Majority in SP (53%) is against Sabesp’s privatization – 04/09/2023 – Market

The privatization of Sabesp, a São Paulo sanitation company, is rejected by the largest share of residents in the state of São Paulo, shows a survey by Datafolha.

According to the survey, 53% of respondents say they are against transferring the company to the private sector, while 40% are in favor. The minority (1%) declares to be indifferent, and 6% do not know.

The survey was carried out between April 3rd and 5th, in 65 municipalities in all regions of the state of São Paulo. 1,806 face-to-face interviews were carried out with people over 16 years old. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The survey shows that no segment endorses the sale of the sanitation company in a majority way.

The opposition to Sabesp’s privatization outweighs the favorable position in terms of gender, age, education and income. The exception is respondents between 35 and 44 years old, where there is a tie: 48% are against, and 48% are in favor.

Support, however, is above average (49%) among those who claim to have voted for Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) for governor in the second round of the 2022 elections. Among Fernando Haddad (PT) voters, 65% reject the proposal.

Considering the main occupation of the interviewees, only the group of businessmen has a majority position in favor of privatization: 54%.

Rejection, in turn, is higher among students (65%), civil servants (59%), and unemployed people (54%).

The privatization of the sanitation company is considered the crown jewel of Tarcísio’s management, who wants to see the company in the hands of the private sector as early as 2024.

Last week, the governor said he was optimistic about the process and said that a contract with the World Bank for structuring the project will be signed in the next few days.

Tarcísio wants to make the privatization of public companies one of the hallmarks of his management. According to him, if all 15 planned privatization projects are successful, the state of São Paulo could attract around R$ 180 billion in investments.

Although the majority of people from São Paulo are against Sabesp’s privatization, Datafolha showed that the largest portion thinks that, if the company were granted, the service would surpass the current one in terms of quality.

For 43% of respondents, water supply and sewage treatment in São Paulo would be better if the company were with the private sector. According to the survey, 28% believe it would be worse, 22% think it would be the same, and another 7% do not know.

Privatization of the port of Santos divides São Paulo

Another bet by Tarcísio in his privatization agenda is that of the port of Santos, a project that he himself led as Minister of Infrastructure for Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The Datafolha poll showed that 43% of residents in the state of São Paulo are in favor, and 45% are against.

Support increases among men according to age, education and income. Half of the male respondents say they are in favor of privatizing the port.

Among people with higher education, support reaches 47%, a proportion that reaches 57% among respondents who earn between five and ten minimum wages. The majority (52%) of those who voted for Tarcísio for governor are also in favor of the project.

As in the case of Sabesp, most of those interviewed also say that the structure and services would be better if the port of Santos were in the hands of the private sector.

For 45%, the concession would improve the port’s situation, while 19% believe it would get worse. Another 19% think the service would remain the same, and 17% don’t know.

Datafolha also asked respondents who live in the metropolitan region of São Paulo about the privatization of passenger train lines. According to the survey, 45% say they are in favor, while 49% are opposed.

Regarding subway lines, the scenario is even more divided: 48% in favor and 47% against.