Persistent discontent with inequality in Chile has fueled repeated mobilizations against neoliberal institutions. Yet structural transformation remains limited. This article examines how public opinion shapes the political impact of social movements, focusing on the student protests from 2006 to 2018. When mass mobilization aligned with public concern and policy preferences, reform gained momentum. As this alignment broke down, however, public ambivalence increasingly constrained demands for universalism. The analysis shows that popular frustration alone does not guarantee support for transformative change. Under certain conditions, it may sustain the very neoliberal logics it seeks to resist.
El persistente descontento con la desigualdad en Chile ha impulsado repetidas movilizaciones contra las instituciones neoliberales. Sin embargo, la transformación estructural sigue siendo limitada. Este artículo examina cómo la opinión pública configura el impacto político de los movimientos sociales, centrándose en las protestas estudiantiles entre 2006 y 2018. Cuando la movilización masiva se alineó con la preocupación pública y con las preferencias de política pública, las reformas cobraron impulso. Sin embargo, a medida que esta convergencia se debilitó, la ambivalencia pública comenzó a limitar cada vez más las demandas por políticas universalistas. El análisis muestra que la frustración popular por sí sola no garantiza el apoyo a cambios transformadores. Bajo ciertas condiciones, incluso puede sostener las mismas lógicas del neoliberalismo que busca cuestionar.
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