Brazil Survey Finds Most Reject Vigilantism, Back Body Cameras and Law-First Policing

Overview

• A national Sou da Paz survey by OMA Pesquisa, based on 1,115 in-person interviews in late 2025, finds 55% favor applying existing penalties over longer sentences preferred by 39%.
• Only 20% agree with the phrase “a good criminal is a dead criminal,” while 73% say offenders should be judged, punished and imprisoned.
• Support for police body cameras reaches 82%, and 65% want better trained, better prepared police rather than a simple increase in patrols.
• Views on guns lean toward limits, with 73% saying more firearms lead to more violence and 77% warning that stolen legal guns end up in crimes.
• Safety feels low for many people, as only 32% feel safe where they live, the rate falls to 26% among women, and 57% say fear of crime has changed daily routines such as going out at night or using a phone on the street.