The fifth version of the "Chilean Pride" study showed that 46% of those surveyed feel a high level of pride in our country. The Santiago 2023 Games and the development of clean energies are the most valued initiatives.
Today Chile is being highlighted internationally for its seriousness, consistency and drive. And that of course influences the pride we feel for the country". Rossana Dresdner, Executive Director of Imagen de Chile
The Fundación Imagen de Chile, in collaboration with the Direction of Studies of the Catholic University (DESUC), presented a new version of its study "Chilean Pride". A measurement that since 2019 evaluates the perception that Chileans have about different indicators that support our identity. The latest version showed that 46% of those surveyed feel a high level of pride in Chile, the highest figure since the measurement has been carried out . Meanwhile, the level of pride in being Chilean continues its upward trend, reaching 63%.
"The difference between pride in being Chilean and pride in Chile lies in the fact that the former points to a subjective, emotional part, of common life experiences: resilience, effort, joy, around important events or happenings that have occurred in our country. On the other hand, pride in Chile refers to an objective component, of the nation, associated with the institutional," said Rossana Dresdner, executive director of Imagen de Chile.
"During the social outburst both aspects came into tension: there was a high adherence to the idea that the Chilean is a fighter and hard-working -which are categories of the study-, while on the other hand, the institutional dimension -that is, pride in Chile- was questioned. Despite the fact that not so much time has passed since 2019, I believe that Chileans see that the country is moving forward. Today Chile is being highlighted internationally for its seriousness, consequence and drive. And that of course influences the pride we feel for the country", he added.
Among the initiatives that generated the most pride during the past year, Santiago 2023 stood out with 75% "high pride". Within the legacy of this mega sports event, Chileans highlighted "awakening interest in sports among the new generations" (74%), followed by the national and regional capacity to organize more complex sports events (62%), and the "new sports infrastructure in the National Stadium complex (58%).
Other initiatives that generated the most pride were "renewable energy development" with 67% high pride, "protection of marine and coastal areas" with 64%, and "astronomy and space research" with 62%.
What Chileans are proud of
In relation to the attributes of our country, opinions such as "it has an attractive nature" stand out with 63% of the option very much in agreement, "it exports quality products" (36%) and "it gets ahead in the face of adversity (38%). On the other hand, three negative attributes such as " unequal income" (45%), " corrupt" (33%) and "discriminatory" (16%) were measured as "strongly agree". This shows that there is a critical view of Chileans about economic security and stability.
In another area, the production of lithium, green hydrogen, the incentive for electromobility and being a climate change observatory also generated more than 50% pride, which shows that Chileans are proud of Chile's active role in climate change mitigation and energy transition.
Chilean democratic stability
When comparing Chile with countries in the region such as Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, respondents highlighted the country's scientific and astronomical development, the quality of its export products, its professionals and democratic stability, followed by Brazil in all these aspects.
Although democratic stability in Chile is not an attribute that Chileans particularly highlight, this changes when compared to these four Latin American countries.
"I believe that the assessment we Chileans make of our democracy when compared with others in the region is consistent with the existing international perception, according to global indicators. Now, if in the internal evaluation we do not highlight democracy as an outstanding attribute, I would say that there is an opinion that, despite the fact that we have the third best evaluated democracy in the region, there are aspects to improve. And I think it is very valuable that Chileans are demanding with our democracy", concluded the executive director of Imagen de Chile.