Michelle Bolsonaro tops Brazil's perceived powerful women poll

A new Meio/Ideia survey released on July 8 finds that Michelle Bolsonaro, former first lady, is viewed as the most powerful woman in Brazil, receiving 15.4% of spontaneous mentions. She leads former first lady Janja (9%) and Supreme Court minister Carmen Lúcia (4.5%) in public perception of political influence.

The poll also measured awareness of a recent video in which Michelle Bolsonaro aired a dispute with her stepson Flávio Bolsonaro. About a third of respondents (33.5%) reported following the episode, and among those, 64% judged her statements as more true than false. Confidence in her was unchanged for 44.4% of respondents, increased for 23.4%, and decreased for 17.3%. The same research noted that many Brazilians struggle to recall female leaders, with only 2.5% naming former president Dilma Rousseff.

These findings highlight the prominence of Michelle Bolsonaro in the Brazilian political imagination ahead of upcoming party conventions and elections.