Abstract

Stating that Brazil has changed over the last ten years is a platitude. As President of Data Popular, a Research Centre established in 2001 to study and monitor the growth and development of the Brazilian population, I have followed the transformations of the new social layers that compose the middle classes. The article describes the progress made, and the need to consider the prospects of the new middle classes to understand the reasons for their present dissatisfaction and their expectations for the future.