O poder da crença : treinamento indireto e os efeitos da crença que Bolsonaro foi enviado por Deus (2018-2022)

Abstract

This work examines the influence of the belief that Jair Bolsonaro was divinely appointed on the political behavior of his supporters, particularly among evangelicals, from 2018 to 2022. The research addresses two key questions: why did some individuals come to believe that God sent Bolsonaro, and how did this belief affect their evaluation of his government? To answer these questions, three hypotheses were tested, focusing on the dissemination of this belief through social media, particularly WhatsApp, and its impact on political behavior and government evaluation among evangelicals. To do so the study employs a quantitative approach, analyzing over half a million messages from 310 public WhatsApp groups supporting Bolsonaro. A novel methodology was developed combining deep neural network models for text classification and sentiment analysis. Additionally, regression models were used to explore the relationship between belief and government evaluation, based on a representative sample from Minas Gerais. The findings indicate that the belief in Bolsonaro as a divine envoy played a significant role in maintaining support among his followers, even amid criticism during the pandemic. This belief was a mediator, leading to more favorable government evaluations among evangelicals.