The Public Opinion Survey, conducted by the Center for Research in Political Studies at the University of Costa Rica (CIEP-UCR), reveals that support for President Chaves remains at 54%. Negative evaluations are at 27%, with 19% remaining neutral.
Specifically, 31% of respondents lack confidence in the government’s ability to address the country’s main problems. This is followed by 39% who express little confidence, 18% with some confidence, and only 12% who have a lot of confidence.
“The recent results show that positive and negative evaluations of the current government’s management and the President are similar, as observed in previous surveys. Compared to the April 2024 measurement, the government’s support remains at around 50%. Conversely, 25% of respondents in September 2024 expressed negative views of the government’s performance, a figure that has not changed,” according to the CIEP-UCR report.
The sociodemographic characteristics of those who support President Rodrigo Chaves indicate that support primarily comes from individuals who are 55 years old (or older), male, have a high school education, and reside in the provinces of Guanacaste and Limón.
For the past year, insecurity and crime have been identified as the primary concerns for Costa Ricans, at 32%. This is followed by corruption at 13% and government mismanagement at 12%.
The Executive Branch introduced a project aimed at enhancing the administration’s image, primarily through a referendum on the Jaguar Law. However, this initiative did not achieve the desired outcome.
The CIEP-UCR survey also assessed public opinion on the elimination or reduction of controls over the President’s actions. The responses were: 49% disagreed or strongly disagreed with this option, 38% agreed, and 13% were neutral.
“This indicates that, despite high support for the President, there is no majority backing for altering or removing controls on presidential decisions and actions. This result highlights the challenge of converting high popularity into support for specific governmental measures or electoral backing,” the report notes.
Lastly, the survey included a chapter on the perception of violence against women in Costa Rica. 90% of respondents reported perceiving an increase in violence against women compared to previous years.
