Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
10 comments 
Survey With About 1,6 Thousand Interviewees Indicated Which Is the Rudest City and Became Ammunition in Debates About Traffic, Noise, and Cell Phone Use in Public
A survey placed Goiânia as the city with the highest perception of rudeness among those analyzed. The survey was released by Preply, a language learning platform, and gained a new wave of attention on social media after reports revisited the ranking and the cited habits.
The study does not claim that “everyone is rude” in a city but attempts to measure how certain behaviors irritate and recur in everyday life. Nevertheless, the conclusion generated strong reactions, especially from residents who said they did not recognize themselves in the image of the “rudest city”.
At the top of the list, Goiânia appears with a mean score of 6.76, followed by Rio de Janeiro with 6.58 and Porto Alegre with 6.50. At the other end, Brasília was indicated as the most polite, with 5.74, ahead of Natal and Curitiba.
-
The village where two rivers run side by side without mixing in Santarém and Alter do Chão reveals some of the most beautiful freshwater beaches on the planet.
-
Brazil’s nuclear submarine with a speed 5 times greater than normal advances after nearly 50 years and R$ 40 billion spent.
-
A Brazilian island charges R$ 0.50 to receive visitors and prohibits any new residents.
-
Why was the Great Wall of China built? The truth that many are unaware of!
The feedback also opened up a larger discussion about what constitutes “good manners” in large cities, where haste, stress, and digital habits can affect how people treat each other in public spaces.
How the Preply Survey That Ranked Goiânia as the Rudest City in Brazil Was Conducted
The methodology was based on interviews with about 1,6 thousand residents in 15 large cities across the country, conducted between November 2 and 7, 2022. To participate, one had to reside in the location for at least 12 months, according to Preply and reports that detailed the study.
The participants were asked how often they witnessed 12 behaviors deemed disrespectful in their living area. Later, the responses were translated into scores and aggregated into an overall average, where higher scores indicate more perceived rudeness.
Among the behaviors cited in Preply’s materials are actions like speaking loudly in public, being distracted by a cell phone, and using the device without headphones in open spaces, as well as other day-to-day behaviors that impact urban coexistence.
What Influenced the Ranking of the Rudest Cities and Why Goiânia Ranked First
In the released findings, Goiânia was described as the leader of the ranking, with a mean score of 6.76, completing the podium with Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre. Preply argues that the aim is to measure customs that bother in daily life, not to label all residents as rude.
Preply’s text points out that in Rio, assessments related to noise on the streets and distraction with cell phones were significant, receiving high scores in specific items of the questionnaire.
As for Porto Alegre, the publication mentions complaints related to a lack of attention to strangers on the street, such as bumping into others without an apology, as well as distractions while on the phone.
Even cities known for their hustle, like São Paulo, did not top the list, which reinforced the interpretation that the ranking reflects the sum of perceived habits, not just common stereotypes about each capital.
Brasília at the Top of Education and the Contrast With Other Capitals in the Ranking of Cordiality
On the other end, Brasília appeared as the most educated city on the list, with a score of 5.74, followed by Natal and Curitiba. Preply mentions that respect for pedestrians and workers and lower tolerance for practices like cutting in line contributed to the federal capital’s ranking.
The ranking was also reproduced by Brazilian media in January 2023, which helped popularize the comparison between capitals and reignite regional disputes about who is more polite.
Reaction of Residents and Why the Label of Rude City Became Public Debate
The resurgence of the ranking generated a flood of comments from residents of Goiânia saying that the city is, in practice, welcoming to visitors and that the reputation does not match real experiences of coexistence. Recent reports highlighted this challenge and the argument that external perception can distort local reality.
A central point is that the survey measures perception and reported frequency, not a direct observation on streets, in lines, or on buses. In other words, the result depends on the perspective of those responding and what each city considers “normal” or “unbearable” in everyday life.
There is also the viral factor. Terms like “rudest city” tend to circulate more than the methodological explanation, which can amplify the sense of injustice felt by those living there and fuel disputes on social media.
Another detail is that behaviors linked to traffic, noise, and cell phone use are sensitive topics in practically all capitals but appear with varying intensities depending on urban mobility, local culture, and social tolerance. The research became an uncomfortable mirror because it places common habits under the spotlight.
In the end, the debate transforms into a narrative dispute. On one side, those defending that the ranking “only states the obvious” about urban coexistence. On the other side, those who see the study as an unfair and reductionist label for an entire city.
What the Ranking Reveals About Urban Coexistence and Social Etiquette in Brazil
Even with limitations, the study draws attention to small behaviors that contribute to collective discomfort, especially in shared spaces. Preply itself highlights that distractions on the phone and noise in public are among the most cited habits.
In practice, the discussion usually returns to three points that any resident can quickly recognize: respect in lines, attention to pedestrians, and volume of voice in common areas. When these items fail, the feeling of “lack of education” increases, even if the city has a reputation for hospitality in other situations.
If the survey was unsettling, it also served as a trigger for a type of collective self-evaluation, that moment when everyone remembers the loud neighbor, the hasty driver, and the cell phone on loudspeaker in the middle of the street.
And you, do you think Goiânia was unfairly judged or did the ranking accurately expose habits that many people avoid commenting on? Share in the comments where urban coexistence weighs most in your city and whether “good education” has become a rarity or an exaggeration on social media.
Brasília tinha que ser a primeira capital mais mal educada, o povo aqui não dá um bom dia, inclusive surgiu uma matéria aqui: cadê o bom dia do Brasiliense?… Isso sem contar o trânsito. Quem mora aqui sabe como é a faixa de pedestre. Motoristas não tem educação. Meu filho mesmo já foi atropelado na faixa de pedestre.
Concordo Goiânia e Porto Alegre não são nada de hospitaleira. Rio é indiferente, não acho o povo grosseiro mas uma soberba acima do padrão. Curitiba sim se destaca em termos de educação do povo.
Infelizmente, os meus conterrâneos pernambucanos provaram porquê são tão homofóbicos. Um casal homoafetivo do Mato Grosso foi espancado na praia de Porto de Galinhas por homofobia. É muito triste tudo isso!