In a poll conducted on Tuesday, more than half of Brazilians expressed approval of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s performance, one year into his third non-consecutive term leading Brazil.
The approval rating for Lula’s government also increased, with 42.7% of those polled viewing it as great or good. This is compared to 40.6% in the previous survey by pollster MDA in September. Marginal increases were also observed in the percentage of people who considered Lula’s administration as bad or terrible, which rose to 27.9% from 27.2%.
The poll showed that the rating of the leftist president’s performance edged up to 55.2% from 54.9% in September, while disapproval also rose slightly to 39.6 from 39.0%. The MDA poll was commissioned by the transport sector lobby CNT.
However, as Brazil prepares for mayoral elections in November, the poll suggests that Lula faces challenging months ahead if he wants to maintain his popularity. The economy and public security are the primary concerns for most voters.
The poll also indicated that nearly half of Brazilians (49%) fear their incomes will decline in the next six months, while 36% expect an increase. Additionally, they anticipate an improvement in the job market.
Lula received his best approval ratings among lower-income Brazilians and in poorer northeastern Brazil, his political stronghold. Conversely, he performed poorly among higher income groups and evangelical Christian voters, as per the findings of MDA.
MDA director Marcelo Souza noted, “After the first year of the Lula government, expectations for the coming months remain positive, especially on topics that are priorities for the population, such as the economy, health, and education.” However, he emphasized the need for Lula to focus on public safety, as rising violent crime in Brazilian cities has led to the worst reviews for the president in this area.
The poll conducted by MDA interviewed 2,002 people in person between Jan. 18-21. It has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.
(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Steven Grattan and Susan Fenton)
