After the social outbreak in Chile in 2019, “We Have to Talk About Chile” was born, a platform supported by the Catholic University and the University of Chile, whose aim is to provide a listening ear to citizens of different ages, territories and socioeconomic levels to find out more about your concerns. through detailed discussions. The results of the latest edition of “Chile a Escala: A citizen's view of the country to come”, reported by EL PAÍS this Saturday, show that social unrest has worsened in four years and that, unlike previous editions, as concerns were of various kinds Amid the crime crisis facing the South American country, the demand for security and order dominates the conversation. In addition, they warn of a worrying pessimism: only 11% of the 8,000 participants believe that 2024 will be more peaceful than last year.
Since the first constitutional process in 2021-2022, security as a problem and a condition of tranquility has been given greater emphasis in the analyzes of the study carried out in all regions of the country with participants aged between 18 and 93. Concerns about education, health or pensions, which were previously among the issues that concerned the population, are taking a back seat in the current context, regardless of age, level of education or community in which they live. Young people, for example, who have typically not spoken about the problem of public insecurity or from a different perspective, are now the dominant voice. The three main concerns are: security, justice and education.
“The root of the diverse unrest was unification,” says Hernán Hochschild, executive director of We Have to Talk about Chile. “People strongly believe that crime and uncontrolled illegal immigration have a profound impact on their lives. “Before, the country’s problems didn’t necessarily affect them,” he adds. Hochschild warns that while the political world tried to create a constitution – it failed twice in its attempt to replace the current Magna Carta – something was being established in the city. “There is a side effect of the incompetence of those who run the institutions and the country,” he claims.
One of the consequences of expanding security as a primary concern is the emergence of new agents of change. While it used to be the politicians, now the police, the military and the judges have gained strength. “The logic of punishment is beginning to take up more and more space,” warns Hochschild. When asked, “On a more personal level, and specifically to your community, what would need to happen next year (2024) for you to feel more peace of mind?” The concepts that emerged most frequently in the responses were security, crime, policing, control , surveillance and criminals.
As far as foreigners are concerned, there are two types of migrants: those who come to make a living and those who come to exploit Chile, according to the platform. “Not a single speech is finished yet. The same applies to the anti-crime measures, although we see a much more expansive discourse: curfews, militarization, a strong hand…” emphasizes Hochschild, adding: “Bukele's logic is starting to emerge more strongly, but…” not yet. “It becomes the majority discourse.”
According to the Center for Public Studies (CEP) survey published last November, 69% of Chileans strongly agree that immigrants increase crime rates, a significant increase compared to 2017, when 41% of Chilean citizens held this opinion.
The answers to the question of whether they think they will feel more peace of mind in 2024 are concerning. 51.86% responded to forecasts that can be classified as negative, such as: “I am not so optimistic that we will become calmer, I don't understand why”, 36.4% mentioned interim ideas, without accusations towards either side or another, and only 11.8% positive, (“I think I will be calmer because it is what I hope is an illusion. Although we do not know what will happen with this government or with the coming government becomes.”).
One of the filmmakers' conclusions from We Have to Talk About Chile's first report, made after the social outbreak and in the midst of the pandemic, was that hope is a “tight rubber band.” Now they are warning about the complexity of the hopelessness that they warned about in the dialogues. “The constitutional or legislative discussion itself is moving away from the people. “Social demand is increasingly taking the form of concrete measures and is becoming detached from longer-term discussions,” they emphasize.