Develando la coexistencia de múltiples clivajes en la opinión pública chilena

On the eve of the elections there is often criticism of the opinion polls used as a research tool by electoral sociologists. With varying degrees of success in predicting results, these surveys have provided often accurate insights into public opinion using variables that serve as markers to differentiate subjects across the political spectrum. Based on a sample of 2,873 people, we sought to characterize individuals according to their prevailing economic and political orientations and values. In order to achieve this, we applied a non-hierarchical cluster analysis and a segmentation model. The results of the study allow us to describe nine well-defined profiles that would constitute cleavages of citizen opinion. Although one of the initial objectives of this analysis was to characterize the types of electoral commitment formed in the wake of both the social crisis that erupted on October 18th, 2019, and the pandemic, the empirical evidence indicates that these cleavages remain fully valid today.