LATIN Americans are demanding more of their democracies, their institutions and governments; they worry about crime almost as much as about economic problems; and fewer of them think that their country is progressing. Those are some of the findings of the latest Latinobarómetro poll, taken in 18 countries and published exclusively by The Economist. Because the poll has been taken regularly since 1995, it does a good job showing how attitudes in the region are changing.
Despite Latin America’s strong recovery from the recession of 2008-09, this year’s poll, which was taken in July and August, reveals some diffuse discontents. It suggests that little over half of Latin Americans are convinced democrats, a fall of three points since last year (see table and chart 1). Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico all saw a sharp slump in support for democracy, probably because of high levels of violent crime in all those countries. Only 45% of Brazilian respondents were convinced democrats, a nine-point fall from last year: it is harder to pinpoint why, except perhaps that Dilma Rousseff, the new president has taken a tough line on corruption, thus drawing more attention to it.
Only 39% of respondents across the region said they were satisfied with the way their country’s democracy works in practice—a fall of five points compared with last year. Argentines were much more satisfied than in 2010—which helps to explain why Cristina Fernández easily won a second term in a presidential election this month. Chile leads several countries where disgruntlement is rising: only 32% of Chilean respondents were satisfied with the operation of their democracy, down from 56% last year (see chart 2).
That doubtless reflects months of protests over the high price of education in Chile (see article). The quality of public services is becoming an increasingly important issue across the region, especially for what is dubbed the “new middle class”. “There’s a feeling among those who have left poverty that it’s much more difficult to carry on rising,” says Marta Lagos, Latinobarómetro’s director. “They want to compete on equal terms with the rich.”
Some Latin Americans feel that their governments are not giving them value for money: 96% of respondents in Brazil thought that taxes were “high” or “very high”, while only 13% think that they will be well spent. A clear majority continue to believe in the market economy. Such attitudes ought to provide an opportunity for politicians of the centre-right in a region that has voted for many leftish governments over the past decade. But against that, only 20% of respondents think that the distribution of income in their country is fair. (That number rises to 43% in Ecuador, which helps to explain the popularity of its populist president, Rafael Correa.)
This more demanding attitude is also reflected in falls in the number of respondents who think their country is making progress (see chart 3). These declines are particularly pronounced in Chile and Brazil, two countries where the “new middle class” is numerous, but also in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, whose economies have grown strongly in recent years. This year’s poll also reveals a slight fall in confidence in the region’s institutions of all kinds (see chart 4). In the case of governments (in which 40% of respondents expressed confidence, down from 45% in 2010), this follows several years in which public trust has risen. Confidence in the Catholic church among respondents in Chile has plummeted to just 38%, from 62% last year, following a paedophilia scandal.
This year’s more disgruntled mood is striking because public concern about unemployment and economic problems has returned to its pre-crisis level (see chart 5). But Latin Americans worry more about crime: 28% of respondents (and 61% in Venezuela) say this is the main problem in their country. Brazilians worry most about their health system, Chileans about education. In this, they may be trendsetters.
Latinobarómetro is a non-profit organisation based in Santiago, Chile, which has carried out regular surveys of opinions, attitudes and values in Latin America since 1995. The poll was taken by local opinion-research companies in 18 countries and involved 20,204 face-to-face interviews conducted between July 15th and August 16th 2011. The average margin of error is around 3%. Full details here
This article is an interesting and intriguing contrast to the last article regarding illegal immigrants. I don't really know much about Latin American cultures, so reading articles like this one really teach me a lot. Call me ignorant, but i never thought about what other countries were affected by the recession. Generally, i associate the term recession with the United States. This article further supports my previous opinion stated in the last article. The government needs to spend more time focusing on the people. It is evident that the government neglects the feelings and needs of its citizens. That does not only occur solely in Latin American countries but globally. if the government spent more time focusing on and working with the people, many of the present day issues that exist would in fact be non-existant.
ReplyDeleteThis quote specifically resonated with me: “There’s a feeling among those who have left poverty that it’s much more difficult to carry on rising,” says Marta Lagos, Latinobarómetro’s director. “They want to compete on equal terms with the rich.”
ReplyDeleteNo matter where you go around the world there is always the ability for upward and downward mobility, and I can see why many people get frustrated when they rise up the latter but then stop at some point. It makes you wonder whether or not there is truly 100% ability for upward mobility and that there can truly be a new working class amongst the people. I rest assured that in America there is chance for upward mobility but it is rare and it depends highly on race and socioeconomic standing within ones job. I believe that once you are in the middle class it is easier to climb up, but as far as the working class I believe that they have to work much harder than the middle class alone to move up the ladder because they have a lot more adversity in their lives. The quest for a true democracy is really hard in all countries no matter what stance people take because no matter what people will never be on equal ground. As much as we may try there will always be more people with power and dominance because of their monetary status.
