Targeted sensibility: Costa Rica’s public opinion and foreign policy towards Nicaragua

Abstract

Previous research has noted the importance of public opinion on foreign policy issues. This study seeks to identify Costa Ricans’ public opinion structure, in order to estimate the effect of a relevant international event: the International Court of Justice’s decision on the case Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua. For this purpose, we use a series of surveys, which have periodically incorporated questions related to foreign affairs. It can be confirmed that the approval of foreign policy and domestic policy are relatively autonomous dimensions. In addition, the models indicate that the perception of foreign relations in the country improved significantly after the Court’s decision was known. These results show that public opinion in Costa Rica responds to international events, although this happens in conditions of special sensitivity, such as relations with Nicaragua.

Keywords

• opinión pública
• política exterior
• costa rica
• nicaragua
• corte internacional de justicia