QCOSTARICA – Dissatisfaction with President Carlos Alvarado reached 66%, the highest levels since November 2018, thus being the second-worst qualified president, according to the survey of the Center for Research and Political Studies of the University of Costa Rica (CIEP-UCR)
The CIEP-UCR data reveals support for the government of Carlos Alvarado has fallen at the end of this year 2020, to the levels worse only during the third year (2013) of the Laura Chinchilla Miranda administration.
According to the most recent CIEP report, 66% of the people surveyed give a negative rating to President Alvarado’s management, 15% positive, while 18% remain neutral.
By April 2020, when the pandemic began, 65% of those surveyed gave a positive vote and 20% negative, which means that the percentages were reversed.
Researchers from the CIEP-UCR took in the response of 969 telephone surveys between November 2 and 9, after several months marked by demonstrations against the Government, criticism of the economic management and attempts dialogue with social sectors. The margin of error for the survey data is 3 points over the total sample.
“The survey is a reflection of the reality that the pandemic has caused on the lives of Costa Ricans,” said Agustín Castro, Minister of Communication.
According to Castro, COVID-19 generated a negative effect on the economy of Costa Ricans and also lost jobs. This has resulted in greater poverty and more difficulty in paying for daily expenses.
The minister says that public anger and discomfort due to these difficulties are transferred to the figure of the Government, which has the positive vote of only 15% of the population surveyed by the CIEP.
Regarding health measures, 69% of the population remain positive, classifying the work by the Alvarado government as good or very good, in contrast to 17% who evaluate them badly or very badly.
Pessimism
Pessimism about the situation in the country and unemployment continue to worry Costa Ricans, with 87% of the people considering it to be bad or very bad, against 4.2% who value it positively. Although they are the lowest values in the entire series, they are consistent with the negativity that is increasing in each report.
Following the August trend, unemployment continues to be the main concern of Costa Ricans, with 27.6% of the population citing this as the country’s main problem, followed by the cost of living and the economic situation (21.4%).
In the survey week, unemployment was estimated at 22% and the president vetoed the draft law on trawling that a sector of Puntarenas was waiting for, days after confirming the increase in poverty to 26%.
