Ratings down in three nations Obama will visit on his five-day tour
March 17, 2011
Majorities in Chile (67%), El Salvador (61%), and Brazil (55%) -- the three nations President Barack Obama plans to visit on his tour of Latin America -- approve of his job performance, but ratings are down in each country and elsewhere in the region.
At the Obama administration's halfway mark, approval of U.S. leadership worldwide is still higher than during the Bush administration's last years. Across 116 countries, median approval of U.S. leadership in 2010 stood at 47% -- relatively unchanged from the 49% median across 111 countries in 2009.
U.S. leadership approval fell significantly in half of the 18 Latin American countries Gallup surveyed in 2010, taking the largest hits in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Honduras. Median approval fell to 44% in 2010 from 51% in 2009, but still remains up from 35% in 2008.
Two-thirds do not think governments make paperwork, permits easy enough
October 22, 2010
Across 20 Latin American countries, a median of 66% of residents say their governments do not make paperwork and permits easy enough for prospective business owners. Half (50%) do not believe business owners can trust government to allow their businesses to make a lot of money.
In 22 countries, more than half didn't have enough money to buy food at times
September 28, 2010
Gallup surveys in 113 countries in 2009 reveal an estimated 1 billion adults struggled to afford food at times for themselves and their families. More than half of adults in 22 countries, 15 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, reported experiencing such difficulties.
Among those who know about physical abuse, 3 in 10 say authorities notified
June 4, 2010
Gallup surveys in Latin America and the Caribbean find a median of about one in five residents say they know of a child who has been beaten or physically mistreated by a family member in the past 30 days; a median of 68% of these respondents say this abuse was not reported.
Gallup surveys suggest illicit drug trafficking is common in communities throughout much of Latin America, including those in well-developed countries, and many residents see the problem as getting worse.
Nearly 1 in 5 Colombians say friend, relative murdered in past 12 months
May 5, 2010
Despite frequent news of drug war-related deaths in Mexico, Gallup polls show citizens in several other Latin American countries are twice and even three times as likely to know a close friend or relative who was murdered in the past year.
Significantly more approve of U.S. leadership than in previous years
December 1, 2009
Gallup surveys conducted in Latin American find approval ratings of U.S. leadership up significantly in 2009 compared with previous years. Further, a median of 61% of Latin Americans approve of President Obama’s job performance after less than a year in office.
November presidential election critical to boosting hopes of a better democracy
October 30, 2009
Honduran leaders, who Friday announced a power-sharing deal, have their work cut out for them as they attempt to end the country’s political crisis. Gallup polled in Honduras in July and found 71% of Hondurans saying the political situation in the country was not stable at all.
