Government has already launched 6 projects throughout the year aimed at the public that most disapproves of it, such as the Minha Casa expansion
Keeping an eye on the electorate that most disapproves of his management, the government of a (PT) intensified a package of measures in 2025 to alleviate the cost of living and expand access to credit for the middle class.
The strategy culminated in October, with the launch of new housing and financing programs for those who were between the roof of the My Home, My Life and the high market interest rates – families with income between R$8 thousand and R$20 thousand:
- New real estate credit: Lula a new model of real estate credit, focused on the upper-middle class (income from R$12 thousand to R$20 thousand). The measure raises the ceiling of the financed property to R$2.25 million and limits interest to 12% per year;
- Casa Brasil Reform: In the wake of the housing package, the government launched a R$40 billion program for credit for renovations, with a portion of R$10 billion destined for families with incomes above R$9,600.
To make economic projections and carry out social programs, the government uses the Total Household Income marker: the sum of all income that enters the household, including salaries, pensions and rent. This value indicates the family’s purchasing power and serves to define who belongs to the middle class.
O “Income and Consumption Classes in Brazil: 2024-2034”from Tendências Consultoria, offers the most current overview. Brazilian social stratification, according to the survey, follows the following values:
- classes D and E (vulnerable/low income) – until R$ 3.400; families dependent on social programs and the informal job market;
- class C (lower average) – between R$ 3.400 e R$ 8.100; the group that supports the new protagonism of the middle class in the country;
- class B (high average – between R$ 8.100 e R$ 25.200; covers the most consolidated professional and entrepreneurial segment;
- class A (high income) – superior a R$ 25.200; the top of the pyramid, with high dependence on financial capital and investments.
For Lula, Brazilians with an income of up to R$5,000 per month cannot be considered middle class. The president has repeated throughout 2025 that it is necessary “create a middle class society” in the country – where the majority of the population has enough purchasing power to meet their basic needs and go beyond them.
“Anyone who earns up to R$5,000 cannot be called middle class. If the person pays rent and has a child at school, they can barely eat”during the announcement ceremony of the new housing credit model, in São Paulo. According to the president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Carlos Vieira, the focus on the middle class in the program was a direct request from Lula.
In 2025, the PT member announced other initiatives targeting the group:
- Worker Credit: Seen internally as a “revolution”, the private payroll loan program to offer lower interest loans to private sector workers. The modality was available in the federal government’s digital wallet;
- IR exemption: Lula proposed the bill to try to fulfill his campaign promise of exempting those who receive up to R$5,000 per month from Income Tax. The text in the Chamber and is now being processed in the Senate. To be valid in 2026, it must be approved in 2025.
- My Home, My Life: The government and Caixa began operations of the new modality of the program, expanding it to families who earn up to R$12,000, with interest rates of 10% per year;
- “Now There Are Experts”: Program to reduce long waiting lines in the SUS for consultations and surgeries with specialists, accrediting private clinics and hospitals in exchange for debt relief with the Union. The middle class often uses the SUS for medium and high complexity procedures, even if they have access to health plans;
- Motorcycle financing for delivery drivers: Lula launch a subsidized credit program for motorcyclists who work on applications. The proposal should be aimed at self-employed workers with lower-middle income, a segment considered strategic as it brings together those who do not benefit from traditional credit programs.
LULA AND THE MIDDLE CLASS
Since his first mandates, the PT member has had difficulty winning over the so-called traditional middle class, a group that, in general, shows greater sensitivity to the tax burden, the cost of living and the perception of the State’s efficiency.
As do PowerData confirm the trend and show that Lula’s disapproval appears more pronounced precisely in the middle income ranges and among those who earn more than 5 minimum wages. Rejection tends to be even greater among voters aged 25 to 44, a group sensitive to expectations of formal employment and purchasing power, which explains the government’s urgency in launching credit and income tax exemption packages.
