The Diplomat
Spain’s image is going through a good moment in Latin America, but a high percentage of its inhabitants, especially young people, are unaware of the historical influence that our country had in the region during the centuries of colonial domination.
This is what emerges from the eleventh wave of the Barometer on the Image of Spain of the Elcano Royal Institute, which dedicates a monographic study to Latin America and which was officially presented yesterday at the think tank’s headquarters in Madrid. The study was prepared last May by the director of the Public Opinion area and senior researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, Carmen González Enríquez, and José Pablo Martínez, research assistant at the think tank, through 4,035 interviews with a population over 18 years of age in the eight countries with the highest percentage of population, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, at a rate of about 500 respondents per country.
According to the study, Spain has a positive image in Latin America, with a rating of 6.9 out of 10, similar to that of countries such as France, Italy and the USA, and only below the score received by the best rated country in the region, Germany (7.5). As González Enríquez explained during the presentation, the economic crisis of 2008 damaged Spain’s image in the region, but, “not only in Latin America, but in Europe and in the world in general, Spain’s image is clearly at the same or higher level than before the crisis”.
In addition, the report indicates that, in almost all cases, Latin Americans rate Spain better than their own country, with the exception of Mexico. In any case, the region’s self-esteem is notoriously low, since the evaluation of the country itself is below that of the USA, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and China.
Likewise, the image of Spain in Latin America is more positive among people who consider themselves right-wing and also among those with a higher level of education, something that also occurs with the image they have in the area of the other European countries. By country, the evaluation of Spain (and the other European countries) is higher in the northern part of the region, Guatemala and Mexico, and lower as the focus shifts to the south, with Chile in the lowest evaluation position.
On the other hand, Spain appears associated with positive attributes, with special attention to Spanish gastronomy (especially paella, ham and tapas). At a considerable distance follow some cities or specific geographic areas (Barcelona, Catalonia, Madrid), the Spanish language, Europe, bullfighting and soccer. On the other hand, the spontaneous negative associations are very few and far between, with only one association exceeding 2% of the responses: “discrimination, racism, xenophobia”, mentioned by 4% of those interviewed.
In any case, the attractiveness of Spain as a tourist power is the most highly valued attribute in Latin America. On the other hand, there are important differences between European and Latin American views of Spain. For example, Latin America values Spain’s infrastructures, its educational system, its economy, its technology and its current cultural production better than Europe. These attributes are usually weaker when asked about Spain among Western Europeans or among G7 countries.
Likewise, Spain arouses feelings of trust and sympathy in Latin America, more so among older people and among those who are ideologically on the right. Spain is represented for Latin Americans as a “reliable” country and Spaniards are mostly seen as friendly, cultured and kind, but also proud. The Andean countries (Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) are the most critical of the proud character of Spaniards.
Historical knowledge
The most striking detail of the study refers to Spain’s historical influence in Latin America. Specifically, 60% of those interviewed (with the exception of Brazilians, for obvious reasons) responded that Spain was the country that exerted the greatest influence on the history of their country in past centuries, especially between the 16th and 18th centuries. Therefore, and seen from the other angle, 40% showed that they are unaware of Spain’s role in the history of their country, even during the colonial period. Of that 40%, 33% believe that other countries, such as the USA or France, were the most influential during that period of their history and seven percent were not even able to cite any country.
The percentage becomes more surprising among young people, since only 48% of the respondents (less than half, therefore) of younger age recognized the Spanish influence during the colonial period (45% mentioned other countries and 7% none), compared to 73% of those over 65 years of age. This data, according to the authors of the report, “seems to indicate that the teaching of history among children and adolescents in the region is devoting less and less attention to that historical period of each country and, consequently, Spain is less and less present in the collective memory of these societies”.
When respondents were asked to rate the historical influence of Spain in their countries, the average is 5.5 out of 10, barely positive. The rating is higher among right-wing interviewees and drops to a failing grade (below five) in the case of Peru and the left in general.
“It may be happening that, in the educational material, less and less weight is given to the colonial period, I can think of no other explanation,” said Carmen González, who warned, therefore, that the Spanish government “should be concerned about the oblivion that is occurring in Latin America”. Spanish rulers, for whom “relations with the region are important, at least in their cultural policy, should not take it for granted that these societies have similar feelings towards us”, she continued. “If the progression continues, there will be a time when only old people who studied with other books or socialized in another context will remember it,” she added.
