El Cronista
August 28, 2012

According to a private opinion poll taken at the national level, 72% do not agree with the way that Cristina is handling the economy. Employment, a rising concern.

The framework that governs the economy is seen with worry by a large portion of Argentines. The information comes in the latest poll from the consulting firm Management & Fit, which reveals that 7 in 10 citizens disapprove of the way that the administration of Cristina Fern ndez de Kirchner is handling the economy.

The poll which was made up of 2,259 representative surveys at the national level also shows that from this 72% which doesn't approve of the economic management by Kirchnerism, there are "proportionally more women and persons with lower education levels, as well as 89% who voted for the opposition." At the same time, more than 72% of those polled believe that the economy is "going in the wrong direction" while only 19% argue that it is headed in the right direction. The remaining 8% didn't know or didn't answer.

There is no lack of reasons to subscribe this perception to in the midst of a clear slowdown in activity. According to private estimates, the economy will grow some 2% this year, from a 7% growth level during 2011. But the uncertainty is not fortuitous in the midst of iron controls like the currency exchange caps or the blocking of imports that were imposed in the first days of Cristina's second presidential term, in October of last year, and which were deepened with the passing of the months since.

Added to this cocktail of restrictions is one of the greatest concerns that people perceive today: inflation, with the consequent loss in purchasing power and the official denial of real figures that turn the idea of designing policies to combat it into a mirage.

Strictly speaking, inside the universe that the consulting firm studied, the rise in prices is highlighted as the second most important problem that they are counting on the government to resolve, with 62.2% of the votes, topped by crime, which stood at 84.1%. In this part of the report also emerges another significant conclusion (which goes hand in hand with the economic slowdown): unemployment is appearing, with more than 50% ranking it third as a problem that the authorities are not managing to solve.

Jobs

Without going further, the latest figures on employment put out by INDEC set off alarm bells among unions and businessmen because they reveal that there is no new job creation, while in some cases with certain companies like in the auto industry there were suspensions and destruction of jobs. All of the signs point to an economy taking a dive.

Following the polling numbers, the expectations looking ahead are not very encouraging. In fact, they describe a more somber outlook. More than half of those surveyed (53.3%) believe that in the coming months they will face worsening personal economic conditions, while in the survey done by the same firm only a month ago, that group was only 44%. Only 8.9% predict better economic conditions, while a mere 0.4$ believe it will be much better. That is to say, the negative perception is on the rise, according to the M&F survey.

The same occurred with the appreciation of the general economy of the country. Some 60.2% of those surveyed think that the situation will be worse in the coming months, while a month ago that percentage was placed two percentage points lower. However, 8.5% believe it will be better and only 0.8% expect "much better" economic conditions in the near future.

To read the Spanish-language version of this article, visit: http://www.cronista.com/contenidos/2012/08/28/noticia_0082.html