Latin Americans Facing the Current Global Situation

By Carlos Luján

English translation by Yenni Castro (Valestra Editorial)

Latin American citizens are concerned about global issues, the challenges plaguing the region, and the foreign policy issues they consider priorities. This is one of the conclusions of two surveys conducted by Latinobarómetro, commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the magazine Nueva Sociedad, between 2021 and 2025. 

Each survey covered ten Latin American countries, and a total of 12,000 people with post-primary education were interviewed. The survey was designed and analyzed by the Diálogo y Paz group, comprising experts Guadalupe González, Monica Hirst, Carlos Luján, Carlos Romero, and Juan Gabriel Tokatlián. 

The surveys reveal four main findings: (i) there is great uncertainty about the future, and negative feelings outweigh positive ones; (ii) concerns about war, extreme poverty, and drug trafficking prevail; (iii) poverty reduction, the war on drug trafficking and organized crime, and economic growth are the top priorities; (iv) promoting trade, preserving national sovereignty, and defending democracy and human rights emerge as the countries’ foreign policy priorities.

Latin Americans view the international context with uncertainty and a predominantly negative outlook. Violence is present throughout the region, at both the inter- and intra-state levels, whether caused by wars, armed conflicts, organized crime, or structural factors such as extreme poverty. For Latin Americans, violence will only decrease if there is equitable economic growth that reduces poverty levels and if an adequate security environment is established. Accordingly, respondents favor foreign policies that pursue broad economic and trade integration while respecting national autonomy and human rights in democratic regimes.

The figure below shows that uncertainty ranks as the central feature shaping regional public opinion in response to the global situation. At a secondary level are hope (15%), impotence (12%), distrust (10%), and fear (8%). Negative sentiments prevail, while positive ones are relatively weak (hope, curiosity, and enthusiasm are felt by only one in five Latin Americans).

In a region historically characterized by heterogeneity, differences are now evident among countries: Venezuela stands out for its high level of hope (30%), doubling the regional average; Brazil has the highest level of fear in the entire sample (16%), doubling the regional average while maintaining a similar level of uncertainty similar to the regional average; lastly, Guatemala has the lowest level of uncertainty (32%) and one of the highest levels of hope (18%).

The figure that follows shows that concerns regarding global issues in Latin America form a triad consisting of a classic international threat (war), a structural social concern (extreme poverty), and an issue that is particularly sensitive for Latin America (drug trafficking).

Nearly two out of every three Latin Americans share the three main concerns, perceiving today’s world as an increasingly unsafe, unequal, and unstable place, where military, economic, and social risks are equally significant. Climate change is also a major concern, and world hunger and economic problems worry three out of every five Latin Americans.

Generally speaking, this order of priority holds true across the various age groups. However, young people appear less concerned about extreme poverty, war and armed conflicts, economic problems, and climate change (three out of five of those under 30). In contrast, among older adults, nearly four out of five fear violence stemming from armed conflicts and drug trafficking, and are somewhat less concerned about economic problems. 

As shown in the graph below, Latin Americans consider the region’s main challenges to be a combination of social, economic, and security issues, while geopolitical and environmental challenges take a back seat. Two out of every three Latin Americans cite poverty and drug trafficking, and organized crime as the top two challenges, while noting a particularly strong correlation between poverty and drug trafficking. A second set of concerns includes low economic growth, unemployment, violence, inequality, and inflation (to a slightly lesser extent). These findings underscore that the regional agenda is heavily dominated by issues related to material well-being and social cohesion. Taken together, poverty, unemployment, inequality, and inflation constitute a core set of economic and distributional concerns that affect at least half of the population.

At the same time, there is a set of challenges of moderate importance, such as migration (mentioned by two out of five respondents) and terrorism (cited by three out of ten). Finally, the least relevant challenges are the region’s status as the United States’ “backyard” (one-quarter of respondents), the climate crisis (one-fifth), and the fact that the region is irrelevant on the world stage (nearly one-seventh).

In short, Latin Americans seem to believe that the main obstacles to Latin America’s future stem not from the international system but from domestic structural problems: poverty, crime, low economic growth, unemployment, violence, and inequality. The region is perceived as being less threatened by geopolitical issues than by its own difficulties in fostering development, security, and social well-being. 

Regarding their countries’ foreign policy, Latin Americans express a fairly clear hierarchy of priorities. The two main areas of focus are promoting trade (45%) and preserving national sovereignty (40%). Citizens seem to view foreign policy, above all, as a tool for generating trade opportunities, growth, and development, without losing sight of the importance of preserving national autonomy in an international context perceived as increasingly competitive and uncertain.

It is particularly interesting that Latin Americans’ third priority is the defense of democracy and human rights (one in three respondents). This suggests that in the region, foreign policy is conceived not solely in economic or power-based terms but also as a tool for promoting normative principles. 

The overall picture reflects a markedly pragmatic view of foreign policy. Latin Americans expect their governments to use international engagement primarily to generate trade and development, protect national sovereignty, defend democracy, and control migration. Issues traditionally associated with geopolitics—such as competition among major powers, military buildup, or even regional integration—take a back seat.

In other words, Latin Americans seek to respond to international uncertainty through both domestic and international solutions: economic growth, poverty reduction, democracy, and internal security among the former; and fostering economic and trade integration and strengthening national autonomy among the latter. In short, the foreign policy demanded by Latin American citizens appears to be more trade-oriented, sovereignty-focused, and normative than geopolitical.

About the Author

Carlos Luján holds a Ph.D. in Humanities, with a focus on Political Science, from the Universidad Católica del Uruguay. He is an expert in international politics and negotiation and has participated in various research projects focused on Uruguay’s foreign policy, regional integration, and relations between Latin America and the global system.  

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