Coronavirus

Bolsonaro’s approval ratings improve in July

According to an XP/Ipespe survey, 30 percent of the Brazilian population rated President Bolsonaro’s government as either ‘good or great’ in July, a 2-percent bump from June. Meanwhile, the number of people that considered Bolsonaro’s administration ‘bad or terrible’ fell by 3 percentage points, dropping to 45 percent. Both figures indicate a timid increase in Mr. Bolsonaro’s approval ratings over the past two months, especially among low-income Brazilians.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, 46 percent of low-income Brazilians approved of the president’s administration as either good or great, a figure that rose to 48 percent last month and is now at 50 percent.

Mr. Bolsonaro’s increased popularity among low-income families is likely tied to the government’s distribution of a BRL 600 (USD 112) emergency salary during the pandemic, which has been vital in keeping millions of Brazilians from reaching extreme poverty. The popularity of the program has been such that the president is considering a reform of Brazil’s most successful welfare program Bolsa Família in a bid to further boost his approval ratings among low-income households.

The perception that Mr. Bolsonaro is steering the economy in the right direction also rose from 29 percent in June to 33 percent in July. His approval figures now resemble his standing among Brazilians prior to the exit of Justice Minister Sérgio Moro in late April, which further fractured his electoral base. Yet, the president’s overall approval ratings are still a far cry from pre-pandemic levels.

The XP/Ipespe survey polled 1,000 Brazilians across the country between July 13 and 15 with a margin of error of 3.2 percent.

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