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Security is Uruguayans' top concern, poll finds
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Elections & Politics

Security is Uruguayans' top concern, poll finds

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A new poll shows 53% of Uruguayans consider security their primary national concern.
  • Economy and employment follow as significant concerns, though at much lower percentages.
  • Notably, mentions of "government" and "politics" as primary problems have increased, indicating growing public dissatisfaction.

Security has emerged as the paramount concern for Uruguayans, with a striking 53% of the population identifying it as the country's central problem, according to a recent Factum survey. This figure dwarfs other issues, highlighting a widespread public anxiety about safety and crime.

This is something to pay attention to, because it wasn't happening before, it appeared from time to time due to specific events, but not in this volume.

— Eduardo BottinelliBottinelli commented on the increasing public mentions of 'government' and 'politics' as primary national problems.

The survey, presented by poll director Eduardo Bottinelli, revealed that economic concerns rank a distant second, cited by 10% of respondents. Employment issues followed at 9%, with education, government, and prices each mentioned by 3%. Bottinelli noted the rise in mentions of "government" and "politics" as primary problems, a trend he described as a "novelty" that warrants attention, as it had not previously appeared with such frequency.

This topic didn't appear three years ago.

— Eduardo BottinelliBottinelli noted the low current concern for child poverty compared to previous years.

Interestingly, child poverty, a topic that previously registered low concern, now appears with 1% of mentions. Bottinelli suggested this might see a slight impact as the government's accountability report is presented, but it has not become a major focus for the public. When grouped, issues related to public security, violence, and drug trafficking collectively account for the 53% figure.

There is a malaise that is not majority, but as the main issue, politics or the government is being blamed as the main problem of the country.

— Eduardo BottinelliBottinelli described the public sentiment linking dissatisfaction to political leadership.

Political divisions do not alter this focus on security. The survey found that both voters of the Frente Amplio and the ruling Coalición Republicana parties overwhelmingly prioritize public security. Among Frente Amplio voters, 43% cited security as the main issue, followed by economic matters (36%). For voters of the ruling coalition, security was the primary concern for 66%, with economic problems mentioned by 25%. This shared concern suggests a broad consensus across the political spectrum regarding the urgency of addressing public safety.

Both for voters of the Frente Amplio, as well as for voters of parties that make up the Coalición Republicana, the main issue is public security.

— Eduardo BottinelliBottinelli highlighted the cross-party consensus on security as the top concern.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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