THE POLITICAL VALUES OF BRAZILIANS DURING THE DEDEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS OCCURRED BETWEEN 2013 AND 2022 BASED ON DATA FROM THE LATINO BAROMETRO

Abstract

This study aims to investigate which political orientations of Brazilians, that is, which values, attitudes and beliefs, help to understand the de-democratization process of the Brazilian political system experienced between 2013 and 2022. The hypothesis is that the ambivalence of the political orientations of Brazilians accentuates the process of democratic recession. For this, data from surveys carried out by Latino Barômetro in the years 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 in the country are analyzed. Such quantitative data allow observing the assessments and behaviors of Brazilians in a comparative and longitudinal manner. In theoretical terms, authors such as Peres (2008), Pinto (2022), Moisés (2008) and Baquero (2001, 2003) are used to address the main concepts that guide the work – political culture and democracy – while based on Avritzer (2019, 2021), Carvalho (2001), Mendonça (2021) and Miguel (2019) are used to address the Brazilian context. The results indicate that, although Brazilians have democratic values, they are willing to relativize them in favor of alternatives – often authoritarian and apparently faster – to solve problems. By relativizing democracy, in view of the widespread disappointment with institutions that proved to be ineffective in solving political, social and economic problems, the ambiguous values ​​of Brazilians may have accentuated the process of democratic recession experienced in recent years.