increase in the number of people in situations of greater hardship is particularly serious, with a 25% increase in situations of serious exclusion, which now reaches 800,000 people.
The findings also point to a rise in inequality among the poorest, who have seen their incomes fall by 22%, which contrasts with the 18% rise in incomes of people with the highest incomes. The drop in income of the lowest income quintile explains the rise in severe poverty.
The families most affected by exclusion
The largest group within the space of social exclusion is that of families in urban areas headed by people of Spanish nationality. However, if we look at the percentage of people in a specific group affected by social exclusion, we see that there are families that are more likely to suffer from social exclusion:
• In 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 families with two or more minors, the exclusion rate triples that of families without minors, reaching 4 out of 10 large families.
• Those where the main breadwinner is a foreign national. The prevalence of social exclusion is 51%, compared to 17% of households headed by Spanish nationality.
• Single parent homes headed by women. The incidence of social exclusion is 33%, particularly intense in women under 45 years of age.
On the contrary, the families least likely to be socially excluded are those with no members under the age of 18; where the main head of household has a higher education and those headed by persons aged 65 and over.
Occupation, life 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 lower than that recorded 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 working poor. Severe job insecurity 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 (out of the total number of unemployed).
Unemployment affecting the whole family has increased by 50% and causes the unemployment of all active people in 150,000 households. Unemployment rates are particularly high among people under 25 (33%) and among people of foreign nationality (19%).
Housing problems also affect a quarter of Madrid’s population. The price of houses has increased by 44% since 2015, well above the Spanish average, according to the House Price Index prepared by the INE. The increase in the cost of basic supplies (mainly electricity and gas) also suffers. Some of the most important indicators would be:
• 16% of families in the Community of Madrid fall below the severe poverty line after paying housing costs, which places more than 400,000 families with reduced economic capacity at the end of the month.
• The percentage of people residing in unsafe housing (threatened with eviction, precarious employment, ill-treatment) has tripled, from 3% to 11%.
Another relevant problem is the lack of access to medicines or treatment due to financial problems. Almost 300,000 families (11%) have stopped buying medicines, prostheses, following treatments or diets due to economic problems. Furthermore, 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 households in which someone suffers from a diagnosed mental disorder reach 14%.
The digital divide
Rising inequality affects not only income but other sectors as well. One of them is the digital divide. 240,000 homes are affected. It especially affects households made up only of people over 65 and people without studies. Of these families, 82,000 are in situations 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 have grown the most in relative terms since 2018. If they concerned 5% of the population then, they now affect 14%. It represents a 200% increase 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 increased the most were those related to mistreatment, bad relationships within the home and teenage pregnancies. The increase was even more pronounced among people in social exclusion.
Mutual aid between families in the Community of Madrid has been reduced to 26% (compared to 40% in 2018). Families that do not give or receive help have gone from 38% to 44%.
Straight ahead
The social protection measures adopted by the various Administrations during the Covid-19 avoided a situation that could have been much worse than the current one, but it was not enough. The social protection system must prevent new situations of exclusion or their aggravation from becoming chronic.
It is necessary to highlight the limited development of the minimum vital income, which in September 2021 reached only 19% of the population in situations of severe poverty. It is also necessary to draw attention to the insufficient adequacy of the Minimum Income for Insertion after the evolution of the Minimum Vital Income. Many people have seen their minimum income denied, withdrawn or reduced due to issues unrelated to their situation. It is urgent to ensure proper compatibility between the two services.
It is necessary to ensure a quality public health system, with particular 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 to take steps to tackle the digital divide, but at the same time maintain face-to-face service channels for people who are excluded from this system.
It is important that Madrid society does not look the other way and takes steps to guarantee the rights and equal opportunities of the inhabitants of the region.
