The approval rating of Chile’s President José Antonio Kast has remained stagnant at 35%, while his disapproval rate has climbed to 55% according to the latest survey conducted by Criteria. This marks a three-point increase in disapproval compared to the previous week. The percentage of respondents who answered “No sé” (don’t know) dropped from 13% to 10%. The survey highlights growing public dissatisfaction with the administration's handling of key issues, particularly security. Public concerns have centered around the government’s approach to crime reduction. Security was identified as the most pressing issue, with 28% of respondents citing it as their top priority. Health care followed with 16%, employment and wages with 15%, and economic recovery with 12%. When asked to choose between security and freedom, 73% prioritized security over personal freedoms, with 27% favoring individual liberties. Political alignment influenced these responses, with left-leaning voters showing more balanced views, 51% choosing security and 49% preferring freedom, while right-wing supporters overwhelmingly favored security, reaching 86%. Despite the high level of concern, evaluations of the government’s performance in security remain largely negative. A majority of 54% believe the administration has performed worse than expected in addressing crime and maintaining order. Only 19% think the government has done better than anticipated, while 27% feel there has been no significant change. Similar trends were observed in assessments of migration management, with 47% indicating the government’s efforts have fallen short of expectations. When asked to assign responsibility for current security challenges, 35% attributed the situation primarily to problems inherited from the previous administration, 32% saw it as a combination of factors, and 27% blamed the current government directly. Political affiliation played a role in these perceptions, with right-wing respondents more likely to blame past administrations, while left-wing supporters pointed more frequently to the current leadership. In terms of policy direction, the majority of respondents, 61%, believe the government should focus on securing legislative approval for new laws and expanded powers to combat organized crime and general crime. A smaller group, 30%, emphasized the need to fully implement existing legislation, while 9% had no clear stance. Public support for specific measures, such as increasing penalties for recruiting minors into criminal activities and classifying membership in organized groups as a crime, also showed varying levels of acceptance. Meanwhile, internal communication within the executive branch has come under scrutiny. The evaluation of Claudio Alvarado, the Minister of the Interior and Secretary General of Government, continues to decline. His approval rating fell to 43%, down from 53% in June, with 41% of respondents expressing negative opinions about his capabilities. Alvarado’s main challenge remains effective communication of government decisions, which still garners 40% of respondent attention. However, this figure slightly decreased from July’s 42%. Communication issues have persisted throughout Kast’s presidency, beginning with the controversial use of the term “State in bankruptcy,” followed by missteps by former minister Mara Sedini during the early months of the year. These problems culminated in recent coordination failures between Alvarado and Jorge Quiroz, the Minister of Finance. Quiroz, despite ongoing criticism, saw a slight improvement in his evaluation, rising from 35% to 39% approval. Negative assessments of him declined from 58% to 52%. According to Camilo Feres, director of Descifra, although both ministers face generally negative evaluations, Quiroz shows signs of stabilization and potential improvement, whereas Alvarado faces continued challenges due to perceived neglect by other cabinet members during recent discussions regarding legal reforms. Quiroz remains the most mentioned minister in media and social platforms, with over two million references since July 8th, driven by his advocacy for the megareform and increased government borrowing limits. His influence appears to be growing, with a 10-point increase in relevant mentions compared to July. Alvarado, meanwhile, has gained more visibility, ranking third in online mentions with nearly nine hundred thousand references, though his ability to shape the agenda remains questionable.
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