COVID-19, Democratic Governance and the ‘Barely Middle Class’ in Latin America: Self-ascribed Social Class and Views of the State in a Time of Pandemic

COVID-19 broke out at a time when Latin America was already experiencing significant social unrest, fueled to a large extent by growing dissatisfaction with the state of politics and the social contract more broadly. Given this context, how has the pandemic impacted citizens’ views of the public sphere and opinions about democratic governance? This brief presents the results of a survey commissioned by UNDP in 10 Latin American countries in September 2020. Self-ascribed social class is used as a lens to explore differences in the perception and evaluation of state performance in the face of COVID-19 with a focus on ‘middle-class’ perspectives. Some considerations are then offered on the steps required to enhance long-term democratic resilience in the region.