Ricardo and Carla Ferreira
43 years old · Matosinhos, Greater Porto
Middle manager at textile export company
Persona: Porto Middle-Class Family
Ricardo and Carla Ferreira
Quick Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Ricardo Ferreira (primary voice) |
| Age | 43 |
| Gender | Male |
| Location | Matosinhos, Greater Porto |
| Occupation | Middle manager at textile export company |
| Education | Licenciatura in Management (University of Porto) |
| Housing | Homeowner with mortgage (bought 2015) |
| Family | Married to Carla (41, nurse), two children (14, 11) |
| Voter Status | Portuguese citizen - can vote |
Background Narrative
Ricardo represents the Portuguese middle class that did everything "right"—studied, got a stable job, bought a house, had children—and now watches the ground shift beneath them. He and Carla bought their three-bedroom apartment in 2015 for €140,000; the neighbor just sold an identical one for €320,000. On paper, they're wealthy. In reality, the mortgage still has 15 years, and their salaries haven't kept pace with their children's needs.
Carla works double shifts at Hospital de São João, coming home exhausted with stories of colleagues leaving for the UK and Germany. Ricardo's company, once proudly Portuguese, now competes with Asian manufacturers on price—a race they're losing. He manages a team half the size it was in 2019, doing twice the work.
Their daughter Beatriz wants to study medicine. Their son Tomás wants to be a YouTuber. Ricardo wonders if either path has a future in Portugal. Friday dinners with his parents—retired, comfortable, homeowners since the 80s—feel like visiting a different country.
Economic Situation
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income level | Middle (combined ~€3,200/month net) |
| Income source | Two full-time salaries |
| Financial stress | Moderate |
| Housing cost burden | 28% of income (mortgage) |
| Economic trajectory | Stable but anxious |
Values Profile (Schwartz Framework)
Higher-Order Values
| Dimension | Rating | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Transcendence | 3 | Cares about fairness, community, but family comes first |
| Self-Enhancement | 3 | Modest ambition, wants recognition for hard work |
| Openness to Change | 2 | Prefers stability; change feels risky with kids |
| Conservation | 4 | Values family, tradition, security; northern work ethic |
Specific Values (Top 3 priorities)
- Security: His children's future is everything; stability essential
- Benevolence: Family-centered; would sacrifice for those he loves
- Achievement: Believes hard work should be rewarded; frustrated when it isn't
Moral Politics Frame (Lakoff)
Primary frame: Biconceptual (Strict Father on economics, Nurturant on family)
Expression: Ricardo believes in hard work and discipline—he's suspicious of "handouts" and thinks people should earn their way. But he also believes the system should be fair, that healthcare should work, that his kids should have opportunities. He's torn between "work harder" and "the game is rigged."
Information Ecosystem
| Source Type | Specific Sources | Trust Level |
|---|---|---|
| TV | SIC Notícias, RTP, occasional CMTV | Medium-High |
| Online | Jornal de Notícias, O Jogo (sports) | Medium |
| Social Media | Facebook (family groups), WhatsApp | Medium |
| None regularly | N/A | |
| Community | Family, colleagues, neighborhood | High |
Media consumption pattern: Watches evening news while having dinner. Gets news alerts on phone. Facebook for family updates and occasional political arguments with cousins. Trusts traditional media more than social media.
Political Profile
Voting History
| Election | Vote | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Legislative | AD (PSD/CDS) | "Time for change from PS corruption" |
| 2022 Legislative | PSD | "Costa had been there too long" |
| 2021 Presidential | Marcelo | "Good president, stable" |
| Historical pattern | Center-right, PSD family tradition |
Political Identity
- Left-Right self-placement: 6/10 (center-right)
- Party identification: Moderate PSD identification (family tradition)
- Political engagement: Moderate—votes reliably, follows news, rarely activist
2026 Presidential Inclination
- Current leaning: Marques Mendes (slight) or Gouveia e Melo
- Certainty: Leaning
- Key deciding factors: Stability, competence, not too extreme either direction
Top Concerns (Ranked)
- Healthcare (SNS): "Carla sees it collapsing from inside. What happens when we need it?"
- Children's future: "Will Beatriz be able to study here? Will Tomás have to emigrate?"
- Economic competitiveness: "Portugal is falling behind. My industry is dying."
- Education quality: "The schools are overcrowded, teachers leaving."
- Political stability: "We need adults in charge, not chaos."
Hopes
For himself:
"I want to pay off this mortgage, see my kids graduate, maybe retire at 65 with some dignity. Is that too much to ask?"
For Portugal:
"I hope we can become a serious country. Competitive, functional, where the middle class doesn't feel squeezed from both sides. Where working hard actually means something."
For his children:
"I want them to have the choice to stay. Not to feel forced out like so many of their cousins. I want Beatriz to be a doctor here, treating Portuguese patients."
Fears
Personal fears:
"I fear a health crisis hitting us—Carla getting burned out, me losing my job if the company downsizes again. We have savings, but not enough for real disaster."
Fears for Portugal:
"I fear we're becoming a country of extremes—either poor or rich, either leave or struggle. The middle is disappearing."
Deepest fear (often unspoken):
"That I've worked my whole life for a future my children won't be able to have here. That all this sacrifice was for nothing."
"In Their Own Voice"
How he'd describe Portugal today:
"We're a country that punishes the people who play by the rules. I pay my taxes, I work hard, I don't cheat—and I watch others get ahead while public services collapse. The north built this country's industry, and Lisbon forgets we exist."
What he'd say to someone who disagrees with him politically:
"Look, I'm not a radical. I just want things to work. If you've got better ideas, show me results. I'm tired of promises from every side."
His message to politicians:
"Stop treating the middle class like an ATM. We're not rich enough for your tax breaks, not poor enough for your programs. We just keep paying and watching services get worse. Fix the healthcare. Fix the schools. Give us something for our taxes."
Scenario Response Predictions
| Candidate | Predicted Response | Key Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Ventura | Mixed-Negative | Agrees on some frustrations but finds him too extreme, unstable |
| Gouveia e Melo | Positive | Competence, order, military discipline appeals |
| Marques Mendes | Positive | Familiar, stable, center-right credentials |
| Seguro | Neutral | Associated with PS problems, but not hostile |
| Catarina Martins | Negative | "Too radical," economic policies seem unrealistic |
| Cotrim Figueiredo | Moderately Positive | Business-friendly, but seems elitist |
| António Filipe | Negative | "Communism doesn't work" |
Notes for Scenario Development
- The "squeezed middle" archetype—neither struggling nor thriving
- Healthcare storyline through Carla's perspective available
- Children's emigration decision point coming
- Northern identity and Lisbon resentment as undercurrent
- Could interact with: parents' generation (better off), children's generation (uncertain), industrial workers at his company
- In "Day in the Future" vignettes: dinner table discussions, hospital visits, company restructuring news