Precisely on the day of its birthday, São Paulo receives sad news: six out of ten of its residents say that, if they could, they would move from the city.
Throughout the “Quality of Life” survey, carried out by Ipec for Rede Nossa São Paulo, clues to this rejection emerge. It is important to consider that the fieldwork was carried out in a post-pandemic context, economic crisis and political tension of the elections, which somehow influences the results.
Quality of life in the city
The perception of quality of life is at a standstill, without improvement or deterioration. But when it is analyzed in conjunction with people who would move to another city, it conveys a message of latent dissatisfaction among the population. It appears that the perceived difficulties are greater than the benefits provided by the city.
Dissatisfaction with the city’s political leadership
Dissatisfaction with the municipal administration is evident when verifying that less than one in ten residents evaluates the performance of the city hall and the City Council as excellent or good, the lowest evaluation of the historical series of the research. A factor that should collaborate with this is that nine out of ten people have the perception of little public investment in the region where they live. The risk is that dissatisfaction with leadership leads to the rejection of politicians, making room for adventurers who bring easy solutions to complex problems. We cannot repeat this history.
willingness to participate
More than six out of ten inhabitants are unwilling to participate in political life and most think that there is no transparency in city hall data. If we combine the lack of memory in the vote with the lack of desire for social participation, it can be interpreted that the population is saying that they don’t care about politics, perhaps because they feel disregarded by politicians. This reaction and distance from political life do not contribute to the improvement of democracy.
Institutions that contribute
The institutions recognized as those that most contribute to solving problems are the city hall, the church and NGOs. However, the largest number of responses, just over a third (35%), says that no institution contributes to improving the quality of life in the city. Detail: there were 18 institutions on the research list — including companies, state and federal government, neighborhood associations, universities and unions, among others.
Priority issues to be tackled
The survey also points out the main demands of the population: job creation, reducing inequalities and combating prejudice were the most cited items, which coincides with a national survey carried out by IPEC. There is, therefore, clarity in the demands of society. The fourth demand is for taxation of the richest, which is in line with progressive tax policies that have been discussed by the federal government.
The strengthening of democracy
The research is a picture of the current moment, but the fact that it was done ten years ago allows us to see it as a movie that, by the way, insists on repeating itself. Like a cinema that year after year repeats the film that was shown the year before, the population has been announcing their disbelief in politicians, their lack of memory of who they voted for, their desire to leave the city, as if asking for action. The perceived movement is one of distancing, but it is difficult to say whether it is also one of disinterest.
The encouragement comes from the fact that all the demands of the population are in line with policies announced by the federal government (job creation and combating inequalities and prejudice), which can mean obtaining support for programs and projects that move in this direction. . The alignment of local, state and federal powers is one of the keys to solving problems in big cities.
In real life, politicians are not solving problems. And the population’s response to rising hunger, poverty, unemployment and food insecurity is disdain for politicians. The risk is that democracy is not identified as a regime that promotes quality of life. It is up to politicians, therefore, to assume responsibility for the transformations. To do so, it takes courage to face themes that are obvious, but which have become taboo thanks to a rough but very well constructed narrative.
Research gives clues. The population says what it wants and points the way: when it says it wants to reduce inequalities, it says that resources must come from the richest.
Listening to the population can be the shortcut to valuing politics and democracy, the shortest path to a fairer, less unequal society that allows a decent life for most people. It is possible: it is up to society to put pressure on and politicians to make it happen.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
