An official poll was conducted May 10 by the well regarded Ecuadorian pollster group, Informe Confidencial. The polls were conducted in both the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito and the country’s largest city, Guayaquil. The question asked was ‘Weighing things, do you think the development of mining is good or bad for the country?’ Over 84% of the citizens polled in Quito and over 86% of those polled in Guayaquil responded that mining will be good for the country. This poll was commissioned and published in the popular Ecuadorian magazine, Vanguardia. This poll on mining follows a separate poll indicating that the top three issues on the minds of Ecuadorians are unemployment, poverty and the high costs of goods. Dan Carriere, Senior Vice President, Corriente Resources, notes: “As we have heard in multiple statements from President Rafael Correa over the past few months, socially and environmentally responsible mining can play a major role in directly addressing basic economic needs in Ecuador.

It is encouraging to see that in addition to those who will directly benefit in mining project areas, a majority of citizens in the major cities also view mining as an important new economic pillar in the country.”