Ecuador - Still happy, despite everything

Ecuador is a land of contrast. In only 215,000 square kilometres, it holds the world’s highest volcanoes, the deep bushes of the Amazon rainforest and, a thousand kilometres from its coasts, the Galapagos islands, one of the world’s most beautiful and important natural laboratories, so mystical and bedazzling that pirates called them “the enchanted islands” and where Charles Darwin found inspiration for his theory of evolution.

Yet, the contrast is not only geographical

Ipsos research found that Ecuadorians have grown worried during 2022 —mainly due to issues related to street violence and the economy, being battered by the pandemic, the country’s dependence on raw material exports and the impact of global inflation.

Also, 97% of Ecuadorians polled said they do not trust the political establishment because of corruption scandals^[1]. Thus, their hopes for a better future do not lie on the government, but on civil society – over 50% of those interviewed said that social organizations are more likely to drive positive change in the country. Such figures do paint a dire panorama.

Yet, Ipsos found that 81% of Ecuadorians declared themselves to be happy: it seems they are happier than most of their regional neighbors, and indeed beyond^[2].

We have been trying to figure out these contrasts and apparent contradictions that have been part of our cultural identity

How does a country ravaged by violent deaths, poor employment rates, become the happiest nation in the world?

Ipsos has been collecting the data to help us all make sense of this. In partnership with award-winning media outlet GK, we have been trying to figure out these contrasts and apparent contradictions that have been part of our cultural identity.

Perhaps Alexander von Humboldt, the celebrated 18th-century German explorer, defined it better after visiting the country in the early 1800s: “Ecuadorians are rare and unique beings: they sleep peacefully in the midst of crackling volcanoes, they live poor in the midst of incomparable riches and they rejoice with sad music”. It may be that Ecuadorians have simply found optimism as a coping strategy works better than pessimism!

José María León
Cristina Paez

Notes

[1] https://www.ipsos.com/es-ec/percepcion-de-los-ecuatorianos-acerca-de-la-confianza-en-instituciones

[2] https://www.ipsos.com/es-ec/que-le-genera-mayor-felicidad-los-ecuatoriano