I agree with Bianca. I think this is interesting because many people immigrate to the United States believing that they will attain the American Dream. However, although people believe that they can achieve anything I think it depends on where they stand in society initially. If an individual comes to the United States with very little money, they are going to have trouble moving up to a much higher place in society. An individual may come to the United States with the motivation and ability to work hard, but may only move a little higher in the social latter solely because it has been proven that people do not move much from their initial social class. However, there are always exceptions to the rules and there will be people who are able to rise above their social classes. Although, in the United States people aren't necessarily afraid to try and move to a higher social class, as people in Latin American and other places around the world are afraid to. People understand that in most circumstances if you try, you can exceed to a higher level.
DeletePersonally, though I feel like polls like these can be helpful, I also feel like they are strongly influenced by the way individual situations are portrayed in the media. If the media strongly focuses on one specific, terrible pedophilia case in the Catholic church, then the country is going to start doubting the Catholic church. For example, the article stated that the new Brazilian president has taken a strong stance on corrupting, therefore drawing attention to it and making the population feel less safe. In reality, the Brazilian president is probably improving the situation more than any previous ruler has in years. Additionally, another part of the article that stuck out to me was the feeling that it is difficult to move between social classes. I definitely saw a connection between feeling stuck in your class and the feeling that taxes are too high and education to expensive. Pricey education and taxes make it harder for the lower class to move up and at least have the same opportunities as the richer class. Basically, I think a lot of the issues talked about in the article had the same base problem of class separation and a good number of the other issues are strongly influenced by the stance taken by the media.
ReplyDeletePersonally, though I feel like polls like these can be helpful, I also feel like they are strongly influenced by the way individual situations are portrayed in the media. If the media strongly focuses on one specific, terrible pedophilia case in the Catholic church, then the country is going to start doubting the Catholic church. For example, the article stated that the new Brazilian president has taken a strong stance on corrupting, therefore drawing attention to it and making the population feel less safe. In reality, the Brazilian president is probably improving the situation more than any previous ruler has in years. Additionally, another part of the article that stuck out to me was the feeling that it is difficult to move between social classes. I definitely saw a connection between feeling stuck in your class and the feeling that taxes are too high and education to expensive. Pricey education and taxes make it harder for the lower class to move up and at least have the same opportunities as the richer class. Basically, I think a lot of the issues talked about in the article had the same base problem of class separation and a good number of the other issues are strongly influenced by the stance taken by the media.
ReplyDeletePersonally, though I feel like polls like these can be helpful, I also feel like they are strongly influenced by the way individual situations are portrayed in the media. If the media strongly focuses on one specific, terrible pedophilia case, then the population will start to doubt the Catholic church. For example, in this article it was mentioned that the new Brazilian president was focusing on corruption. The polls showed that the Brazilian people were losing faith in their government, which should not be true if this corruption was truly being taken care of. However, just the fact that the people were now more aware of the corruption can severely affect their opinion. The second issue addressed throughout this article was the concept of being stuck in a social class. To me, this issue is directly tied into the population's feelings about extremely high taxes and expensive education. If taxes were a bit lower and education more affordable, the country might not feel like it is quite so difficult to move between social classes.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion i think that the different polls about going backwards, crime watch and switching off are letting people see what is happening out there in the different countries not just their own. some people think that these do not help but in the long run they do . "The quality of public services is becoming an increasingly important issue across the region, especially for what is dubbed the “new middle class”." some issues that were brought up are only a few out of many and just being able to get it out in important. it also shows a good job at how the different countries are changing and how some are not.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion i think that the polls that were taken for the crime watch, switching off and the democracy are helping the different countries see what is going on out in the world. each poll that was taken helps a different variety of people. for example "The quality of public services is becoming an increasingly important issue across the region, especially for what is dubbed the “new middle class”." this right here is helping certain people see that there is a high price in education especially in Chile. all the different polls will help people out in the long run if not then now.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be quite interesting, I am currently taking a class on Latin America Economies so this article reminded me of that class. A lot of these Latin America countries have problems especially since they are less developed.I think that these polls are helpful in away but from the videos I have seen in my Latin America Econ class it shows that the people are starting to lose faith and trust in their government and the people themselves are trying to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be quite interesting, I am currently taking a class on Latin America Economies so this article reminded me of that class. A lot of these Latin America countries have problems especially since they are less developed.I think that these polls are helpful in away but from the videos I have seen in my Latin America Econ class it shows that the people are starting to lose faith and trust in their government and the people themselves are trying to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Patel; SPN 110
"Latin Americans are demanding more of their democracies, their institutions and governments; they worry about crime almost as much as about economic problems; and fewer of them think that their country is progressing." This highlights a common trend amongst almost all societies around the world who become doubtful of their leaders and cannot depend on thier government to protect them. The lack of confidence shown in poll 4 reiterates the lack of trust people have for those who should be trusted. Economic issues such as debt and unemployment lead to more crime, hence why the rates are so high in some countries. The answers lie not in democracy, but in the people.
