The rights we live by: how the Constitution affects our daily lives

By Paulino Mata and Gala Conde · Communications Consultants at GAD3

• The Constitution in our everyday lives: what unites us, often without us noticing

Every 6 December we celebrate something that goes far beyond an institutional anniversary: we celebrate the agreement that made it possible for basic rights such as housing, education and healthcare to be part of everyday life in Spain.

The 1978 Constitution is not just a historical document. It is the framework that underpins many of the things we now take for granted: being able to see a doctor regardless of where we live, ensuring our children have access to public education, or knowing that our work is protected by rules that guarantee fair conditions.

• Enduring concerns… and new ones

In the GAD3 survey for ABC (September 2025), Spaniards identify housing, the economy, employment, healthcare and education as the country’s main problems. It is striking to see how, almost 50 years on, these same issues were already among the concerns of the citizens who lived through the democratic transition.

Perhaps this is the key: concerns change in form, but not in substance. What we sought then and what we seek now is much the same — stability in which to live, opportunities to work, access to care when we need it, and a secure future for our families.

 

• A text that protects what matters most

That is why, when the Constitution was drafted, these issues were not left aside. They became pillars:

• Housing (Article 47): ensuring that everyone can access decent housing.

• Healthcare (Article 43): the right to health and to prevention.

• Work (Articles 35 and 40–44): employment under fair conditions and with adequate pay.

• Equality (Articles 9.2 and 14): ensuring that no one is left behind because of their origin, gender or circumstances.

These are not abstract ideas: they are the foundations that allow us, every day, to take our children to school, book a medical appointment, sign a contract or demand equal treatment.

 

• A Constitution that speaks of dignity

Life changes, technology advances and challenges evolve, but one thing remains: the desire to be able to build our life projects with dignity. And that is precisely what the Constitution sought to guarantee.

It is not a perfect or immutable document. It is a shared agreement that, almost half a century later, continues to remind us that there are rights which should not depend on the circumstances of the moment.

Today, just as in 1978, we need those principles to be put into practice with responsibility and social vision. Because the Constitution has already done its part: it set down in black and white what truly matters. Now it is up to us to continue caring for and strengthening what allows us to live with security, equality and opportunity.