The majority of Brazilians identify politically with the right, according to a Datafolha survey released this Thursday, 25th. Among those interviewed, 35% declared themselves to be part of the right-wing spectrum and 11%, of the center-right (46% of the total population, therefore, is more to the right). At the other pole, 22% said they had a political position on the left, with another 7% more linked to the center-left (29% of the total).
Another 8% of respondents were unable to answer. The Datafolha survey interviewed 2,002 people, aged 16 or over, in 113 municipalities in Brazil, between the 2nd and 4th of December. The margin of error for the general survey data is 2 percentage points, plus or minus.
Respondents were asked to position themselves on a scale of 1 to 7 – in which 1 corresponded to the maximum position on the left and 7, the maximum position on the right.
The same survey also showed a slight numerical advantage for PT members over Bolsonarists. Respondents were asked to position themselves on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a Bolsonarist and 5 being a PT member.
In response, 40% classified themselves as supporters of the Workers’ Party (PT) and 36% as supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Furthermore, 18% positioned themselves in the neutral range, 6% said they did not support any of them and 1% did not know how to answer.
Since 2022, Datafolha has been carrying out a historical series of positioning PT and Bolsonaro supporters. Supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) were the majority in 9 of the 11 surveys carried out.
In the 2026 presidential elections, PT and Bolsonarism must face each other again at the polls. On the one hand, Lula signals that he will seek re-election for a fourth term. As Jair Bolsonaro is imprisoned and prevented from running, the name he proposed for the dispute is that of his son, senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ).
Some center-right political groups, however, still have expectations of running the candidacy of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
Age group, religion and education
The right also predominates in all age groups. Among those interviewed aged 60 or over, 42% declared themselves to be on the right, 25% on the left and 9% on the center. Younger people, aged 16 to 24, however, position themselves more towards the center (30%), with 26% claiming to be on the right and 16% on the left.
Regarding education, 41% of those who say they are right-wing have fewer years of study, while 26% say they are left-wing and 8% are center-wing.
In terms of religion, 36% of Catholics and 42% of evangelicals are on the right. Those classified on the left are 24% and 16% respectively in each group.
Among those who said they were on the left, 9% said they voted for Bolsonaro in the 2022 election. In the group identified with the right, 22% declared their vote for Lula.
