{"id":524921,"date":"2026-09-22T10:57:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=524921"},"modified":"2026-09-22T10:57:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:57:35","slug":"how-brazilians-view-their-country-ahead-of-2026-elections","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/09\/22\/how-brazilians-view-their-country-ahead-of-2026-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"How Brazilians view their country ahead of 2026 elections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Towels
Towels for sale showing Brazilian presidential candidates Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro in a residential area of Bras\u00edlia on Sept. 11, 2026. (Sergio Lima\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio \u200bLula da Silva is running for a fourth term in the general elections set to take place on Oct. 4. One of his prominent opponents is Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. If no candidate gets 50% of the votes in the first round, there will be a runoff on Oct. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the issues at stake in this election are Brazil\u2019s relationships with its main trading partners, China and the United States. Lula is likely to seek stronger trade relations with China<\/a> if reelected. On the other hand, Flavio Bolsonaro is expected to align more closely with the Trump administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Brazilians prepare to cast their ballots, here are four facts about how they view their country and Brazil\u2019s main trading partners, according to a spring 2026 Pew Research Center survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at how adults in Brazil view their government and their country\u2019s largest trading partners, China and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This analysis brings together several topics we regularly study: global views of the U.S. and China<\/a>, as well as Brazilians\u2019 views of their country<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a> and our international surveys<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We surveyed 1,054 adults in Brazil from Feb. 20 to April 15, 2026. We designed the survey so we could talk about the views of the adult population in the country. Here is the survey methodology<\/a> used for this analysis. Refer to toplines for questions about Brazilians\u2019 views of their country<\/a>, their views of the U.S. and President Donald Trump<\/a>, and their views of China and President Xi Jinping<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

About four-in-ten Brazilian adults are satisfied with the way democracy is working in their country.<\/strong> Since Lula took office for a third term in January 2023, the share who say this has been relatively stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, satisfaction has shifted a lot since we started asking this question in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly two-thirds of Brazilians were happy with their democracy in 2013, under the administration of Dilma Rousseff. But in 2018, under President Michel Temer, 83% of Brazilians expressed dissatisfaction<\/em> with their democracy. That\u2019s the highest share in more than a decade of our surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Most Brazilians are not satisfied with their democracy<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
% of Brazilian adults who are __ with the way democracy is working in their country<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Note: Those who did not answer are not shown.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Source: Survey of Brazilian adults conducted Feb. 20-April 15, 2026.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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