A teoria da escolha racional e o comportamento eleitoral neopentecostal

• Main Author: Isabel Cristina Veloso de Oliveira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Pelotas 2012-06-01
• Series: Pensamento Plural
• Subjects: Rational Choice Theory; Vote decision; Neo-pentecostalism; Politics and religion; rational choice theory; vote decision; neo-pentecostalism; politics and religion
• Online Access: http://periodicos.ufpel.edu.br/ojs2/index.php/pensamentoplural/article/viewFile/3588/2928

The last elections held in Brazil showed the importance that should be accorded to the religious variable to the explanation about the vote. Featuring the Universal Church as the most important one, the neopentecostal gospel segment has been successful in the elections through the use of electoral strategies characteristics, such as the registration of followers and the adoption of official campaigns distributed by region according to the electorate potential. As part of the studies on voting behavior, this paper will analyze the voters of the self-appointed "men of God", also by using surveys and electoral data. Through the application of the Rational Choice Theory, this article will demonstrate that neopentecostal voters did not distance themselves from the conception of Homus politicus of the Downs` theory, acting rationally when they give their vote to a "brother in faith".