According to the new version of the study prepared by Imagen de Chile, which measures different indicators that support our identity, 61% feel proud to be Chilean, 11 points more than in the days of the COVID-19 confinement.
Privileged skies for astronomy, a solid system of democratic elections, and our innovative character are some of the elements that most exalt Chileans. This, according to the latest study "Chilean Pride" that is carried out annually by Fundación Imagen de Chile, analyzing those elements that Chileans value most in their identity.
"Since its first version in 2019, this study has allowed us to know more about the different elements that make up our culture, something that is key when defining the country image that we are making known in the world," says Rossana Dresdner, executive director of Fundación Imagen de Chile. "In this opportunity, one of the results that we highlight the most is the increase shown by the pride in being Chilean, which a few years ago had weakened and today reaches levels close to pre-pandemic", she says.
According to the measurement, prepared in conjunction with the Directorate of Studies of the Catholic University (DESUC), 61% of respondents said they were "very proud" to be Chilean, a figure that has reflected a progressive increase since 2020 (50%) and is approaching the 71% recorded in the second half of 2019.
"The first measurement of this study coincided with the social explosion, a moment in which Chile and the Chilean were put to the test. Time has allowed us to rediscover what we are and what we have in common. This process is reflected in the increase in the pride of being Chilean", says Cristian Ayala, director of DESUC.
The pride of those born in Chile, specifically for their country, was 37%; although the figure is lower than the percentage that feels pride in being Chilean (61%), it also shows a progressive increase since 2019, when the index reached 31%.
When distinguishing by regions, Tarapacans were the most proud to be Chilean (77%) and for Chile (44%), while at the other extreme was the Los Ríos region, with 44% very proud to be Chilean, and the Valparaíso region, with 26%.
Elements that generate pride
When asked about the pride generated by different elements of Chile, our system of democratic elections, culture and commitment to the environment were the elements that achieved the greatest positive variation in recent years. In this sense, the high pride in our democratic election system went from 24% in 2021 to 45% in 2022, a growth of 21 percentage points.
"We have elements, such as geography and our strength, which have historically and transversally generated pride, but we have also seen the progressive increase in other areas, such as commitment to the environment, democracy or culture, something that is aligned with the country image positioning strategy that we are promoting today," says Guadalupe Zegers, head of studies at Fundación Imagen de Chile.
Men tended to value more the "privileged skies for astronomy" and the "democratic election system", while women were more proud of "culture, art and heritage", "native peoples", the "innovative character of Chileans" and the "development of science and technology".
When sorted according to macro-zones, the North and South showed more pride in the innovative character of Chileans and in the democratic election system than the Central Zone and the Metropolitan Region.
When analyzing the complete list of elements and milestones that make Chileans proud, science and the environment continue to top the list. Geography and environmental diversity tops the list with 89% pride, followed by our privileged skies (75%), the quality of our export products (66%), as well as the strength of Chileans to face challenges (54%).