This article shows that in the Latin American context, participation in municipal meetings remains generally low. By looking at the data provided by the AmericasBarometer 2008 survey, we find in 20 countries that individuals who have been victimized by crime or corruption are more likely to participate in their local governments. This pattern is also observed among individuals who live in rural areas and who are more educated. These findings suggest that individuals participate to increase security and transparency and that governmental decentralization may have a more pronounced impact in rural municipalities and among
educated people.