According to a report out last week, depsite growing appreciation of the global economic crisis, Brazilians perspectives for the year ahead are largely positive. Either the study reveals a nation in serious denial or as we would expect more likely goes to show the severe limitations of attempting to understand a populations attitudes and understanding of the issue through such quantitaive on-street questionnaires.

The report – Perspectivas 2009, conducted by IBOPE, states that 81% of Brazilians have in general had a good or a very good year and that 74% of people believe that next year will be better. If anybody knows whether such figures are universally consistant we’d be interested in knowing more. The real issue with the research is that it then goes on to look at attitudes to the current global economic crisis, as if the two issues can be closely correlated. 86% of those surveyed believe that there is an economic crisis and 59% of Brazilians are worried or extremely worried about the consequences of the crisis. Most interestingly most respondents seem to feel that the problems of inflation and unemployment are already affecting the country but not yet their immediate families. In terms of changes in personal behaviours – the biggest impact is likely to be seen in less personal borrowing (48%) reduced leisure spending (40%), putting off of travel plans (29%).

click here to download a copy of perspectivas_2009_site_giro

For more detail on the study click here

Its been difficult in the past fortnight to avoid stories of the continued indicators of Brazil’s continued economic development.

Veja Magazine dedicated its front page and a significant proportion of its inside content to the fact that Brazils Social Class C is now the dominant force in the country.  In the space of just two years, 20 million Brazilians have risen from poverty into the C Class. This is marked by rising consumption and the growing power of a new middle class in Brazil giving the country a leap into the developed world.

The phenomeneon is supported by data from elsewhere too. As Brazzil magazine reports, per capita income has grown 3.05%, exports rose around 22%, inflation has remained under control, 3.9% last year, the benchmark interest rate has fallen from 16.5% to 11.25%. Importantly, these figures have reached the foreign market, bringing further investment and a better image for Brazil among rating agencies. Supermarkets sales up 8% year on year in February. A 66% rise in the spending by Brazilians of overseas travel in the first 3 months of the year. The appearance of Brazil/s first Apple store…well no not quite… see here.

Lots more data from Veja to come in the near future on the site here. As we have reported on here before much of the growth is credit driven, which does get discussed, however little, in fact nowhere does the article discuss the limitations of the official socio-economic classification system here in Brazil. For more on this subject look here!