Chilean leaders dispute Kast’s claims over Casen poverty data

Chilean political figures are debating the validity of the 2024 Casen Survey poverty statistics. President José Antonio Kast has questioned the reported decline in poverty levels during Gabriel Boric’s administration, suggesting that state subsidies may have artificially influenced the results.

Former Minister of the Interior Carolina Tohá defended the survey, stating that the methodology is based on technical processes conducted by experts rather than being a government-driven product. She argued that including subsidies to support low-income families is a social decision to ensure no one is left behind, rather than an attempt to inflate socioeconomic data.

Minister of Social Development Giorgio Jackson also criticized the President’s stance, asserting that claims of error in the poverty reduction data are “100% incorrect.” Jackson noted that the Casen methodology involves various institutions, including the National Statistics Institute (INE), the University of Chile, CEPAL, and the UNDP, emphasizing that the expert panels involved are politically transversal.