Three in ten Brazilians think political intolerance will improve this year

A recent poll from Ipsos shows that just three out of ten respondents think Brazilian society will be more tolerant among itself by the end of this year, a perception of intolerance boosted further by the January 8 far-right Brasília riots.

Upon taking office, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised to govern for the entire Brazilian population. “There’s no such thing as two Brazils. This is one country, a grand nation,” recalling his victory speech after the October election. “Divided, we will always be the country of the future that never arrives.”

But last year’s presidential election showed that, in many respects, there are two Brazils. Former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro lost to Lula by less than two percentage points, after more than 100 million people turned out to vote for two candidates who are the polar opposites of each other.

The Ipsos poll surveyed 24,471 people in 36 countries at the end of last year. Regarding the expectation of whether political tolerance will increase in 2023, the global median sat at a low 34 percent — identical to Brazil’s result.

In neighboring Argentina, set to hold a presidential election this year, just 21 percent did not expect a reduction in intolerance.

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• #lula
• #violence