Polls
2005 Latinobarometro Poll Results
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More people in Venezuela consider their country "totally democratic" than any other nation in Latin America, according to region wide survey results released this week.
The poll, based on 20,000 face-to-face interviews in 18 Latin American countries, found that Venezuelans tend to be far more optimistic about their economy than other nations, less turned off by the political process, and more likely than most other Latin Americans to be happy with the direction their country is headed.
The Chilean polling firm, Latinobarometro, has conducted similar country-by-country surveys for the past decade. You can access the full report at www.latinobarometro.org
Below are the highlights for Venezuela. Click on the orange text to view a country-by-country breakdown for each question.
Democracy
* Venezuelans are more likely than citizens of other Latin American countries to describe their government as "totally democratic." On a scale of 1 to 10, the average Venezuelan gave her democracy a 7.6. The regional average was a ranking of 5.5
* More than three in four Venezuelans prefer democracy over all other forms of government--the second highest ranking in the region.
* Perhaps more crucially, Venezuelans have the second highest satisfaction level with the way their own democracy functions.
Economy
* Venezuelans are far less worried about becoming unemployed than others in the region. While three in four Latin Americans in general worry about job losses in the upcoming year, less than half of all Venezuelans share this fear.
* Venezuela is the second most optimistic country in Latin America about the direction of their economy. Only powerhouse Chile ranks higher in this regard. More than half of Venezuelans say their economy is progressing, in a hemisphere where less than one in three have similar confidence.
Politics and Corruption
* While most Latin Americans think that politics is too complicated to understand, only 2 in 5 Venezuelans share their frustration. Of the 18 countries surveyed, Venezuelans are the least likely to say they are confused by politics.
* Venezuelans are optimistic that their government is effectively dealing with corruption. It ranks third among countries that believe that things have improved in the last two years.
What Does This Survey Mean?
Clearly, Venezuelans are generally more content with their government and
economy than the vast majority of Latin Americans. Perhaps there is some
cultural tendency that makes Venezuelans more optimistic by nature? A
year-by-year analysis of Venezuelan opinions indicates that this is not the case.
Latinobarometro polls from 1996-1998 indicate that in the three years before
President Hugo Chavez was elected, Venezuelans had a much lower level of satisfaction with the way their democracy functioned.
Data is not available for 1999, President Chavez’s first full year in office, but by the year 2000,
satisfaction levels jumped a full 20 percentage points. Levels dipped a bit between
2001 and 2003, a time period which included the coup d’etat against President Chavez and a
nationwide oil strike, yet even during these bleak times, satisfaction levels were still higher than the pre-Chavez years.
Satisfaction really began to climb again in 2004, and by 2005 they’ve
reached their highest levels since Latinobarometro began issuing their annual report ten years ago.
Another obvious conclusion is that more Venezuelans believe their country is
"totally democratic" than do citizens of other Latin American nations.
Perhaps Venezuelans define democracy differently than a North Americans would? You may
remember that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has referred to
"democratically elected leaders who govern in an illiberal way." But when
asked to describe the most important characteristics of a democracy,
Venezuelans were far more likely than citizens of any other country in the
region to prioritize civil liberties over elections.
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NOTE: The Venezuela Information Office is dedicated to informing the American
public about contemporary Venezuela, and receives its funding from the
government of Venezuela. More information is available from the FARA office
of the Department of Justice in Washington DC.
Venezuela Information Office
733 15th Street NW, Suite 932
Washington, DC 20005
tel: (202) 347-8081
fax: (202) 347-8091
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