Recent polls show lower presidential approval estimates in Peru, Chile and Colombia but a slight rise in Argentina, complicating any claim that political support is moving in one direction across the region.
In Peru, an Ipsos national survey found that 40% approved of President Keiko Fujimori’s performance and 49% disapproved. Ipsos had measured approval at 57% and disapproval at 25% in August. Its October survey covered 1,212 urban and rural residents on Oct. 7-8 and had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
AtlasIntel gave a different October estimate for Fujimori: 28.3% approval and 53.6% disapproval. It surveyed 2,024 people from Oct. 2-7, with a 2-percentage-point margin of error. The Ipsos and AtlasIntel polls used different samples and methods; neither establishes the reason for the gap between their results.
Argentina offers a counterpoint to the lower readings elsewhere. AtlasIntel put President Javier Milei’s approval at 38.5%, compared with 38% in August and 37% in July. The latest poll surveyed 2,067 people from Oct. 2-7 and had a 2-percentage-point margin of error, larger than the half-point difference from August.
In Chile, Fundación Nodo XXI measured President José Antonio Kast’s approval at 24.5% in September, down from 29.5% in June. Disapproval reached 60.5%, up from 54%. In the online survey of 993 adults, 25.5% of Kast’s 2025 runoff voters said they would vote differently today. Nearly half, 46.8%, said their personal economic situation had worsened over the past year; 10.2% said it had improved.
AtlasIntel’s Colombia poll put President Abelardo de la Espriella’s approval at 48.7%, compared with 51.8% in its previous survey. Disapproval was 44.6%, up from 43.2%. The latest survey covered 2,893 people from Oct. 2-7 and had a 2-percentage-point margin of error.
A separate measure shows why presidential ratings should not stand in for broader political views. Vanderbilt University’s 2026 AmericasBarometer, based on 25,282 interviews across 21 countries, found support for democracy had risen by 6 percentage points since 2023 to about two-thirds of Latin Americans. It measured support for democracy, rather than approval of individual leaders.
Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP that some governments may have raised expectations too high. “People want quick results,” he said.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has confirmed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro as candidates in the Oct. 25 presidential runoff. Fundación Nodo XXI says it will publish its next Chile survey in November.
