Even though a majority of Kenyans say they trust courts of law at least “somewhat,” only about one in 30 survey respondents who had justice-related problems during the previous two years sought recourse in a court or tribunal.

The survey shows that about one-third of Kenyans think most or all judges and magistrates are involved in corruption – about half the perceived corruption level for the police, but twice the rate for traditional and religious leaders.

(Afrobarometer)

September 13, 2020

Source: https://www.afrobarometer.org/press/kenyans-overwhelmingly-seek-and-find-justice-outside-formal-court-system

656-43-23/Country Profile: Kenya

ke-lgflag

SUMMARY OF POLLS

ASIA

(Hong Kong)

Luxury fashion brands not immune to pandemic

Examining the luxury sector as a whole, YouGov BrandIndex looks at the Current Customer score, which measures which brands consumers purchased from in the past three months. Comparing the luxury sector’s Current Customer score in 2019 and 2020, there is a clear decline in Hong Kong consumers buying luxury goods as a whole. In 2019, its lowest score was 2.9, but this year its highest score is 2.8. However, though data suggest that less people are purchasing from luxury brands, the intent to purchase holds steady. The luxury sector’s Purchase Intent score – which asks which brands people are most likely to purchase, has remained largely unchanged from the year prior. (YouGov)

September 22, 2020

(Singapore)

A quarter of Singaporean employees are experiencing job insecurity

The pandemic has resulted in the world slipping into a global recession and mass unemployment – and Singapore is no exception. Singaporean unemployment rates are the highest it has been in more than a decade. YouGov surveys full-time workers in the nation, to find out how they are coping with job insecurity, and their attitudes towards unemployment. Job insecurity refers to the fear of losing one’s job. A quarter (26%) of Singaporean employees feel insecure in their jobs, up 6 per cent compared to a pre-COVID era. Almost one in ten (8%) feel ‘very insecure’ and about two in ten (18%) feel ‘somewhat insecure’. (YouGov)

September 07, 2020

(India)

Covid-19: India's faith in PM Narendra Modi's handling of situation remains rock solid

As the IANS C Voter Covid-19 Tracker completes six months of tracking, it is clear that India`s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s handling of the situation remains rock solid with 75.8 per cent of the people endorsing the strategy of the government. Over the last six months, the IANS C Voter Covid-19 Tracker has brought to you data and analysis to capture India`s mood during the pandemic, one of the most unprecedented and disruptive events in the history of mankind. (C-voter India)

September 13, 2020

(India)

Chennai Super Kings faces a double whammy yet almost half of urban Indians think it will win the IPL

After months of uncertainty, the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is set to commence from September 19th in the UAE. The tournament appears to be high on drama with new events unfolding each day in the lead-up to the opening ceremony. Although players from different teams have withdrawn from the series, the situation looks grim for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Not only did its leading players Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pull out of the tournament, but also two of its other teammates tested positive for Covid. (YouGov)

September 17, 2020

MENA

(UAE)

Emirates tops the 2020 YouGov BrandIndex Customer Loyalty Rankings in the UAE

YouGov Customer Loyalty Rankings 2020 reveals that Emirates is the brand with the most loyal customers in the UAE, as measured by reconsideration scores amongst customers of the brand, with a Loyalty score of 88.6. YouGov BrandIndex measures the public’s perception of brands on a daily basis across a range of metrics. The Customer Loyalty rankings are compiled using the Consideration score amongst the brands’ own Current Customers. (YouGov)

September 22, 2020

AFRICA

(Kenya)

Kenyans overwhelmingly seek – and find – justice outside formal court system

Most Kenyans with justice-related problems turn to family and friends, traditional leaders, or other resources outside the formal court system – and are generally satisfied with the outcome, according to findings of an Afrobarometer survey. Even though a majority of Kenyans say they trust courts of law at least “somewhat,” only about one in 30 survey respondents who had justice-related problems during the previous two years sought recourse in a court or tribunal. (Afrobarometer)

September 13, 2020

EUROPE

(Germany)

For just over half of Germans, Germany is considered child-friendly

In three days, the annual World Children's Day will be celebrated, which aims to draw attention to the rights and needs of children. But how do Germans actually rate the child-friendliness in this country? What is the greatest need for political action in this regard? Only a small majority of Germans (53 percent) say Germany is a child-friendly country. There is an age effect: the younger the respondents, the more positive this rating is (18-29 years: 65 percent; 60-69 years: 49 percent). On the other hand, it does not matter whether the respondents have children under the age of 18 (54 percent agree) or not (53 percent agree). (YouGov)

September 17, 2020

(Germany)

Germans don't trust banks, but they trust their own bank advisor

The reputation of banks in the German population will probably never be exclusively positive. No other industry is said more often that it has its own economic interests much more in focus than that of its customers. This is shown by the latest YouGov survey results. Only one in five Germans (20 percent) trusts banks, almost one in three (31 percent) even says that banks cannot be trusted. The majority (43 percent) partly agree and partly disagree with the statement that banks can be trusted. (YouGov)

September 15, 2020

(France)

Are the French big consumers of pasta?

