Half of Chileans think the mudslide that hit Las Condes on Thursday, October 8 could have been prevented. 51% of those surveyed by Cadem believe the emergency would not have occurred if authorities had acted in advance.
La Tercera reported these findings from Cadem's Plaza Pública survey for the second week of October. Conversely, 45% believe the mudslide was an exceptional event caused by the amount of rainfall and the El Niño phenomenon.
According to details reported by Cambio21, the survey was conducted through an online platform among men and women aged 18 or older. The sample covered the country's 16 regions and 160 municipalities.
The survey also assessed those who responded on the ground. Firefighters received the highest approval rating, at 93%. They were followed by the police, at 79%, and the municipality's own residents, at 74%.
The institutions responsible for coordination received poorer ratings. 45% disapproved of the management of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), the state agency that coordinates emergency responses. 51% disapproved of the government's performance and 54% of the media's.
Concern extends beyond what happened in Las Condes. 82% consider Chile poorly prepared or not prepared at all to face heavy rainfall, flooding and other events associated with El Niño. Only 17% believe the country is very or fairly well prepared.
The perceived intensity of the phenomenon also increased. 94% say El Niño has been very or fairly intense during 2026, 14 points higher than in July, when that figure reached 80% amid heavy rainfall in various areas.
Regarding the underlying causes, 71% link the droughts, fires and floods of recent years to climate change. 26% believe these are events that have always occurred.
The sources do not specify which concrete preventive measures respondents are calling for or what responsibilities they assign to each authority.
In politics, the same survey found that approval of President José Antonio Kast remained at 32%, with disapproval at 64%.
