Perceptions of Crime and Presidential Approval Ratings in Mexico Before and After the Transition of 2000

Are citizens anxious to punish the president with low approval levels when he does not work to fight crime? This article uses Mexico as a case study to examine the relationship between the public’s perception of crime and presidential approval ratings. The research uses 11 national surveys ranging form 1994 to 2006 to analyze the effects of the perception of crime on presidential approval ratings before and after the democratic transition of 2000. The main proposition is that after the transition, the issue of crime became more important and its effects carry more weight when people evaluate the president. key words: Mexico, crime, presidential approval rating, transition, democracy. * Doctor en Ciencia Politica por la Universidad de California, San Diego. Actualmente se desempena como profesor-investigador en la Facultad de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (unam). El autor agradece el apoyo del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia y del University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States para la realizacion de este articulo. ricardo r. Gomez vilchis 96