Approximative analysis on the heterogeneity of Bolsonaro supporters and considerations on a “bolsonarist identity”

Abstract

During the 2018 electoral campaigns, stereotypes about Bolsonaro’s supporters were developed in the media. That stereotypes corresponded to the consideration of these supporters as individuals who reverberated elements called “right” or “extreme right” that were identified in the rhetoric of Bolsonaro. But, even before his electoral victory, some national studies indicated important divergences among his supporters in matters on which, commonly, it was believed that there was wide convergence. In 2020, again, divergences were indicated in studies. These studies had not until then been organized and compared with each other in order to draw more comprehensive conclusions about the heterogeneity of supporters. In this article, it was intended an approximate analysis of this heterogeneity between 2018 and 2020; that is, a discussion of internal divergences to that sector, even if not dimensioning them; secondarily, elements necessary for a discussion on the existence of a “bolsonarist identity” were indicated. Through the review of those studies on supporters, the inconsistency of the conception of a Bolsonaro’s supporter as a caricature of Bolsonaro was confirmed, not only in the midst of the campaigns, but also in 2020. However, in some aspects, there would be a trend among supporters to adhere to Bolsonaro’s rhetoric.