Insecure Brazilians and victims of violence have lower support for democracy

This conclusion follows an unprecedented Ipsos/Ipec survey (with participation from ReDem) conducted between February and March among 1,504 people aged 16 and over across the country. The margin of error is 2.5 percentage points and the confidence level is 95%.

According to the survey, 64.3% of those with family members who have been victims of violence in the past 12 months are dissatisfied with democracy, about 14 percentage points higher than those without relatives who have been victims of violence.

Dissatisfaction reached 49.8% of people who felt extremely anxious, and 46% of people who felt somewhat anxious. For those who say they feel very safe, that number drops to 35%.

The study also shows that Brazilians’ trust in justice influences their satisfaction. People who do not believe that the judiciary punishes people who commit crimes tend to express greater dissatisfaction with democracy (49.7%). On the other hand, this percentage is lower among people who have a high level of trust in the judicial system, with 23.1% saying they are dissatisfied.

At the same time, those most dissatisfied with democracy tend to take justice into their own hands. Among Brazilians who oppose fathers raping their daughters, 47.6% said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the government system. Among the group that affirmed this attitude, dissatisfaction reached 54%.

The survey also found that 53% of people who consented to police torture for information were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the country’s democracy. Approximately 51% of respondents disagree with torture. In this case, the scores are tied within margin of error.