ReplyDelete"Latin Americans are demanding more of their democracies, their institutions and governments; they worry about crime almost as much as about economic problems; and fewer of them think that their country is progressing." This highlights a common trend amongst almost all societies around the world who become doubtful of their leaders and cannot depend on thier government to protect them. The lack of confidence shown in poll 4 reiterates the lack of trust people have for those who should be trusted. Economic issues such as debt and unemployment lead to more crime, hence why the rates are so high in some countries. The answers lie not in democracy, but in the people.
ReplyDeleteThis article was of interest to me and by reading it, I learned about different problems affecting various countries in Latin America that I was not informed of previously. I learned what Latin Americans believe are the largest problems facing their respective countries. It was interesting to see the trends in how serious they believed particular problems facing their countries were over time, such as crime. The quote, "Brazil thought that the taxes... only 13% think that they will be well spent" discusses how many people in Brazil do not believe that the their tax dollars are being spent correctly. I am able to relate to this opinion of the Brazilian people because this statement rings true in the United States as well in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMeredith Lax, SPN 210 G, 1:00 pm class, MWF.
This article goes to show that just because a government or policy is working or operating normally, doesn't mean that the people are satisfied. Latin America seems to be generally disgruntled and unsatisfied. Employment and economies may be growing but that doesn't always equate to happiness or satisfaction. Standard of living within these nations most likely has more do to with contentment than simply economic factors for instance. The more money a person or family makes doesn't necessarily equate to happiness either. However, if that person or family has a high standard of living, they will most likely be very happy with themselves. Progress and crime do factor in to standard of living but they are only part of a bigger picture. Costa Rica for instance isn't the most physically developed Latin American nation. However, Costa Rica has a relatively high standard of living coupled with a healthy environment. They are strong economically as well. I think some of the nations in this article should look to Costa Rica as a prime role model for economic, environmental, and human development.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bianca. People come to the United States believing that they will achieve a much higher social status. Although the American Dream may be possible for a few people, overall it is not necessarily reality. When people travel to the US and don't have a lot of money or are at a lower social class, they will have little ability to move up in society. Although people can't move too much within society, they still believe they have the chance to make a better lives for themselves. The quote that Bianca provided shows that in other societies, they don't even consider the chance for a higher position in the social latter. The fact that people do not think they can move up in society is very surprising to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Melissa P. Its nothing new that unsatisfied with the way their governments handle most issues, you can't please everyone when it comes to politics. However, polls help tremendously as they allow the government to get a sense of how the their citizens feel. With the advancement of civilization there will be great progress in safety, education, and quality of public resources.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Melissa P. Its nothing new that people are unhappy with they way their government governs, you can't please everyone. However, it is extremely helpful that people respond to polls and voice their opinion inorder to create change. With the progress of civilization we will se great advancements in education, safety, and public goods.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that many citizens feel their respective countries are not progressing, and believe that crime is one of the most important problems facing Latin Americans today. It makes me wonder if these two statistics are related? Perhaps if Latin Americans felt as though their governments were working hard to control the crime rates, they would also feel a sense of progress. To me, increased crime rates show a decrease in authority within a country. If a country is lacking a strong authoritative figure, it is hard to believe that progress will occur, which leads me to believe the two statistics are very much linked. This linkage is only supported by the decreased confidence in armed forces, government and congress. Overall, it appears that Latin American countries will need to solidify their leadership in order to regain the support of citizens.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that many citizens feel their respective countries are not progressing, and believe that crime is one of the most important problems facing Latin Americans today. It makes me wonder if these two statistics are related? Perhaps if Latin Americans felt as though their governments were working hard to control the crime rates, they would also feel a sense of progress. To me, increased crime rates show a decrease in authority within a country. If a country is lacking a strong authoritative figure, it is hard to believe that progress will occur, which leads me to believe the two statistics are very much linked. This linkage is only supported by the decreased confidence in armed forces, government and congress. Overall, it appears that Latin American countries will need to solidify their leadership in order to regain the support of citizens.
ReplyDelete-E. Dunkel SPN 210G MWF 1pm
I agree that not everyone will be satisfied with how the government is being run. Even in the United States, there is dissatisfaction with the the government and how money is being spent. However, I do think that the issues the citizens feel strongly about should be addressed. The crime rate is a concern because it reflects poorly on the government. They should have the power to protect their citizens. It seems that government needs to listen the citizens and pay attention to the problems at hand.
ReplyDeleteAmericans complain about their democracy, but I wonder how many people would respond yes to "In certain circumstances authoritarian government can be preferable to a democratic one". I think the question emphasizes the kind of socital strife that many Latin American countries have gone through, as military strongmen have often times risen up to restore security to unbalanced countries. Despite that fact though, from this poll Latin Americans are generally supportive of Democracy as a political model. One thing that was definitely interesting was the spread of opinion throughout the polled countries. Theres definitely a lot of diversity in Latin American countries, and thats something I'd like to learn more about.
ReplyDeleteTim Fallon - SPN 210G MWF 1pm