CONFIANZA EN LAS INSTITUCIONES ELECTORALES EN MÉXICO: EL IFE BAJO LA MIRADA CIUDADANA

Abstract

Confidence in political institutions can be a substantial component of democratization agenda´s, mainly in countries where democracy is still at early stages. However, levels of confidence reached in countries like Mexico do not seem to advance in order to bestow stability and permanence to political institutions, which is the case of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE). The purpose of this essay is to examine the evolution of confidence among Mexicans, both interpersonal and institutional towards the IFE, in the first decade of the century. The analysis is based upon Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and in the World Values Survey, taken the rounds of such decade; as well as Data from Mitofsky Consulting and Encuesta Nacional de Cultura Política (ENCUP) surveys from 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 years. The main argument is that in Mexico interpersonal confidence still shows precarious levels therefore citizen networks are not developing social capital, which in turn would provide endurance to political institutions. Nevertheless confidence in the IFE shows a positive increase, and that is the good news to Mexican democracy.