The doubt about the official figures was a classic after Kirchnerism exploded Indec’s reputation with its embezzlement. After its demise, the institute regained its credibility. But when wallets are tight, there’s no shortage of disbelievers who say, “Who are you trying to convince that inflation is 2 or 3%? There’s a lot more to it than just going shopping!” As journalists, we try to explain details that will clarify this confusion for whoever is addressing it. That these are averages, that Indec measures a typical consumer basket for a given moment, which depends on what each person buys on a daily basis. And it’s true, this basket is already a few decades old and today the consumption structure is completely different. Something that the institute changes with this goal. It makes sense to celebrate that inflation has fallen from 211% annually to 30%, but it is unwise to insist on this in difficult times like the current ones. Even if we look at the neighbors, 30% is not logical inflation.
The same goes for the official claim that “we have lifted 12 million people out of poverty.” Or that unemployment was reduced to 6.6% of the population. It is likely that some improvement in the income of these 12 million Argentines has caused them to leave this statistical level. And some got jobs. It’s enough to walk a little down the street to realize that there isn’t much to celebrate.
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