The first reliable opinion poll since the arrest of Gen Augusto Pinochet reveals that the majority of Chileans do not believe their democracy is endangered by the former dictator's legal quagmire or their lives affected in any way by the controversy.
Conducted by the Chile office of the London-based Market Opinion Research International (MORI), the national public opinion poll also revealed that 64 per cent of the respondents consider Gen Pinochet "guilty of crimes" committed during his military regime.
Yet opinions remained divided on his London arrest, with 45 per cent saying it was bad and 44 per cent good.
MORI pollsters questioned 1,190 Chileans across the country before the UK law lords issued their decision against Gen Pinochet's diplomatic immunity. Asked if they thought the Chilean democracy was in any danger in the wake of Gen Pinochet's arrest, 66 per cent replied, "No".
When pollsters asked how the Pinochet arrest affected them and their family, 71 per cent responded, "No effect at all". Only 6 per cent said they were "cheered" at the news, while 5 per cent were "saddened".
"The population in general does not react passionately, all this passion belongs to the elite. The rest go about their lives and are not affected by it," said Ms Marta Lagos, general manager of MORI Chile.
While Chileans appeared ambivalent over the arrest itself, 57 per cent of respondents said "the best thing for the country" after Gen Pinochet returns would be for him to be tried. Twenty nine per cent opposed a trial in Chile.
A Chilean judge is currently investigating 11 lawsuits against Gen Pinochet for torture, deaths and disappearances to determine if they should merit a court trial. Similar lawsuits in the past have been transferred to military courts that apply a 1978 amnesty passed by the Pinochet regime.
The MORI polls are considered highly reliable in Chile. The organisation correctly predicted two national elections and the 1988 plebiscite, which Pinochet lost, paving the way for a civilian president after 17 years of military rule.
Although Pinochet supporters initially called for a boycott of products from Britain and Spain in the days following his arrest, 82 per cent of those polled considered boycotts a "bad idea".
The poll also showed that the socialist presidential candidate, Mr Ricardo Lagos, remains a front-runner for 1999 elections despite the fact that Gen Pinochet's arrest may have sparked misgivings among more conservative sectors.
The policies of president Salvador Allende may have contributed to a climate of unrest which sparked the 1973 coup in which Gen Pinochet came into to power. "Everything that has happened has strengthened democracy," Mr Lagos said.