By Sebastián Osorio Idárraga
Amid Ecuador’s political uncertainty and security crisis, measuring citizens’ trust in different sectors and societal actors is key to facing the months ahead, especially with early general elections.
A new study conducted by Ipsos Ecuador found that private enterprises (59%) and the military (59%) are now the actors in which Ecuadorians place the most trust.
These sectors are followed by the Church (55%) and business people (47%) as the most trusted.
In contrast, the market researcher found that the political and judicial systems are the ones that have lost the most trust from citizens, with the judicial system, government ministers, the National Assembly, and politicians with less than 12%.
“Trust in the political class is fundamental to the proper functioning of any democracy.”
“When we trust our leaders, we are willing to support their decisions, collaborate and actively participate in the country’s development.”
“However, when that trust is broken, serious problems arise,” said Cristina Paez, country manager of Ipsos Ecuador.
Compared to November 2022, the last trust measurement, the judicial system fell 4% (from 16% to 12%), the National Assembly 3% (from 13% to 10%), and political actors maintained 5% of the previous year.
HOW IS TRUST BY CITIES?
Ipsos found that Guayaquil citizens trust the Church more, and Quiteños trust the military more, while trust in private enterprise and entrepreneurs is similar in both cities.
For the first quarter of 2023, private sector sales in Ecuador reached US$40.31 billion, an increase of almost 5% over the same period last year.
“In an increasingly globalized and competitive world, the private sector plays a key role in boosting the economy and generating employment.”
“Private companies, large and small, are engines of innovation, growth, and progress in our communities,” Paez added.
HOW TO SOLVE TRUST ISSUES IN ECUADOR?
The same surveys, which were applied to 715 people in Quito and Guayaquil, divided equally, and seeking to contemplate people from Generation Z to Baby Boomers, found answers to ‘take the country forward’.
For example, citizens responded that civil society (59%) is key to the country’s recovery, with the participation of international organizations, the government, and business people.
And the surveys also found that 59% of citizens rate the management of the Executive Branch as negative.
“We know that confidence in the private sector is crucial to foster investments, promote entrepreneurship and create an enabling environment for sustainable economic development.”
“In this study, we share the polarized vision of a society on the verge of change,” concluded Paez.
With information from Bloomberg
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