Daniel Zovatto
08/29/2021 18:26
Clarín.com
Opinion
Updated 08/29/2021 6:26 PM
A recent report by the consulting firm IPSOS Global Advisor (Sentiment of a broken system in 2021: Populism, anti-elitism and nativism, August 2021) casts a worrying global panorama, especially critical for Latin America.
The main findings show a growing citizen sentiment that the system is broken, that the main division of our societies is between ordinary citizens and the political and economic elite, that the economy is rigged in favor of the rich and powerful, that political parties and traditional politicians do not care about ordinary people, and that migrants endanger national identity.
More than 19,000 people were interviewed in 25 countries around the world, including the six main economies of our region: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
The news that emerges from the study is not good since the average result of the perception of Latin American citizens about the state of democracy is significantly worse than the global average.
Three main attitudes emerge from this study: populism, anti-elite sentiment, and nativism;
Although sentiments were already present in Latin America prior to the pandemic, they were enhanced by the socio-economic debacle triggered by Covid-19 and that represent a toxic combination that erodes the legitimacy of democracy, deteriorates its quality and weakens it in the face of his enemies.
A first piece of information to highlight from this survey is the prevalence of high pessimism in relation to the situation in the country.
Four of the five countries that mostly consider that "the country is in decline" are Latin American: Brazil, 69%;
Chile, 68%;
Argentina, 68%;
and Colombia, 67%.
The feeling that society is fractured is equally higher in Latin America (64%) than globally (56%).
The four countries where citizens perceive that the system is more fractured and further from their realities and needs are also Latin American: Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Chile.
The bad image of politicians and their disconnection with citizens is clearly reflected in the study.
81% think that politicians always end up finding a way to protect their interests and 72% think that the political and economic elite do not care about working people.
Rejection of traditional parties and politicians in the region also exceeds the global average of 68%, reaching an alarming 85% in Colombia and 84% in Chile.
The crisis of political representation is also obvious.
60% of respondents say that the most important political issues should be decided directly by the people through referendums and not by elected officials.
Another aspect to highlight is the demand for strong leaders who are willing to break the rules (44%) and who "take the country from the strong and powerful" (64%).
Especially worrying is the result of Brazil where 61% of those surveyed support this demand for an undemocratic leader while only 20% reject it.
These latest findings are particularly serious for two reasons. One, Latin America's experience with the various populist waves of the 20th and 21st centuries has not been positive. And, two, what has been experienced recently in the Peruvian elections, where the two most radical options - from the right and the left - reached the second round, sets off the alarms that the super electoral cycle - which has just begun and will continue until 2024 - will open the doors to a new wave of populist and / or authoritarian governments, high polarization and greater instability.
A third negative sentiment is the increase in nativism and xenophobia in the populations and leaders.
Colombia and Peru lead the ranking of nativism and rejection of immigration at the regional level.
The surveyed citizens of these two States consider that their countries would be stronger if immigration stopped and that in terms of employment, the hiring of nationals should be prioritized.
The IPSOS report constitutes a warning bell about the dangerous increase of three negative phenomena - populism, anti-elitism and nativism - that if not properly and timely addressed could lead to an increase in levels of polarization and instability, complicate governance and increase political risk.
The deterioration of socioeconomic indicators in recent years and the erosion of democratic principles have already permeated citizens, who distrustful of traditional parties and fed up with inequality, corruption, violence and lack of opportunities, demand that their governments give quick solutions to their demands.
The failure to respond in a timely and effective manner to these demands heralds a new wave of social protests.
In summary, the results of this survey show that populist, anti-establishment and xenophobic nativism sentiments outweigh ideologies and present increasingly high and worrying levels of social acceptance.
They also suggest the urgent need to regain public confidence in politics and its institutions; moving towards a new generation democracy that knows how to listen and deliver results; and to form a citizenship and leadership that are firmly committed to democratic values, pluralism and tolerance.
