Aid Brazil beneficiary sees the economy worsen

Despite efforts by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to win votes from the poorest voters, by increasing Auxílio Brasil to R$600 on the eve of the elections, 55% of voters who receive the benefit say that the country’s economic situation worsened in recent months, according to a Datafolha survey carried out from September 20 to 22.

More vulnerable to cumulative increases in food prices and the cost of living, in this group only 21% say they have noticed an improvement in the country, and 23% have not noticed any changes.

The institute heard 6,754 voters over the age of 16, in 343 municipalities in all regions of the country. For the group of beneficiaries of Auxílio Brasil, the margin of error is three percentage points, more or less.

When evaluating their individual economic situation, 46% of those enrolled in the program also see a worsening, compared to 31% who say they have not noticed changes and 23% who celebrate an improvement.

In addition, the institute also measured that 54% of those who receive the benefit say they believe that life will be better if the leader in the voting intention polls, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), returns to the Presidency of the Republic.

Data from the Datafolha survey also points out that 20% of beneficiaries do not expect changes with the PT’s return, and another 20% imagine that everything will get worse.

Among those who are not part of the program, 40% expect an improvement with the PT’s return; 30%, a worsening; 24.5%, that everything stays as before.

In the case of a possible new Bolsonaro term, only 17% of beneficiaries expect an improvement, 36% say life should stay the same, and 43% expect things to get worse.

When considering all the interviewees, enrolled or not in the income transfer program, the prospect of a third term for Lula is received with optimism by 43.5%, while 23.5% responded that everything should remain as it is and 27% have the assessment that it should get worse.

For Bolsonaro, 21% say that life will improve, 36% do not expect changes and 39% see four more years of the president with pessimism.

Since last November, when it replaced Bolsa Família —a brand of PT governments— with the new program, the government has been trying to gain ground among the lower-income electorate.

At the end of July, the Sheet showed that, on average, 350,000 families enter the Auxílio Brasil queue per month, an increase compared to 2019, when there were 200,000. For experts, it is a reflection of the increase in poverty and the interest of lower-income Brazilians who received emergency aid during the pandemic.

Even with the increase in the benefit to R$ 600, only 5 of the 17 capitals analyzed by Dieese (Inter-union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies) had a basic food basket below the value of the benefit.

The five are in the Northeast: Recife (R$598.14), Natal (R$580.74), Salvador (R$576.93), João Pessoa (R$568.21) and Aracaju (R$539.57 ).