Economy - 14 February 2017, 8:42 AM
Poll: for 7 of 10 people, the country is on the wrong track
Santo Domingo.- The country is on the wrong track, say seven out of 10 citizens, a proportion that increases considerably compared with 2016.
Three problem: crime, rising cost of living and unemployment- are plaguing the Dominican people, according to a poll by newspaper Hoy.
The result is fear of being on the streets, tightening household economies and a large group of people without work, as people polled by hoy.com.do say many youngsters are turning to crime.
Crime in neighborhoods and communities increases, much of it drug trafficking, which has had an impact of fear of walking on the streets. "One of every three homes in Santo Domingo lives someone who's been a victim of crime in the last four months."
The current opinion is that though the government tries to fight crime, alleged corruption within the Police makes it a lost cause.
"The social decomposition is noted, apart from these indicators, by the fact that 40 percent of citizens mention that in the neighborhood or community where they reside they know cases of men who physically mistreat their wives or partners," the survey says.
"This cocktail of problems has led almost four out of five of those surveyed to think that the country is headed in the wrong direction."
How do the people perceive Danilo Medina's administration?
Most of those polled have a positive view of the administration, although the proportion decreases compared to the figures from 2016.
"His personal popularity helps the president - he is the political figure evaluated with the most positive opinions - and the fact that the Dominican Liberation (ruling) Party (PLD) is the strongest in the country, is also in his favor."
The poll also found that the political opposition "isn't perceived. It's true that Luis Abinader (opposition leader) is the second political figure in terms of favorable opinions, but his political party has only 14 percent support, versus 46 percent for the PLD."
