Almost four months after the inauguration of Javier Milei as President, the social mood of the population presents a wide range of nuances, according to socioeconomic, ideological and gender levels. However, some characteristics predominate in almost all segments.
The personal or family economy and the country's economy are the concerns
that have grown the most in the last three months. An increase in fear about the political situation and a
slight increase in optimism was also detected.
The conclusions were obtained from a survey by the consulting firm ShopApp that compared consumer concerns and expectations between November (post-ballot election), December (post-government inauguration) and March 2024.
On the pessimism-optimism scale, a decrease in pessimism levels and a slight increase in optimism levels was observed. Men
tend to be more optimistic than women,
especially those of the ABC1 socioeconomic level, while the
middle and lower strata show the highest proportion of pessimism.
According to the survey, "
uncertainty continues to be the predominant feeling for 40%
of the sample, although there is a slight decrease over time."
Regarding
the main concerns
detected in the survey, “the personal and family economy, as well as that of the country, are those that register growth as the months go by:
the percentage worried about their personal or family finances
increased from 43% in November to 63% in March
. And concern about the country's economy went from 35% in the post-runoff, to 45% in December and to 49% last month.
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Source:
ShopApp
Infographic:
Clarín
An increase in concern about the country's political situation
as time progresses
was also observed in the study .
It went from 12% in November to 31% last March.
As for
inflation,
despite its slowdown since January, it remains a primary concern, although it appears to be declining slightly over time. “Perhaps this reflects a more optimistic perception about the economic measures implemented by the new government,” explains Juana Merlo, director of ShopApp, when analyzing the conclusions of the survey. “Inflation being very high” is one of the fears that decreased from 60% to 50% in March.
Income and inflation
But, on the other hand,
for 46% of the sample the fear of their income being reduced persists
. And the need to
adjust the standard of living grew 4 points
among the population, indicating continued concern for personal financial stability. In particular, the lowest socioeconomic group is the most concerned about the personal/family economy and the political situation of the country compared to that of the ABC1 level.
Another concern that appears in a growing trend is “
having to work more hours to complete the income
. ”
In November of last year, it only affected 8% of the population and rose to 15% in the last measurement.
Young people aged 18-29 are the most optimistic about their income increasing
more than inflation, while those over 50 are the most pessimistic in this regard.
Regarding consumer expectations for the remainder of the year, the majority of respondents expect
their income to increase less than inflation
, “suggesting an anticipation of continued economic difficulties in the near future,” the survey analyzed. Clearly, expectations that income will increase more than or equal to inflation fall at the ABC1 level.
"In summary, the data suggests
a gradual improvement in the outlook and emotional state of respondents
over time. However, economic and political concerns remain prominent, indicating that
challenges and concerns still persist
among the population "says Merlo.
Another survey, by the consulting firm D'Alessio Irol, which also usually measures the Social Humor of the population according to their political preferences, concluded that
of the ten issues that Argentines evaluate as most pressing, eight correspond to economic issues.
In the last survey, carried out in March, inflation was the issue that most worries respondents, with 87%. Also in this case, showing a slight downward trend in the last three months. This was followed by economic uncertainty (72%), insecurity (63%) and concern about the adjustments to be made to pay the external debt, which went from 30% to 50%.
NE