A pobreza e a fé: um estudo das representações sociais sobre os pobres com adeptos de diferentes tradições religiosas

Abstract

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” (Luke 6:20–21). This biblical passage, by promising the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor, presents a connection with the social representations concerning the condition of poverty. Religious beliefs that attribute meaning to suffering and offer the promise of future reward influence how society views the poor. In both Brazilian and international literature, there are many studies on the phenomenon of poverty, its social implications, and its impact on the mental health of individuals living in extreme vulnerability. However, regarding the perception and social representations (SR) of the poor, few studies identify variables that affect the understanding of this phenomenon, such as the influence of people’s religion on social representations of poverty and the presence of negative stereotypes associated with the poor. This dissertation had the following general objective: to investigate the social representations of the poor constructed by people from different religions in Brazil (Catholicism, Protestantism, Afro-Brazilian religions, and Spiritism); and the specific objective: to analyze the relationship between family monthly income and social representations of the poor. To achieve these objectives, an exploratory quantitative-qualitative study was conducted with 298 Brazilian participants, aged between 18 and 80 years (M = 38.26; SD = 15.99). Data collection took place through an online questionnaire hosted on the Google Forms platform. The instrument included questions on sociodemographic aspects, social identity with a focus on belonging (or not) to a religious group, and social representations of poverty. The results indicate that income influences how the poor are represented. Regarding religion, although no direct association was observed, each religious tradition presented its own ways of interpreting poverty. Social representations of the poor, among people with and without religion, converge in systemic consensuses centered on hunger and inequality; however, both groups maintain stereotypes and stigmas that reproduce inequalities. Understanding how the interactions between social representations and religion occur allows us to comprehend how religious beliefs can sometimes justify social inequalities. Moreover, it enables the development of public policies that are more sensitive and effective in addressing the real needs of society.