Enough Crises to Choose from: The Perceived Sense of Crisis in Panama

Abstract

The COVID-19 health crisis and its consequences have exacerbated existing issues in the political, economic, and cultural spheres of societies. An exploratory, descriptive, mixed-method study using a phenomenological interpretative approach was conducted to identify the perceptions of Panamanian residents on what type of crisis the country is facing, who is responsible, and how should it be dealt with? This study relies on one online survey distributed across social media platforms over a 5-month period in 2020, generating a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 561 persons. Demographic variables and open-ended questions were included in the survey. We conclude that education, health, and labor were the most commonly identified crises. Training, civic engagement, and solidarity were acknowledged as critical in overcoming the crisis. There is a strong tendency to delegate these overcoming responsibilities exclusively to government authorities. The perception of the crisis varies depending on the respondent’s educational level. Higher educational levels encourage a more active and self-reflective response to the circumstances, and the desire to seek social support through community networks corresponds to this perception. This encompasses positive aspects such as the opportunity for a change and improving one’s quality of life, and negative aspects such as increased distrust of government institutions and ruling politicians.