Arauco province situation divides Biobío: 33% call for increased security, while 32% point to dialogue

Biobío is not entirely convinced about the path it is taking. When residents are asked whether the region is moving in a good or bad direction in economic, social, and political matters, 46% say it is on a negative course, while 41% think the opposite. The same is not true when looking into their territories. The idea of the bad path intensifies strongly in the province of Arauco, whose capital is Lebu, rising to 58%. Meanwhile, in Concepción it slightly exceeds the regional figure (48%). In contrast, that negative trend is reversed in Biobío, where the idea of moving in a good direction prevails (48%). Beyond how the present course is evaluated, 52% of Biobío feels optimistic about its future. Although the margin over pessimism (45%) is narrow, hope prevails as the majority in all three provinces: it gains strength in Biobío province (57%), rebounds in Arauco (54%), and is more measured in Concepción (50%). In this last province, and although only the Biobío River separates them, Hualpén is the bastion of optimism (59%), while its neighbor San Pedro de la Paz is that of pessimism (56%). Concepción These are some of the findings of the survey conducted by Cadem for Esto es Chile: a project that this firm, La Tercera, and Inacap developed to discover and publicize what each region of the country thinks and feels. To fulfill that goal, 1,018 men and women over 18 years of age from the 33 communes of the region participated in the Biobío survey, with 90% of the sample applied to the urban population and 10% to the rural population. This was done through non-probabilistic sampling, with quotas by age, zone, and socioeconomic level, with data collected online between November 9 and 10 of this year. Behind that division about the future, the region's citizens have a more forceful diagnosis of the present. Six out of 10 (61%) Biobío residents rate the region's economic situation as "bad or very bad." That negative rating registers even higher figures when asked to evaluate consumers' purchasing power (72%), wages (81%), and jobs in the area (83%). And regarding the situation for companies to invest, 54% rate it negatively. However, the judgment is more even at the family level. When evaluating their personal and family economic situation, there was a tie at 49% between positive and negative evaluations. Sea lions of Talcahuano CAMILA LASSALLE Camila Lassalle The poor rating of employment is backed by regional statistics. The latest unemployment report from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) placed Biobío as the third region with the most unemployment in the country (10.5%). In this way, it is one of only four regions that exceeds two digits in September, along with Ñuble (11.8%), O'Higgins (10.9%), and the Metropolitan Region (10.4%). With those figures in mind, it is not surprising that the biggest challenge for Biobío residents is employment (42%). Nevertheless, it is a challenge that weighs less than in Maule (50%) —where the last edition of the study was conducted— and the region's other challenges are more evenly matched: after employment come the cost of living (31%), economic growth (30%), and security and drug trafficking (29%). The top five is closed out by the challenge of centralism and the general lack of autonomy (23%). That concern about employment in Biobío is also reflected in the notion of having to go to another area in order to find work: three out of four respondents (75%) agree that it is common to have to leave the region to find a job. On the other hand, disagreement led on the idea that it is common to leave Biobío to access quality health care (53%) and education (57%), except in Arauco: there, 66% and 64%, respectively, did agree with those statements. Arauco, the province that divides Biobío This week, the Senate again extended the constitutional state of emergency in the La Araucanía Region and in the provinces of Arauco and Biobío, a measure that has remained in place, without interruption, since May 2022. However, authorities have acknowledged that violence in the area has decreased: in September, Security Minister Martín Arrau reported that violent events in Arauco fell 55.9% year over year. Faced with the situation in Arauco, residents of the Biobío Region attribute its causes, in nearly equal parts, to poverty and lack of employment (25%) and to violence and organized crime (24%). But when asking within that same province, only one of those readings is amplified: within Arauco, 55% point to unemployment and poverty as the main cause, while mentions of organized crime drop to 4%. Back in the regional total, the third most mentioned cause was the lack of State presence and services (16%); the fourth, the land conflict (14%); and the fifth, the historical debt with the Mapuche people (13%). As for how to address that situation, Biobío is divided into three marked thirds. 33% point to increasing security and police control, 32% opt for dialogue and recognition of the Mapuche people, and 27% favor more social investment, which is the alternative that predominates within Arauco itself (47%). In line with that last option, 62% of respondents agree that Biobío is a very centralist region and that the province of Arauco has been left behind. Among the area's own inhabitants, support for that statement rises to 86%. Linked to the option of dialogue and recognition, the survey also asked citizens whether indigenous peoples are usually considered in regional decision-making. In this regard, almost half disagree (49%), while 38% say they are considered. That perception of exclusion intensifies among those who identify as part of the Mapuche people (71%). The future and the ports Whether because of its wide variety of forest plantations, agricultural fields, or ports, Biobío is a region aware of what it possesses. 