Mexico City - Seven out of 10 Mexicans believe their country
has already fallen victim to the global economic crisis, although
Mexican authorities insist that the country is in a position to face
the storm.
According to an opinion poll published in the daily El Universal
on Wednesday, 91 per cent of Mexicans think the US crisis will impact
their country, and 77 per cent believe that the crisis in Mexico
itself has already started.
Of 500 people interviewed in the telephone survey, however, 51 per
cent still claim that they do not personally feel the impact of the
crisis.
Despite the clouds hovering over the world economy, violence
remains the main cause for worry among Mexicans, the poll showed.
Five out of 10 (52 per cent) of those interviewed think it is the
worst problem facing the country.
The economy ranks second on 13 per cent, drug trafficking on 7 per
cent, unemployment on 6 per cent, and corruption on 5 per cent.
The United States is Mexico's main trade partner, and at least 6
million illegal immigrants from Mexico live and work in the United
States and send remittances to their families in Mexico.
Remittances are a key element in the subsistence of many families
living in dire poverty, and they have been falling over recent
months. In August they fell by 12.2 per cent, Mexico's Central Bank
said.
Economic analysts estimate that the crisis will have an impact on
employment, foreign investment, tourism and remittances, among
others, besides causing an increase in prices.
USA
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