What do you ask of the next Government? That is the question we ask the readers of 20minutes weeks before the general elections, which will be held on November 29. According to the latest survey by the DYM Institute, carried out for 20 minutes between October 5 and 7, 2026, for 60% of Spaniards there are four issues that will clearly influence their vote in the next elections: housing, immigration, the economy and corruption, far ahead of others such as unemployment, citizen security or foreign policy. In fact, housing was then positioned as the most motivating factor for 22.4% of those surveyed.
In this context, 20minutos has taken to the streets to ask citizens what requests they make of politicians, and now, after the tragedy in Urda, trust in the trains is climbing positions. In this sense, voters show that "things have to change" and demand measures to renew railway safety, but also to facilitate access to housing as well as strengthen public services and improve the prospects of young people, in a context of "general disenchantment" with the political and economic situation of the country.
The open wound left by the Urda accident
Resisting the drop in temperatures of the first days of November and anticipating Christmas, Adriana and her partner Salma walk together towards the Atocha Station. For the two young women, the priority for the next four years is clear: "Have a trustworthy train, so that families travel safely to their destinations and do not be afraid." In her separate opinions, Adriana is committed to renewing the railway system as the "absolute priority", while Salma emphasizes and summarizes: "Things have to change. Let's hope, for the good of all, that it happens from now on."
His concern about the future of the train network is supported by other citizens like Félix, who tightly holds his phone on which an AVE ticket to Barcelona is projected. He acknowledges that he travels "a little scared" and with some concern after seeing the images of what happened in Urda. In his opinion, the Madrid-Seville line is an example of the deficiencies that the Spanish railway system still suffers since "it is obsolete and does not work as well as it should work." For this reason, it is considered necessary to undertake new infrastructures and "adapt security systems in accordance with the European Union."
Behind the trail that Félix leaves when he sees that he may miss his train, Carlos spends the morning walking with his dog. Unlike previous testimonies, he goes beyond the demands related to transportation and demands a general change in the situation in the country. "Let us go back to what we were before. Both Spain and the citizens. This country is going to ruin," he maintains.
However, Beatriz is more forceful than him and places part of the problem in the railway management model and the lack of investment. "Here there is a problem of market liberalization. Business is being done with the public and that is how things are going for us," he criticizes. Although he admits the thesis that there may have been human error in the accident, he considers that this possibility should not divert attention from the structural deficiencies: "That is not the underlying problem."
For her, it is not reasonable that railway safety depends on the actions of a single person nor that so many failures occur. "The problem is the lack of investment in maintenance," he points out, in addition to raising the possibility that some companies will be sidelined if the correct operation of the trains is not guaranteed.
The list of issues to solve
Beyond the deficiencies of the railway system, housing continues to be one of the main concerns of citizens and one of the pending issues that they expect the next Government to address during the legislature. The DYM Institute survey indicates that 22.4% of respondents place it as the most mobilizing factor, being a priority for PSOE voters (36.5%) and Sumar (26.1%). On the other hand, it occupies a residual position among supporters of the PP (12.3%) and Vox (8.7%).
The difficulty of becoming emancipated, the high rental prices and the impossibility of accessing a mortgage draw a complicated horizon, especially for those who, despite having a stable job, are still unable to consider buying a house.
This is the case of Pablo, who, at 37 years old and carrying a rent on his shoulders, wants the new government to "make it easier." "I would like to buy a house. I am 37 years old, I am a civil servant and I cannot afford a home," he says. Thus, Pablo shares with many young people the desire to have their own home. An aspiration that, at 37 years old and despite his work, he still sees far away. "That would be my dream, that's what I ask for," he concludes.
In his opinion, the main problem that Spain is facing right now is housing and he asks the next Executive to maintain and improve both decrees approved by the Council of Ministers on October 6 since "there are still more things that can be done."
A few meters ahead, Francisco and Teresa share Pablo's ideas. Despite being older than him, the couple is committed to focusing the next legislature on social measures that "are greatly needed in Spain." For Teresa, youth are destined for "a very ugly future," and both denounce an excessive neglect of citizens by politics as a whole. "Let them worry about giving them all the measures they need," says the couple, in addition to delving into the issue of Public Health.
Despite the survey for this newspaper indicating that health is only a main factor for 9.3% of those interviewed, both Francisco and Teresa agree that "waiting lists are unacceptable." Teresa affirms that it is not normal "for them to give you a doctor's appointment for 20 or 25 days," nor is it normal for "it takes three or four months to go to a specialist."
"Disenchanted with the current situation"
Hand in hand with these issues, education has become one of the main focuses of debate. Since last October 14, thousands of teachers in the Community of Madrid have been on an indefinite strike to demand better working conditions, a reduction in classroom ratios and more resources for public education. A conflict that has colored the streets of the capital with a tide of green and yellow t-shirts and that has acquired a political dimension in the middle of the pre-campaign, connecting directly with the concerns expressed by some of the voices collected by this newspaper.
Álvaro, who had just left the train station directly from Barcelona to attend a work meeting, admits to being "quite disenchanted with the current situation and with the panorama of the last ten years." He says he does not have a clear answer on how to solve the country's problems, but he is able to identify that the two issues that should prevail at this moment are housing and education. "We are in a very outdated educational system, compared to how things like AI are advancing. Even analyzing other systems in other countries, I think we are in a total regression," explains Álvaro.
Thus, the young man summarizes, in very few words, that the main demand should be that the next Executive not limit itself to managing the existing problems, but rather propose reforms capable of improving the future prospects of all Spaniards: "The situation is so complicated that I wouldn't know how to tell you how to fix anything."
Almudena and Ángel are in the same line. Both, engineering students, do not hide their low expectations for what is to come. "I expect little," admits the young man, although both agree on the need to facilitate access to housing and allocate more resources to Education and Health. "Honestly, let things change in general. Facilities in access to housing and redistribution of financing are needed," says Almudena.
Issues that are, precisely, those that fuel a good part of the political debate ahead of 29N. And among them is also guaranteeing the sustainability of the public pension system. While the different parties discuss the future of the model, concern persists among citizens about the capacity of institutions to guarantee the benefits and services on which they depend.
This is the true "fear" of Ángeles, who looks with concern at the possibility of a political change. "I hope that the one they say is going to enter does not enter," he says, since he is worried that an alternation in power will end up deteriorating some pillars that he considers threatened by the current opposition.
"It's going to be a disaster for everyone except 3% or 4% of the population," he says. Ángeles does not have a specific request for the future Executive, but rather ideas that reflect the fear of losing acquired rights and distrust of empty electoral promises.
"Peter, Peter and Peter"
Even so, ignoring the latent concern about the problems of the railway system, the core issue of the campaign that keeps most of the young electorate in suspense continues to be being able to access housing. Mario, a young man from Granada, remembers with longing his small town, Campotéjar, with just over 1,200 inhabitants. For him, the housing problem not only resides in large cities, but is also one of the main problems for the small towns that make up Spain. "Housing in my town has gone from 60,000 euros for a house to 130,000," explains Mario, in addition to stating: "I don't know what to expect."
And along with him, Isabel, Galician by birth, is very clear that the political class is doing "everything very badly." She simply demands one thing from the politicians who make up the future Government: "That they let us live in peace and look out for the Spanish people." When asked about those responsible for this situation, he points directly to "Pedro, Pedro and Pedro." Then he states with a resounding "I don't love you at all Pedro."