87% of its inhabitants agree that the area has everything needed to be a leading player in Chile's development, and 78% maintain that, due to that great diversity, it can even be considered a small country. And if it were one, it would be a resilient one: 77% of its citizens also believe it is a region that gets back on its feet in the face of crises, without waiting for the State. Biobío also knows what it lives on. More than six out of 10 inhabitants (65%) point to the forestry and cellulose sector as the region's main economic activity. It is followed, though at a distance, by fishing and aquaculture (29%), for which Biobío is considered Chile's fishing capital, and by ports and logistics (27%). At this point, provincial nuances also emerge. In Biobío province, second place in economic importance goes to agriculture and agribusiness (41%), while in Concepción province that place is taken by ports and logistics (33%). In Concepción province, as a reminder of another era, 11% highlight the economic value of the steel industry. After 74 years of history, in September 2024 the suspension of operations of the Compañía Siderúrgica Huachipato, located in Talcahuano, was announced. With its closure, 73% of the region agrees that it marks the end of an era for Biobío, while a fifth (20%) say the closure affected them or a close family member, compared with 75% who had no connection to it. The impact is concentrated mainly in Concepción province (24%), but is spread across Arauco (13%) and Biobío (10%). Forest plantations Although the region knows which industry is most important, it is not the one it views most favorably. When asked about the industries with the best image, on a scale of 1 to 7, ports and logistics lead with 51% giving "excellent or good" ratings, followed by education (47%) and, close behind, the forestry industry (45%). At the other end of the list, with "terrible or bad" ratings, the mining and rare earths sector closes the table (52%). Looking toward the future, that table is, to some extent, replicated. Ports and logistics top the mentions as the industry with the greatest potential to contribute to the region's development (30%), although the forestry industry follows closely (28%) and, at a distance, tourism and hospitality (19%). Although it was considered the industry with the worst image, the mining and rare earths sector (19%) ties for third place on greatest potential. Carlos Acuna/Agencia Aton CARLOS ACUNA/ATON CHILE Tourism, on the other hand, awakens a broader consensus. Nine out of 10 respondents (91%) agreed that the region has great tourism potential yet to be developed, especially at the sea. In Arauco province, that industry takes second place in future potential (28%). And regarding the predominance of timber, although 77% of Biobío considers that the regional economy depends too much on the forestry sector and that diversification is needed, 61% are also in favor of that industry investing more in the region, with the aim of expanding the supply of cellulose and timber. On this last point, the position in favor led much more markedly among men (73%) than among women (49%), and among those who recently arrived in the region (79%). Despite the diversity of its industries, only 23% of Biobío feels that the wealth generated in its territory returns as benefits for its inhabitants. Although the region with the country's second-largest urban conglomerate sees itself as an area that challenges Santiago (63%), it also feels that some of its problems come from the country's center. Port of Talcahuano Camila Lassalle When projecting Biobío 10 years into the future, what its inhabitants most desire is that young people can study and work without migrating out of the region (36%), and also that the area becomes a benchmark in quality of life (30%). In third place, an idea that hovers over other items returns: consolidating itself as a logistics gateway to the Southern Cone through its ports (25%). On the other hand, regarding the challenges that most affect competitiveness and investment, 57% point to the centralism of decision-making in Santiago. At a distance follow the increase in labor costs (23%), insecurity and rural violence (21%), and the lack of infrastructure (20%). Pending works and projects When defining their infrastructure priorities so that Biobío can develop, its inhabitants point to transportation and then to basic services. First place goes to the construction of new highways and alternative routes (52%), which Arauco province calls for most strongly (76%); in second place, new railway lines (47%), a priority that leads in Concepción province (51%); and in third place, bringing drinking water to rural areas and connectivity for isolated areas (45%), which was a strong point in both Arauco (51%) and Biobío (50%). And closing out the top five are the airport expansion (20%) and the connection with Argentina (17%). Industrial Bridge of the Biobío Region, the longest in Chile, in operation since 2025, connecting the communes of San Pedro de la Paz and Hualpén. Source: MOP. The region's priorities also include wetlands. Even if it means delaying important works for Biobío, 71% say it is necessary to protect them, which was a point of cross-cutting agreement among all the groups participating in the survey. Only 18% are willing to prioritize important works for the region even if they affect the wetlands. When specifically evaluating regional projects and their priorities, the most relevant for the region's citizens are the pending hospitals of Santa Bárbara and Nacimiento (82%), located in Biobío province. By a small margin, they are followed by the extension of the Biotrén to Lota (81%), whose engineering development will extend until 2028, and access to direct flights to regions other than Santiago (76%). Then come the public transport corridors on routes 160 and 150 (75%), the Interport Route and Northern Rail Access to the ports (72%), and a metro connecting Greater Concepción (70%). Toward the bottom of the table appear the Pie de Monte Route (69%) and the regional government's roadmap, Biobío 2050 (59%). In last place in relevance among regional projects appears the Penco rare earth mining project, which was the only one where citizens split over its relevance, being rated slightly less relevant (46%) than relevant (41%). This discussion is also evident in the fact that it was the most famous project in the survey: 84% said they had heard of it. When asking Biobío directly about its stance, it again splits into two halves: among those who know the project, 49% are in favor and 47% are against. There is a marked gap between men's support (64%) and women's (36%), with greater rejection in the 18 to 34 age range (62%).