Prestige of Latin American Nations According to Students, 1965

This study was based on interviews conducted in 1965 at several universities in Latin America (University of Chile and Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales [FLACSO], Chile, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and University of Minas Gerais, Brazil) as well as at a university in Oslo, Norway. Respondents were asked a series of questions to ascertain their level of knowledge about 20 Latin American countries. Students were asked to name the capital and head of state for each country and to estimate the population of each, the per capita income, rates of illiteracy and industrialization, and race categories in each country. Respondents were also asked to rate each country's prestige and importance within the Latin American system and to consider which criteria were relevant for defining the position of a country: its size, average education, industrialization, political stability, degree of urbanization, and/or scientific development. Demographic variables cover nationality, age, sex, field of study, and number of years spent at the university.