Bolivians Anticipate Worsening of Unrest; Tourists and State-Owned Businesses at High Risk
Tracking Global Events | 10 January 2023
In the final days of 2022, the Bolivian government arrested prominent opposition leader, and governor of Bolivia’s largest province, Luis Camacho. His arrest sparked widespread protests and destruction throughout the country which is still ongoing. His supporters blocked critical trade and transportation routes, as well as ransacked state businesses. Camacho, a conservative, Christian politician is accused of being involved in the ousting of Evo Morales from the presidential office in 2019 and installation of Jeanine Añez as president, which the governing socialist party claims was a coup.
Insights
- Despite 49% of respondents believing Camacho was involved in the removal of Evo Morales as president in 2019 and installation of Jeanine Anez as president, only 29% agree with the decision to arrest him. The vast majority of Bolivians disagree with the arrest.
- Overall, 42% of Bolivians disapprove of Luis Acre’s work as president, only 24% approve, and the rest are indifferent. Further, after Camacho’s arrest, the majority of Bolivians have decreased faith in their justice system.
- 47% of Bolivians categorized the unrest as “extremely violent” with another 30% categorizing it as “moderately violent” and the remaining 33% categorizing the unrest as “slightly violent” or “not violent at all”. Furthermore, respondents are unsure if the unrest will evolve into a coup or civil war with 40% saying “I don’t know”, 33% saying “yes”, and 27% claiming “no”. Moreover, over half of respondents think it is likely that martial law or a curfew will be imposed to curb the unrest.
- In regards to personal safety 69% reported feeling more unsafe than before the civil unrest to some degree and 24% reported feeling much more unsafe. When asked about tourists and foreign workers, 82% and 75% of Bolivians agreed each group were less safe in the country respectively with 33% claiming that tourists are much more unsafe now compared to before the unrest.
In the Coming Weeks do you think the civil unrest will…
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Methodology
Between January 3rd and January 9th, Premise launched a convenience sample survey in Bolivia receiving 530 responses across the country. Our demographic panel consisted of 52% male and 48% female respondents with the majority falling into the age range of 25-35.
Premise in Action
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