Poll reveals marked pessimism among nation’s educators

SANTIAGO.- Teachers, a sector of society that has recently taken an active part in protests against the controversial General Education Law, have revealed a significant amount of dissatisfaction and pessimism concerning the economic and political situation of the country.

According to a study performed by the Department of Social Sciences of the Universidad Central, 68% of teachers that were polled said they are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the current political situation, while only 10% declared themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied”.

A similar statistic emerged when the educators were asked about the economic situation, with 62% percent of those polled saying they are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied”.  The pattern continued when those surveyed were asked about their future projections for the country, with 26% saying they believe that Chile will never be a developed country, while 30% believe it will take 20 to 30 years for this to be accomplished.

When asked about their short-term general expectations (not just about the economy), 57% said that they believe the country will be the same five years from now.