A Datafolha poll released on Thursday (3) shows that 51% of Brazilians disapprove of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, while 45% approve of it. Another 4% did not answer. Globo and the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo commissioned the survey, which lands one month before the first round of Brazil's presidential election.

In the previous round, in August, disapproval stood at 50% and approval at 47%, according to news site G1. Disapproval rose one point and approval fell two. The gap doubled, from three to six points. Business outlet InfoMoney notes both moves stayed within the poll's margin of error of two percentage points.

Performance rating

Asked to rate the administration, 42% call it bad or terrible and 31% call it great or good. Another 25% rate it as fair. In August, bad or terrible reached 41% and great or good reached 33%. According to G1, Lula's numbers at three years and eight months in office are similar to those of former president Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, when he also sought reelection.

The institute interviewed 2,002 people aged 16 and older on September 1 and 2, according to G1. The margin of error is two percentage points and the confidence level is 95%. The poll is registered with the TSE, Brazil's electoral court, under number BR-03669/2026.

Final stretch of the campaign

Lula is running for reelection. In the same survey, he has 38% of first-round voting intentions against 33% for Flávio Bolsonaro of the PL party. In a runoff between the two, the score is 46% to 44, a statistical tie, according to InfoMoney.

G1 reports that 71% of voters surveyed say they have already decided their vote and 28% say they could still change their minds. The first round of the presidential election takes place in one month.