# 80% of Brazilians Back Lower Criminal Age

> Brazil's poll shows 80% support lowering criminal age from 18 to 16 ahead of October 25 runoff.
- Title: 80% of Brazilians Back Lower Criminal Age · The Rio Times
- Summary: Brazil's poll shows 80% support lowering criminal age from 18 to 16 ahead of October 25 runoff. 80% of Brazilians support reducing criminal responsibility…
- Keywords: brazil, elections, criminal age, datafolha, lula, flavio bolsonaro, runoff, public security, news, world, politics, Brazilians
- Source: The Rio Times — https://riotimesonline.com/datafolha-poll-80-percent-criminal-age-16-runoff-2026
- Author: Andrés Morales
- Published: 2026-10-17T16:45:29+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brazil, elections, criminal age, datafolha, lula, flavio bolsonaro, runoff, public security, news, world, politics
## Poll Results
Datafolha survey of 2,520 Brazilians on 13 and 14 October found 80% support lowering criminal age from 18 to 16.
## Voter Support Split
89% of Flávio Bolsonaro voters support the change versus 70% of Lula voters.
## Stable Support
Support remained at 79% in June before rising to 80% in October with a 2-point margin of error.
## Runoff Context
Brazil's presidential runoff occurs on Sunday 25 October between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
## Prediction Markets
Polymarket shows Flávio Bolsonaro with 76.8% chance of winning the runoff versus Lula's 23.5%.
## Senate Delay
The Senate has delayed its public security amendment which the opposition wants to extend with the age cut.
## Lula's Position
Lula supports lowering the age only for heinous crimes while Flávio wants it for all crimes.
## Why It Matters
The issue divides Lula's Workers' Party and affects public safety promises for both candidates.
## US Impact
The poll shows which security promises likely survive whichever candidate wins the runoff.
## What's Next
The Senate may vote on the amendment before the October 25 runoff election.
## Key takeaway

80% of Brazilians support reducing criminal responsibility age from 18 to 16 in Brazil's 2026 election runoff.