Poll finds emigration bigger concern than immigration in Spain

SPAIN is more concerned about emigration than immigration, a new poll by a European think tank has found.

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) found that Spanish respondents also rated corruption and unemployment as higher concerns than the arrival on foreigners in their country.

The ECFR gathered responses from 50,000 EU citizens across 14 countries, finding that emigration rather than immigration was on average a greater concern for south and eastern European states.

The reverse however was true for western European states.

Youth unemployment in Spain is the third-highest in Europe, at 32.6%, behind Italy and Greece, causing many Spaniards to leave in search of work in other countries.

The news comes as thousands marched in Madrid to protest against the depopulation of rural Spain on Sunday (April 1).