WORLD NEWS: THE AMERICAS: Latin Americans lose feeling of well-being ECONOMY DOWNTURN HAS LEFT PEOPLE CYNICAL ABOUT POLITICS:
Latin Americans are losing faith in one another, as well as their political systems and the benefits of privatisation, according to a study published this week.
The region-wide survey, by the Santiago-based Latinobarometro, suggests that last year's economic downturn in many Latin American countries left people feeling less optimistic than in the three preceding years, and more cynical about the functions of democracy and the free market.
The exception is Venezuela, where approval for the political system soared from 35 per cent in 1998 to 55 per cent this year, a phenomenon pollsters have attributed to the popularity of President Hugo Chavez.
By contrast, popular support in Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador - which were rocked by economic and political crises in 1999 - dropped markedly between 1998 and the first three months of this year, when the poll was conducted.
These trends were also reflected in a fall, from 20 per cent in 1996 to 16 per cent this year, in the proportion of people who thought they could trust their neighbours.
However, despite this waning support, 60 per cent of Latin Americans back the concept of democracy, while just 17 per cent agreed with the statement that "in some circumstances an authoritarian regime could be preferable to a democratic one". Another 17 per cent were indifferent to the options.
The poll noted general frustration among respondents on their own economic wellbeing, 58 per cent claiming their parents' generation was better off and 52 per cent imagining that their children would be wealthier.
According to the authors, this reflected more disappointment with the limits of social mobility than the economic reality in a region where real gains have been made in narrowing the gap between rich and poor.
"This is a generation which is unhappy with what society is offering and what it actually delivers," say the authors. This same frustration was noted in the response to questions over privatisation, which has gathered pace in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and parts of Central America, and have helped finance ministers deal with fiscal deficits and crumbling infrastructure. Despite this, a growing percentage of respondents - 43 per cent in 1998 against 57 per cent this year - disagree with the argument that privatisation has benefited the country.
Its release coincided with a business survey by Arthur Andersen, the international consultancy, which found company executives in Latin America feel the worst is over. More than 60 per cent predicted more direct foreign investment this year, with more than 70 per cent expecting improvements in the job market and 93 per cent economic growth.