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Brazilian Discontent Ahead of World Cup
President Rousseff Gets Poor Marks on Key Issues
The
national mood in Brazil is grim, following a year in which more than a
million people have taken to the streets of major cities across the
country to protest corruption, rising inflation and a lack of government
investment in public services such as education, health care and public
transportation, among other things. A new survey by the Pew Research
Center finds that 72% of Brazilians are dissatisfied with the way things
are going in their country, up from 55% just weeks before the
demonstrations began in June 2013.
Opinions
about the national economy have changed even more dramatically over
this one-year period. Two-thirds now say Brazil’s once-booming economy
is in bad shape, while just 32% say the economy is good. In 2013, the
balance of opinion was reversed: a 59%-majority thought the country was
in good shape economically, while 41% said the economy was bad. Economic
ratings had been consistently positive since 2010, when Pew Research
first conducted a nationally-representative survey of Brazil.
Brazilians
are also concerned about the impact that hosting the World Cup, which
begins June 12, will have on their country. About six-in-ten (61%) think
hosting the event is a bad thing for Brazil because it takes money away
from schools, health care and other public services — a common theme in
the protests that have swept the country since June 2013. Just 34%
think the World Cup, which Brazil will host for the first time since
1950 and which could attract more than 3.5 million people to the nation’s twelve host cities, will create more jobs and help the economy.
There is also skepticism about the international benefit of hosting
the World Cup. About four-in-ten (39%) say it will hurt Brazil’s image
around the world while an almost equal number (35%) say it will help;
23% say it will have no impact.
These are among the major findings from the latest survey of Brazil
by the Pew Research Center. The survey is based on face-to-face
interviews conducted between April 10 and April 30, 2014 among a
representative sample of 1,003 randomly selected adults from across the
country.
The
survey also finds widespread concern about rising prices: 85% say this
is a major problem in the country. And at least two-thirds also say a
lack of employment opportunities and the gap between the rich and the
poor are very big problems.
In addition to economic concerns, large majorities also describe
crime (83%), health care (83%), political corruption (78%) and poor
quality schools (64%) as major problems. To be sure, these are not new
challenges in Brazil. Pew Research surveys conducted since 2010 have
documented similarly widespread concern with a range of social,
political and economic issues, including crime, corruption and
inflation. But the current level of frustration Brazilians express with
their country’s direction, its economy and its leaders is unmatched in
recent years.
Rousseff’s Dismal Ratings on Key Issues
Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff receives overwhelmingly negative ratings for
her handling of important issues facing the country. And while about
half say the president is having a positive influence on the way things
are going in the country, this is in sharp contrast to opinions of
Rousseff’s predecessor and supporter, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in the
last year of his two-term presidency. In 2010, more than eight-in-ten
(84%) said Lula was having a positive impact on Brazil.
Like Lula, Rousseff receives better overall ratings from those with
lower incomes and lower levels of education. But while Lula’s influence
was seen in a positive light by majorities across all demographic
groups, Rousseff receives negative ratings from most Brazilians with a
post-secondary education (70%) and higher incomes (61%).1
Majorities of those with a primary education or less (56%) and lower
incomes (58%) say the president’s overall impact on the country is
positive.
Opinions
of Rousseff’s handling of specific issues are far more negative than
assessments of her overall influence. Clear majorities disapprove of the
way the president is dealing with all nine issues tested: corruption
(86% disapprove), health care (85%), crime (85%), public transportation
(76%), foreign policy (71%), education (71%), preparations for the World
Cup (67%), poverty (65%) and the economy (63%).
Disapproval of the president’s handling of key issues is high across
demographic groups, but tends to be particularly widespread among the
more affluent and more educated, as well as among those who live in
urban areas.
Yet,
despite her low approval ratings, the president is viewed more
favorably than her main challengers in the October election, who remain
less well known. Roughly half (51%) have a favorable opinion of
Rousseff, who represents the Workers’ Party (PT), about double the share
that say the same about Aécio Neves (27%), the candidate of the
Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), or Eduardo Campos (24%) of the
Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). All three candidates have unfavorable
ratings hovering around the 50% mark. Roughly one-in-four do not offer
an opinion of Rousseff’s challengers.Declining Views of National Groups and Institutions
Brazilians
express far less confidence in key groups and institutions than they
did four years ago. Fewer than half (47%) say the national government is
having a positive influence on the way things are going in Brazil, down
from 75% in 2010.
The police, already among the lowest-rated institutions in Brazil
four years ago, receive even less support today. Amid reports of excessive use of police force during last year’s protests and highly publicized cases of police brutality, just 33% of Brazilians currently say the police are having a good influence on their country, compared with 53% in 2010.
Similarly, about half (49%) now say the military is having a positive
impact on the way things are going in Brazil, down from the 66% that
shared this view in 2010. And while the media still receives mostly
positive ratings, fewer say its influence is positive than did so four
years ago (69% vs. 81% in 2010).
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Para ler na íntegra: http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/06/03/brazilian-discontent-ahead-of-world-cup/
