Venezuelans Rated Their Lives Worse Ahead of Protests

[Bacchus4.0]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/167564/venezuelans-rated-lives-worse-ahead-protests.aspx

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Signs of the frustration and anger on display in Venezuela's streets in February were evident late last year as Venezuelans' ratings of their lives deteriorated to their worst levels in years. The percentage of Venezuelans who rated their lives positively enough to be considered "thriving" dropped sharply to 45% in 2013 from 57% the previous year.

Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling," or "suffering" according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from zero to 10 based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. People are considered thriving if they rate their current lives a 7 or higher and their lives in five years an 8 or higher. People are considered suffering if they rate their current lives and future lives a 4 or lower.

Venezuela's inflation-ravaged economy during President Nicolas Maduro's first year in office is a major source of residents' discontent. Inflation in 2013 was among the highest in the world, topping 56%. Basic goods are more expensive and increasingly difficult to find, with shortages of basic goods from milk to medicine commonplace. This situation pushed Venezuelan pessimism about the nation's economy in 2013 to an all-time high -- 62% of Venezuelan adults said the economy is getting worse, while a record-low 12% said it was getting better.

-------------------------
Venezuela's high crime rate is another issue contributing to residents' angst. The country has one of the highest murders rates in the world, creating a climate of fear and a permanent sense of insecurity. In 2013, the percentage of Venezuelans who felt safe walking alone in their neighborhoods at night dropped from 26% in 2012 to 19% -- a record low for the country and the lowest percentage in the world. This is well below the average for Latin America, which stood at 42%, a figure that itself is low by global standards.

[Flatulo]

1. Well that just can't be - Mark Weisbrot says everything is

just hunky-dory down there.

Sadly, a majority of those folks bought into a lie - that the middle classes were the enemy - and elected a government dedicated to chasing the best and brightest away, and scaring the rest into submission.

It will take generations to un-fuck that place. In the meantime, I'd love to see the technical class welcomed here with open arms. Lord knows we need doctors and technical people, and craftsmen who know how to make things.

Let the bitter and resentful try running the place.

[Bacchus4.0]

2. yep, the unfucking of Venezuela will take decades n/t

[MADem]

3. I can't help but notice that the people, like Weisbrot, who insist that everything is wonderful, are

doing that "insisting" from thousands of miles away.

[Bacchus4.0]

4. Weisbrot gets paid, not sure what motivates the others. They without exception have never

been to Venezuela.