For 81% of Brazilians, candidates should believe in God
Belief in God is considered an essential quality in political candidates by eight out of ten Brazilians (81%). This perception is stronger among lower-income groups – 89 percent of those earning up to one minimum wage - than among the wealthiest, at 57 percent of those earning between 10 and 20 minimum wages per month. The data come from a survey conducted by the Laboratory for…
Eighty-one percent of Brazilians believe a political candidate's belief in God is essential, according to a survey by the Laboratory for Socio-Anthropological Studies in Politics, Art, and Religion at Fluminense Federal University. This sentiment is particularly strong among lower-income groups, with 89% of those earning up to one minimum wage holding this view, compared to 57% among those with incomes between 10 and 20 minimum wages per month.
The survey, presented at the 1st International and Multidisciplinary Congress on Society: Religion, Politics, and Values, also found that 74% of respondents agree that God makes people better, and 82% believe schools should teach children and adolescents to believe in God.
However, this strong faith in God does not necessarily translate into greater trust in religious institutions. Only 56% of respondents trust the Catholic Church, the institution with the highest credibility in Brazil, followed by Protestant churches (51%) and Kardecist institutions (19%). This lack of trust in religious institutions challenges the concept of the state, with 54% of respondents believing the state should not be secular.
Sociologist Christina Vital of UFF's Graduate Program in Sociology noted that this confusion about the meaning of secularism contributes to the far right's exploitation of religious values. Seven out of ten candidates for political office in Rio de Janeiro believe or claim to believe in a progressive conspiracy seeking moral degeneration through the school system. The far right exploits these religious values to strengthen its "project of the past."
Christina Vital observed a universal rhetoric surrounding the loss of something from the past, affecting skin color, social classes, gender, and beyond. This fear can manifest in various political forms, including left-leaning ideologies. Lucio Rennó, a political scientist at the University of Brasília, found a correlation between being evangelical and voting for the far right, indicating an identity-based relationship where Brazilians prefer candidates they perceive as resembling themselves.
Written by urgent.news from Agencia Brasil's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
