Datafolha: Lula does well in indigenous affairs and the economy skids – 04/01/2023 – Power

The start of the third Lula government was good in terms of caring for indigenous peoples and combating hunger and extreme poverty, but it faltered in terms of the economy, health and public safety.

That’s what Brazilian voters’ assessment shows in a Datafolha poll on the first three months of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) new term as president. The margin of error is two percentage points.

The selected items were those that had more than 10% of citations in the stimulated survey, which asked respondents to indicate in which of the listed areas the Lula government has done well or badly so far.

Attention to indigenous people registered 16% of positive mentions, a direct consequence of the Yanomami crisis in Roraima, which gained great prominence at the beginning of the year and in which the government acted with great visibility — whether the problem itself will be solved, time will tell .

Next came the fight against extreme poverty, seen by 12% as a point for Lula. The theme has been the center of her rhetoric since the previous campaigns and the two governments (2003-2010) she commanded, and as soon as she took over the president, she recreated Bolsa Família in its original format.

On the positive side, just below came culture (8%) and the promotion of racial equality (7%), points that were relegated to the second or third plan under the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and whose defense is usually associated with the field that self-styled progressive, on the left. Not by chance, both areas gained their own ministries under Lula, which explains the evaluation.

Then, within the margin of error, come the fight against unemployment (6%), the defense of human rights and health (5%), education and foreign affairs (4%). The economy was only seen as well served by 3%. 13% did not mention any positive point, and 5% did not know how to answer.

On the other hand, it is the economy that dominates the negative mentions. They consider that Lula is doing poorly in this area, where he is trying to set the course by presenting the fiscal framework, 15%. Health and public safety are cited by 12%, while combating unemployment and corruption are mentioned by 10%.

One step below, tied at the limit of the margin of error, comes education (6%). Then, fighting extreme poverty (4%) and a series of other topics. 7% did not see any unattended areas, while 10% did not respond.

When asked about national priorities, the voters interviewed reflect the assessment of politicians about the country’s state of mind after three years of the new coronavirus pandemic. During the electoral campaign, the defense of traditional themes such as health and education, in addition to the economy, reappeared.

Among Bolsonaro’s allies, there is consensus on the assessment that the ex-president’s denialist behavior in the face of Covid-19 was fatal to his claim for re-election.

The fight against corruption, prevalent in national concerns in the heyday of Operation Lava Jato, from 2014 to 2019, was left aside from the center of campaign speeches.

Thus, unsurprisingly, health comfortably leads the ranking of priorities, with 32% of mentions in the stimulated survey, although the index has dropped ten points since December, when Datafolha asked the same question.

Education comes next, with 16%, with the fight against unemployment marking 12% and extreme poverty, 10%. The economy in general (8%) ties with public security (7%), while the fight against corruption scores 4%.

On the 29th and 30th of March, Datafolha heard from 2,028 people aged over 16 in 126 municipalities.