Crime and violence are rising worries across Latin America, but nowhere is the concern growing as fast as in Chile, an Ipsos report published on Tuesday shows.
Historically a relatively safe country that bucked the regional trend of high crime figures, the Andean nation saw the highest jump in violence perception among 29 selected countries last year, the report showed, a fact that could help explain the growing success of right-wing politicians in the country.
According to the study, 68 percent of Chilean respondents said that crime or violence in their neighborhood had “increased” in 2022, while only 26 percent saw it as stable. The survey spoke to over 23,000 adults under the age of 75 between March 24 and April 7.
Chile’s South American neighbors Argentina and Peru followed, with the second and third highest perceptions that crime and violence are worsening, while Colombia came in fifth right behind South Africa — suggesting a broader regional trend.
As The Brazilian Report recently explained, Chile was part of a small group of stable Latin American countries in which violent organized crime was not the norm. But this scenario has been changing for the worse, with homicides rising by 32 percent last year, in line with a trend observed in other nations often perceived as “safe” such as Costa Rica or Uruguay.
High-profile cases ranging from train heists to kidnappings now regularly make Chile’s front page news, while drug cartels (and foreigners allegedly running them) are often blamed for the rise in crime.
Unused to such circumstances, Chileans have been putting safety and stability first. According to Ipsos, most of those surveyed around the world prioritize government-led efforts to create jobs and boost economic opportunities over fighting crime, “with the exception of Chile.”
The Andean nation is also skeptical of current law enforcement, with only 19 percent claiming to be “very confident” that institutions can be efficient at stopping violence, suggesting widespread distrust with public institutions.
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