In El Salvador and Mexico, Popular Isn’t the Same as Democratic

At first glance, this year’s yearly LatinoBarometro report appears to incorporate bully news for Latin America. The survey, which polled citizens successful 17 Latin American countries successful precocious 2024, shows that support for populist has increased, while support for authoritarianism has fallen. Latin America’s publics are somewhat much optimistic astir their economical prospects, too. More citizens position their democratically elected governments arsenic having delivered for them successful 2024 than successful caller years. A greater number of families specify themselves arsenic mediate people and opportunity their family is getting up economically.

Going state by country, successful astir cases, nan information matches nan accepted wisdom. Uruguayans, who conscionable vanished a serene election cycle and are successful nan midst of a normal modulation of power, are rather happy pinch democracy. On nan different extremity of nan spectrum, Peruvians consciousness massive discontent pinch their country’s populist amid a spate of scandals that would look to warrant their anger—just past week, it was reported that a personnel of Peru’s Congress was moving a adultery ringing successful a sex-for-votes speech racket.

Yet, 2 countries guidelines retired successful this year’s study because nan nationalist cognition of their democracies differs markedly from nan guidance successful which analysts spot those democracies heading: El Salvador and Mexico. In mobility aft mobility of nan LatinoBarometro survey, respondents from those 2 countries guidelines retired arsenic being happier pinch some their governments and nan capacity of populist successful general. For example, nan study results show that 62 percent of Salvadorans opportunity they are satisfied pinch populist successful their country, a statistical necktie pinch Uruguay astatine 63 percent. And successful 3rd spot is Mexico astatine 50 percent. The Latin American mean connected that mobility is 33 percent, pinch Bolivia and Peru bringing up nan rear pinch 10 percent each.