Survey Reveals Strong Public Rejection of Political Discussions in Brazilian Religious Spaces
Majority of Brazilians surveyed reject political discussions and campaigning within religious institutions, despite some electoral influence by religious leaders.
- • 80% of Brazilians oppose political discussions within religious spaces.
- • 90% reject religious leaders allowing electoral campaigning in churches.
- • 11% were advised to vote for Bolsonaro; 5% for Lula by religious leaders.
- • Political content is frequently shared on social media within religious groups.
Key details
A recent survey conducted by the Instituto de Estudos da Religião (Iser) in partnership with Quaest has revealed that a significant majority of Brazilians oppose the presence of political conversations and campaigning within religious settings. According to the poll, 80% of respondents reject political discussions in churches, and an even larger 90% disapprove of religious leaders allowing electoral candidates to participate in church activities for campaigning purposes.
The resistance to political involvement within religious institutions spans various faith groups, including Catholics, evangelicals, and Pentecostals. Despite this broad rejection, the survey found that some religious leaders did influence voting decisions in the 2022 elections: 11% of participants reported receiving guidance to vote for former president Jair Bolsonaro, while 5% were advised in favor of current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Among evangelical voters, 20% were directed to vote for Bolsonaro, and this percentage rises to 23% within Pentecostal congregations. The Igreja Universal showed even higher levels of political guidance, with 27% recommending Bolsonaro and 12% supporting Lula.
The study highlighted regional differences, notably in the Northeast, where evangelical support for Lula was 35% compared to Bolsonaro’s 38%.
In the digital sphere, political mobilization within religious groups also occurs, albeit with limited participation. Only 20% of respondents took part in religious social media groups, but nearly half (48%) of them encountered political content on Facebook, and 34% saw it on WhatsApp. This digital political activity was especially noted among practicing Catholics, Pentecostals, and Protestants.
The survey, encompassing interviews with 15,000 voters conducted between January and February 2026, has a margin of error of 1% with a 95% confidence interval, reflecting a robust set of data that underscores the public’s clear desire to keep politics separate from religious environments.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
