Education, Misinformation, and Covid-19 Deaths in Brazil

Silva HM

Published on: 2024-06-25

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unusual scenario in Brazil. On one hand, the country experienced the longest period of school closures in the world. On the other, there was a significant failure in controlling the disease. Paradoxically, a substantial portion of the population, notably the better educated and those with greater purchasing power, continued to support the Bolsonaro government despite its erratic public health policy regarding the pandemic. Analyzing this data alongside the results of the international PISA exam allowed for the formulation of hypotheses concerning the value placed on education and science by the Brazilian elite, and its effects on behavior and responses to the pandemic. The research possibilities suggested that this scientific denialism extended beyond the healthcare and medical sectors, reverberating into other issues, such as environmental concerns. This phenomenon was not exclusively Brazilian, and its dissemination and impact warranted global analysis.