Colombians Hate Democracy (and Other Stories That Will Never Be Written From the 2009 Latinobarometro Survey)
Every year, the venerable old Chilean polling firm Latinobarometro publishes the world's most comprehensive survey of Latin American perceptions, with a handy country-by-country breakdown. And every year, we take a look at what the data actually says about Venezuela and then have a good laugh over whatever retarded nugget of information the U.S. press glommed onto as this year's "angle":
Number 4 Headline You Won't See in the U.S. Press:
"Venezuelans Top the Region in Economic Optimism." Only 21% of Venezuelans cite economic issues as the top problem facing their country. Contrast that with, say, the 68% of Peruvians who are freaked out about their economy or the 85% of Nicaraguans. [Page 75]. Also, Venezuela is second in the region (after Bolivia) in applauding the fairness of income distribution in their country [Page 42] and third (after Chile and Brazil) in believing their children will be better off than they were [Page 43].
Number 3 Headline You Won't See:
"Colombians Fucking HATE Democracy." It's true. The Best Democracy Ever™ actually harbors a deep-seated distaste for voting, representation, laws, etc. Only forty-nine percent of Colombians actually "support democracy." Compare that to, say, Costa Rica (74%), Uruguay (81%) or--haha--Venezuela, which tops the field at 85%. [Page 22].
Number 2 Headline You Won't See:
"Venezuelan Crime Fears Largely Unfounded." Crime is once again the top concern for Venezuelans, which totally supports all those "Venezuela Is a DEATHTRAP" stories you see all the time, right? Ha ha, nope. When you measure how many Venezuelans report being a crime victim, the numbers don't match the fear.
In fact, Latinobarometro devotes an entire section comparing crime perceptions in Mexico and Venezuela, which have the same rate of victimization. Venezuelans have an over-inflated perception of crime in their country (55% cite "delinquency" as a major national problem) while Mexicans have underdeveloped fears (18%). [Page 76].
And the #1 Story You Won't See in the U.S. Press?
"Venezuela's Love-Affair With Churchillian Democracy." I know WTF, right? Fat old British war criminal "Winston Churchill" famously said that democracy was the worst form of government ever invented...except for all the others, wocka wocka. And for whatever reason a whopping 90% of Venezuelans agree with his tired old quip, tying with Uruguayans. By contrast only 62% of Mexicans agree, so look out, Poland! [Page 22]
What's more, Venezuelans beat the regional average in evaluating the democratic nature of their own government, giving it a 7 on a scale of 10. [Page 24]