7 in 10 French people eat pasta at least once a week (70%). 36% even say they consume it more than once a week, a figure that climbs to 49% among Millennials (18-34 years old). While fusilli are the favorite pasta of the British , the French favor spaghetti. Nearly 1 in 4 people say they prefer this form (23%), a figure drawn on the rise by men (29% against 18% of women). Penne (14%), fusilli (13%), tagliatelle (13%) and farfalle (10%) complete the top 5. (YouGov)

September 09, 2020

(UK)

Most workers want to work from home after COVID-19

The coronavirus crisis has given British workers a taste of the work-from-home lifestyle, and the results of a new YouGov survey show that many will be reluctant to give it up once the pandemic is over. Prior to the outbreak 68% of British employees never worked from home. Just one in three did, split between 13% who did so the whole time, and 19% who did so some of the time. But once the crisis is over, most (57%) of those who were working before the outbreak and who intend to stay part of the workforce say they want to be able to continue working from home. (YouGov)

September 22, 2020

(UK)

Over half of children worry about catching COVID-19 at school

Over half of children between 8 and 15 who attend school are scared they’ll contract coronavirus as they go back after nearly half a year at home. Many pupils are nervous about their safety as they head back to school. Some 55% of eight to 15-year-olds who attend school normally are worried they’ll get coronavirus when they return. In this group, most (43%) are “a little bit worried”, while one in eight (13%) said they’re “very worried”. (YouGov)

September 17, 2020

(UK)

Which forms of public transport are Londoners comfortable using?

Transport has always been a hot topic for Londoners, but since the COVID-19 pandemic it has become an even more important issue. Transport for London has done its best to ensure that buses, trains and the Underground are as safe as possible, to keep the capital moving – but do Londoners feel comfortable using them? Of the transport methods YouGov London Omnibus asked Londoners about, two thirds (66%) say they feel comfortable using trains, including Overground services, with one in five (21%) are very comfortable doing so. (YouGov)

September 15, 2020

(UK)

Will Brexit once again become Britain’s big issue?

At one point Brexit was the most pressing issue for Britons when surveyed, but health and the economy have now risen back above it. Now that could be changing. Until the start of this year it was near impossible to avoid the topic of Brexit. It had dominated headlines around the country since the EU referendum back in June 2016, and remained head and shoulders the most important issue facing the country in our polling. However, after COVID-19 hit the UK Brexit quickly slid into third place behind health and the economy. (YouGov)

September 16, 2020

NORTH AMERICA

(USA)

Canada No. 1 for Migrants, U.S. in Sixth Place

Canada and the U.S. remained among the most-accepting countries in the world for migrants in 2019. In fact, with a score of 8.46 (out of a possible 9.0) on Gallup's second administration of its Migrant Acceptance Index, Canada, for the first time, led the rest of the world. The U.S. ranked sixth, with a score of 7.95. (Gallup USA)

September 23, 2020

(USA)

Will Wariness of China or Russia Sway More Voters in 2020?

Americans themselves aren't clear on which global power the U.S. ought to be most worried about. Gallup routinely asks Americans to name what they think is the country's greatest enemy and finds Russia and China essentially tied as Americans' highest-ranking concerns, while Iran is a close third. This dispersion reflects the post-Cold War reality that the United States still lacks a clear rival. At the end of the Cold War, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the U.S. preeminent, there was concern in the foreign policy community that, without a common enemy left, America's ascendency could result in a loss of a sense of purpose for its grand strategy. (Gallup USA)

September 16, 2020

(USA)

SURVEY AMONG ASIAN AMERICANS; INDIANS MOSTLY FAVOR BIDEN, VIETNAMESE FAVOR TRUMP, CHINESE HIGHEST AMONG UNDECIDED

The 2020 Asian American Voter Survey includes a national sample of 1,569 Asian American registered voters. It was conducted from July 4 to September 10th, 2020 .The survey breaks out Chinese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Filipino voters and was offered in English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The survey was co-sponsored by APIA Vote, AAPI Data, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC. Results from the survey show strong enthusiasm about the upcoming Presidential election among Asian American registered voters. A majority (54%) of registered Asian Americans said that compared to previous elections, they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting. (APIA Vote)

September 15, 2020

(USA)

U.S. Image Plummets Internationally as Most Say Country Has Handled Coronavirus Badly

Since Donald Trump took office as president, the image of the United States has suffered across many regions of the globe. As a new 13-nation Pew Research Center survey illustrates, America’s reputation has declined further over the past year among many key allies and partners. In several countries, the share of the public with a favorable view of the U.S. is as low as it has been at any point since the Center began polling on this topic nearly two decades ago. (PEW)

September 15, 2020

(USA)

Few Trump or Biden supporters have close friends who back the opposing candidate

Supporters of Donald Trump and Joe Biden are divided not just in their views of the two presidential candidates and in their broader political beliefs and values. They are also largely divided in their personal relationships: Roughly four-in-ten registered voters in both camps say that they do not have a single close friend who supports the other major party candidate, and fewer than a quarter say they have more than a few friends who do, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in July and August. (PEW)

September 18, 2020

AUSTRALIA

Only 42% of Victorians rate the Victorian Police highly for their ethics and honesty

The fourth Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey on Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions shows only 42% of Victorians rate the Victorian Police either ‘Very high’ (11%) or ‘High’ (31%) for honesty and ethical standards. 25% rate the Police either ