In 2006, 10 million households received money from social programs

From 2004 to 2006, the percentage of households where at least one resident received money from a social program of the government increased from 15.6% to 18.3% in all the country.  Consequently, in 2006 from the total estimated of 54.7 million private households in the country, approximately 10 million (18.3%) received money from social programs and the major part (8.1 million households) received money from the program Family Stipend “Bolsa Família”.

The survey of IBGE had as main objective to compare characteristics of households in which there was receipt of program from those where there was not.  In 2006, the average household monthly income per capita for the total households in the country was R$ 601.00.  However, in households in which money from social programs was received, the value was R$ 172.00, compared to R$ 699.00 in those where there was not.

The households which received income transfers from social programs had the lowest earnings and the major number of residents in which stood out the presence of children and teenagers.  The agricultural activity was the work most observed of residents or of the reference persons.

These are some data of the supplement about access to income transfers of governmental social programs (1)  (federal, state and municipal), of the National Household Sample Survey (Pnad), conducted by IBGE in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger – MDS.  The supplement, which began in 2004, drew a profile of the population which benefited from the social  programs in the country, with new questions directed to the Program Family Stipend (Bolsa Família) , the Social Assistance Pensions (Benefício Assistencial de Prestação Continuada -BPC) and the Program on the Eradication of Child Labor (Programa de Erradicação do Trabalho Infantil - Peti).  The PNAD 2006 was constructed through a probabilistic sample of households and interviewed 410.241 persons, in 145,547 households in all the country.  Below, the main information of the supplement:

In 2006, the highest percentages of households in which there was receipt of money from social programs were registered in the Northeast (35.9%) and North (24.6%).  Also, in 2004, the number of households which received money from programs was higher in the Northeast (32.0%) and North (18.2%), followed by the Central West (14%).  Hence, with the exception of the South, where stability in these percentages was observed, in all the other regions growth was observed, from 2004 to 2006, of the group of households in which a resident received benefits from social programs.

Among the states, the major percentages of households which received the program benefits were observed in Roraima (50.0%), Maranhão (41.3%) and Piauí (40.2%).  São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina registered percentages lower than 10% (7.6%, 6.0% and 5.8%, respectively).

In the Northeast, residents of almost 5 million households received money from social programs        

The regions which stood out, regarding the number of households in the receipt of social program financial aid in 2006, were the Northeast (4.9 million) and Southeast (2.5 million).  These regions answered for 74.7% of the total households in which money from social programs was received.  In the Northeast, second most populated region in the country, this result may be explained by the total population plus the great proportion of households which received money from the social programs.  The Southeast, although the proportion of households which received benefits was the lowest (10.3%), is the most populated region in the country. 

 In 2006, comparing the three programs investigated plus the sum of registers of other programs, it could be observed that 14.9% of the total households in the Country, which represented 8.1 million households, received money from the Program Family Stipend.  The receipt of the Social Assistance Pensions (BPC) was observed in 2.2% and the Program on the Eradication of Child Labor (Peti) in 0.5% households.  The group other programs of the government was mentioned by 2.2% of the households.

Social programs reached the most numerous families and with lower income

In the country, in 2006, the 54.3% of the total households without income and with household income per capita lower than ¼ of the minimum wage, received money from social programs.  In the Northeast, this percentage was 64.2%, followed by the North (46.0%).

Also according to the survey, in 2006, the average number of residents in the total private households was 3.4, and in those were there was receipt of the program this number was 4.6.  In the North and Northeast Regions were found the highest number of residents in which there was receipt of program (5.1 and 4.7, respectively).

Households with receipt of programs presented improvement in aspects related to the comfortableness of housing.

In a general way, the Pnad 2006 showed improvement in the Brazilian households, however, in the households in which there was receipt of social programs and less favorable conditions, the improvement was more pronounced.  In 2006, 71.3% of the households with receipt had public water supply system, 46.3% had sewage disposal (including septic tank), 70.8% had refuse disposal, 94.7% had electric illumination and 50.9% had telephone.  In relation to 2004, all the indicators brought better results, standing out the increase of participation of households with telephone which, in 2004, was 34.9%.   

