MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The “global” Chilean

Globalization has had an accelerated and strong social and cultural impact in Chilean society according to a preliminary report from the United Nations Development Program, PNUD.

"We the Chileans: a cultural challenge" is the title of the report elaborated after interviewing 3,600 people, a cross cut of Chilean society, where individualism, a loss of political identification and an ever growing influence of television are identifies as some of the main factors of the new trend.

A majority of Chileans believes that "now everybody is on its own since politics is useless", and "it's important to participate in community affairs but keeping distance from politics and anything political".

The report indicates that daily conversations among Chileans are now inspired in television news, special investigative programs and the latest films.

Overall Chileans seem to have managed "globalization" circumstances and consequences, such as a more uniform and fair society with women rapidly catching up with men in job opportunities and other responsibilities.

However religiosity has been influenced and Chileans apparently now practice their faith in a more personal way, while participation in church activities has consistently declined.And in this individualistic concept of every day life, Chileans consider family has a leading role to play but most of those polled view it as an institution in crisis, and a permanent source of tension and problems.