A new poll published Wednesday (8) by Genial/Quaest shows that nearly half of Brazilians believe President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emerged stronger after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly last week.
According to the survey, 49% of Brazilians say Lula came out of the encounter in New York politically strengthened, while 27% believe he was weakened. Trump later confirmed he had met briefly with Lula, praising the exchange, which was followed by a phone call between the two leaders on Tuesday (7). The survey was conducted before the phone call became public.
Overall approval of Lula’s government has also improved. The poll shows 48% of Brazilians now approve of his administration, against 49% who disapprove – a technical tie. In September, the numbers were 46% approval and 51% disapproval. This is Lula’s best result since January and marks his fourth consecutive rise in approval since July.
The study also highlighted strong public support for the government’s recent income tax reform: 79% favor exempting Brazilians who earn up to about US$ 1,000 per month (R$ 5,000) from paying income tax. The measure passed in the Chamber of Deputies last week with broad consensus.
Approval ratings improved across several demographics. Women once again expressed greater support for Lula than disapproval, at 52% to 45%. Regionally, approval rose in the Southeast, South, and Northeast, with the Northeast showing the strongest backing at 60% approval to 40% disapproval. Among age groups, younger voters (16–34) remain more critical, while those aged 35–59 and over 60 show majority approval.
The Quaest survey was commissioned by Genial Investimentos and interviewed 2,004 Brazilians aged 16 and over between October 2 and 5. The margin of error is 2 percentage points, with a 95% confidence level.