From 2004 to 2006, the survey also showed that there was improvement in relation to the possession of durable goods in households, in a general way.  In 2006, the major percentages of refrigerator (92.0%), freezer (18.7%), washing machine (43.6%), radio (89.3%), television (94.2%) and microcomputer (26.4%) were observed in households in which there was not receipt of money from social programs.  However the major relative growths were, in general, in the households in which there was receipt from the program.  From 2004 to 2006, the percentage of households in which there was receipt from a social program with refrigerator, changed from 72.1% to 76.6%, with washing machine, from 7.6% to 10.2%, with radio, from 81.7% to 81.6%, with TV, from 82.5% to 87.9%, and with microcomputer from 1.4% to 3.1%. 
        

Households with receipt of benefits had high school enrollment 

The school enrollment of children and teenagers up to 15 years old, one of the requirements for the maintenance of the receipt of the Programs Family Stipend and Eradication of Child Labor, was also investigated by the survey.  In 2006, in the households in which there was receipt from these programs, the school enrollment of children and teenagers from 7 to 14 years old reached 97.2%, very close to the rate of those in which there was not receipt (97.9%).  In all the regions, this proximity was observed, especially the North and Northeast where, in the households in which there was program receipt (96.2% and 97.3%, respectively), these rates surpassed slightly the ones of households in which there was not receipt (95.8% in the first region and 96.3% in the second one).  

 In the North Region, the school enrollment of children from 4 to 6 years old was 66.3% in those households in which there was receipt and 62.9% in those households in which there was not.  In the Northeast, the rate of school enrollment from the age group from 15 to 17 years old was 80.8% in households in which there was receipt and 78.2% in households in which there was not receipt of social program.  In this age group, stood out the result of teenagers with 15 years old, with school enrollment of 88.2%, in households in which there was receipt from social programs.   

Child labor fell among households which received financial aid from social program

Among the persons up to 17 years old, the survey presented that the level of employment was higher in households in which there was receipt of money from the program (14.4%) compared to 9.6% observed in households in which there was not receipt.   This performance was verified in the five regions, and the highest level of employment in this age group among those who received money from the program was verified in the Northeast (16.8%).

In relation to the employed persons with 10 years old or more, the major proportion of workers in the agricultural activity was observed in households that received income from the social programs, compared to other households.  In 2006, the percentage of employed persons in this activity was 19.3% of the total households, but increased to 40.4% in households which received the benefits from the programs and fell to 13.8% in the households without receipt of benefits.

67.9% of the persons responsible for the households, with receipt of benefits, declared they were black or brow

In 2006, the percentage of employment of the persons of reference in the households in which there was receipt of the program (77.0%) was higher than the percentage of employment in households in which there was not receipt (73.8%). The agricultural segment was the most relevant regarding the employment of the person of reference in which there was receipt of the program, reaching 39.6% of the total in 2006.  The percentage of the persons of reference where there was not receipt of the program, in the agricultural segment, was 15.0% of the total employed persons of reference.

Another important characteristic was the age composition of the persons of reference of the households in which there was receipt of social program.  According to the survey, in these households the highest values was verified in the age groups from 30 to 39 years old (29.1%) and from 40 to 49 years old (26.6%). 

In all the country, among responsible persons by households which received money from social programs, 67.9% declared to be blacks or browns and 31.7% whites.

More information can be found in IBGE’s website: www.ibge.gov.br, in the section “News”

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Note

1 -  The research about the access to social governmental programs was conducted, by IBGE, in 2004.  In 2006 specific questions regarding the programs were made.  There are several possible values of these transfers.  Exemplifying: the regular benefit of the Program Family Stipend could range from R$15.00 to R$95.00 by family unit in 2006; the receipt of the Social Assistance Pensions was R$350.00 for each benefited person.  Besides this, according to the legislation, in one family group there could be more than one person benefiting from a social program, since the fact of existing one person receiving , for example, from the Social Assistance Pensions did not prevent another elder or physically disabled resident in the same household to request the benefit.  It is worth mentioning that the supplement of 2006 did not study the comparison of the specific programs since the Program Family Stipend was implemented in 2004.