Spain sees surge in corruption concerns and BBVA forecasts modest 2.4% growth amid inflation

A June poll by the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) shows public concern about corruption in Spain jumped 9.3 points, reaching 18.4% of respondents and moving to the fourth‑most‑cited national problem after housing, the economic crisis and immigration. The rise follows investigations involving former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the reopening of the case against PSOE figure Leire Díez. Political distrust also increased, with mentions of political class censorship rising to 18.3%.

BBVA Research kept its 2026 Spanish GDP growth forecast at 2.4% but warned that inflation will average about 3.8% this year, driven by higher energy and commodity prices and a prolonged Middle‑East conflict that could shave roughly half a percentage point from growth. The bank expects housing prices to rise roughly 12% in 2026 and forecasts the creation of around 540,000 jobs that year, supported by immigration and higher labour participation.