Terrorism seen as Spain's biggest problem, survey

MADRID, Feb 24 (Reuters) Spaniards see terrorism as Spain's biggest problem after Basque separatists ETA killed two people in a bombing of Madrid's international airport in December, a poll showed.

Attacks by groups such as ETA and Islamist militants replaced unemployment as Spain's biggest problem in the poll published by the CIS research firm.

Terrorism has ranked behind concerns like unemployment and immigration in CIS polls dating back to 2005.

Spaniards' concern about terrorism returned to levels similar to those of 2004 when Islamist militants exploded bombs on Madrid commuter trains, killing 191 people, the poll showed.

The Madrid airport car bombing was ETA's first deadly attack in over three years. It occurred during a nine-month ceasefire by the group which has killed over 800 people in its four-decade struggle for an independent Basque homeland.

The poll showed support for Spain's socialist government, in a peace process with ETA at the time of the airport bombing, fell to its lowest level of 38.8 pe rcent, down from 39.3 per cent in October.

Spain's opposition conservative Popular Party, which opposes the government's peace process, saw its backing fall to 37.6 per cent from 37.9 per cent, according to the poll conducted between January 22 and 31.

That shrunk the socialists' lead over the Popular Party to its narrowest margin since Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office in 2004.

REUTERS SSC KN0853