Abstract

BARRUETO, Felipe  and  NAVIA, Patricio. Evolution in Political and Public Policy Preferences between the Popular Sector and the rest of Chilean Society between 1990 and 2012. Perf. latinoam. [online]. 2015, vol.23, n.46, pp.61-89. ISSN 0188-7653.

The combination of rapid economic development and high inequality in post-1990 Chile allowed for the development of an emerging middle class and the consolidation of differences between it and higher income groups. The popular sector improved its income and expectations, but the improvement in the high income group was more pronounced. What effects did this unequal improvement have on the electoral and public policy preferences and political inclinations of the popular sector? How different have the evolution been among the popular sector and the rest of the population? Though the low and middle class favored the center-left Concertación in the early phase of democracy, that support has decreased overtime. Using Centro de Estudios Públicos polling data, we analyze the evolution in political and public preferences of the popular sector with respect to the rest of the society.

Keywords : political preferences; democratic consolidation; popular sector; public opinion polls; Chile.