The new Latinobarómetro report is out. The Economist breaks it down here and the original source document is here. From the Economist:
"There's an important increase in the legitimacy of governments, which is good for democracy," says Marta Lagos, Latinobarómetro's director, though she cautions that it is also providing fuel for the spreading habit of presidents seeking re-election.
And then:
The poll offers a warning to Mr Chávez. Though 45% of Venezuelan respondents still support his government, that is down from 65% in 2006. And although he has nationalised many businesses, 81% of them say that private enterprise is indispensable for economic development, a big increase on previous years. Support for the market economy among Venezuelan respondents has also surged.
The poll also suggests that Mr Chávez's image in the region is much less favourable than that of many other leaders, and especially than that of Barack Obama (chart 6). The advent of Mr Obama has boosted his country's standing in the region: 74% of respondents had a favourable opinion of the United States, up from 58% last year and the highest figure since the polls began. Nevertheless, more respondents now see Brazil as the most influential country in the region, ahead of the United States and Venezuela. But the influence of the United States is ranked higher than Brazil's in the northern part of the region.
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