Using survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and Encuesta
Nacional Sobre la Inseguridad (ENSI) for Mexico during the period 2004-2010, this paper
analyses the impact of insecurity and crime victimization on support and satisfaction with
democracy and trust in institutions. With the LAPOP data, perceptions about higher insecurity
decrease support and satisfaction with democracy. Perceptions of insecurity and crime
victimization have a negative significant effect on trust in institutions, and this finding is robust
to using LAPOP and ENSI data. Perceptions of insecurity and crime victimization have a larger
negative effect on trust in institutions that directly deal with crime, such as the police and judicial
system. Data also shows that those states with higher drug trafficking activity show lower trust in
institutions, and that trust in institutions has deteriorated over time at a faster pace in the
northeast and northwest regions.