Current paper studies how students' vision of natives from different Brazilian states contributes to the social representations of Brazil through the study stereotypes. Data were collected by completive sentences. One thousand and twenty-nine private and public 1st and 2nd year university students, aged 17 to 24, males and females, from seven states of Brazil, took part in the survey. Analysis of material was made through thematic content analysis. Results indicated that around one third of the students refused to give generalizing and hierarchized answers. This fact probably means that their idea of Brazil is of a single country in spite of its differences. However, even the stereotyped answers suggested an interesting idea of Brazilians and of Brazil, in which a structured field of meanings, knowledge and information which expresses its diversity, its contrasts and inequalities, may be identified.
Social representation; stereotypes; college students
