Objective:

Ro compare the social representations content of unemployment of inhabitants of diverse cultural contexts and different population groups.

Methodology:

690 people (356 women and 334 men) participated, selected by purposeful sampling. Rhe free listing technique was applied to them; the data was analyzed by the thematic content analysis.

Results:

Rhe categories were found: economic components, personal and social effects, negative emotions and coping with unemployment. All the participants show coincidences in representing unemployment with a global vision, as an unemployed time, without money, that generates poverty, negative emotions, personal and social effects, most included proposals for individual coping and few social coping.

Conclusion:

Differences were found by age groups and by place of origin. Highlighting the population perspective allows access to their world of meanings and generates bases to establish proposals for individual, institutional and social intervention.

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