Gallup Poll: Venezuelans More Satisfied Than Other Latin Americans

[Joanne98]

December 4, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- Venezuelans are among the Latin Americans most satisfied with their lives, according to a Gallup poll commissioned by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB). Venezuelans' satisfaction with their system of public education, health care, work situation, and housing also rank well above average for the region.

The findings are based on data from the Gallup World Poll, which continually surveys people in 140 countries, together with additional questions commissioned by the IDB on social themes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

With ten being the most satisfied with life and zero the lowest rating possible, Venezuelans’ happiness averaged 6.5, the fourth highest score of a Latin American country. Compared to average scores around the globe, Venezuelans ranked just below the industrialized nations of North America and Western Europe, but higher than all other regions. Although the study showed a tendency for a negative correlation between economic growth and happiness, Venezuela was an exception, as the happiness of its citizens remained high despite experiencing robust economic growth in the last four years.

“Governments that focus their policies exclusively on growth are bound to lose support in the long run if they do not respond to the higher expectations that accompany growth in areas ranging from education and health to income distribution,” explained Eduardo Lora, IDB’s chief economist and coordinator of the study. “The difficulty lies in responding to these demands without killing growth.”

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http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4016

[desktop]

1. I wonder if Obama can reign in the CIA that Bush has used to destabilize Venezuela

The CIA is such a clandestine operation with power circles running amok, you question whether who the President is can stop agents with hidden agendas. The CIA has clearly been financing and encouraging the overthrow of Hugo Chavez. Will there ever be a day when the US stays out of other countries affairs? Not as long as those with money are buying the US government.

[Joanne98]

2. The State Department too. NED !!!!

[Peace Patriot]

3. Economic growth without social justice. That is what's happening in Peru, with

the U.S. "free trade" deal with the phony, on-paper-only labor and environmental protections. The highly corrupt Alan Garcia government (20% approval rating) is creating just the sort of privileged urbanized elite, with no benefit to the vast poor majority, that leads to great social dissatisfaction, and, indeed, ruins entire societies and countries. It would be interesting to know how Peruvians rate their satisfaction with their political/economic system in this poll.

This was the problem in Venezuela prior to the Chavez government. The rich oil elite ripped off profits from Venezuela's oil, for its own import-addicted, tight, little privileged, urban minority, literally gave away the rest of the oil to multinational corporations, and utterly neglected the vast poor majority--as to education, medical care and all basic human decencies--and further neglected their country as a whole, as to local manufacturing, infrastructure, food self-sufficiency, and all other elements of national security. One of the reasons that Chavez is so popular--and Venezuelans' approval of their system is so high--is that Chavez, a) renegotiated the oil contracts, from a 10/90 split of the profits for the multinationals, to a much fairer 60/40 split favoring Venezuela, and b) has used the profits to genuinely improve Venezuelan society, and attend to its social and national security needs.

It's amazing what democracy and good government can do. And it should be a lesson to us as well. South Americans suffered this Bushwhack Financial 9/11 long before we did--starting during the Clinton "free trade" and World Bank/IMF indebtedness mania. Entire countries--such as Argentina--went belly-up. But the South Americans simultaneously began to work hard on their democratic institutions--such as transparent vote counting--and, as soon as that work began to pay off with the election of good leftist leaders, they began to recover. Of particular note--because cooperation is so characteristic of leftist leaders--Venezuela, with its oil riches, helped bail Argentina out of ruinous World Bank/IMF debt (incurred by previous rightwing governments, which, of course, ripped off the money and left the poor to pay the loans), and put Argentina on the road to recovery, making it a good trading partner for Venezuela, Brazil and other countries. This was the seed of the Bank of the South (local development financing, with social justice goals).

Venezuela and the Chavez government were the avant-garde of the economic/political recovery of the entire continent, from centuries of brutal bullying and exploitation mostly by the U.S., capped by the insidious "free trade" policy (called neoliberalism in South America), compounded by the failed, corrupt, murderous U.S. "war on drugs" (--which is also now being rejected by the most progressive countries in S/A).

And ain't it interesting that the country that led the revolt, the country with the best government, the country with the highest levels of satisfaction with their political/economic system, and the country with the most transparent elections in the western hemisphere (and, indeed, in the world), is the country that our Bushwhacks, and their corpo/fascist lapdog press, and collusive Democrats, demonize as a "dictatorship"? The only entity that Hugo Chavez has "dictated" to is Exxon Mobil. And he also threw out the U.S. ambassador for their goddamned instigation of white separatist riots and murders in Bolivia, where Chavez ally, Evo Morales--the first indigenous president of Bolivia--also enjoys approval ratings of over 60%. For this, and for running a beneficial, scrupulously lawful government for ten years, and for achieving the highest level of citizen satisfaction in Latin America, he gets slandered as a "dictator." Well, the corpo/fascists also called FDR a "dictator." That's what happens when you do well by your people--THE most heinous of crimes to the global corporate predators and fascists and nazis who have been trying so hard to loot and destroy us as well.

[Jade Fox]

4. excellent post-thanks

[StClone]

5. That can't be Hugo makes thinks bad

Ask all the never-been-to-Venezuelan experts here.

[bertman]

8. Could you please rephrase that. I do not understand what you are trying to say. Thanks.

[bertman]

9. Obama's anti-Chavez rhetoric was pretty hot and heavy during the campaign. I'd like to

see him change course on that, but I'm not holding my breath.

[StClone]

10. Hugo makes things bad

Not.

[bertman]

11. Got it. thank you.

[shellgame26]

6. This brutal dictator must be stopped

Where does he get off redistributing his country's oil wealth to the poor, building new schools and hospitals and providing free healthcare to the people? I mean what a jerk! This guy better start torturing some people fast or I'm gonna lose my lunch. I mean is he a friend of the good ol USA or not???

[Judi Lynn]

7. This isn't the first year they've felt like this, either! They've tested high for several years,

since I've been seeing polls taken and described over the last few years.

A couple of years ago, only Uruguayans were higher in their satisfaction with their own government.

Really appreciate your efforts, Joanne98. What a positive influence you are here. Thank you.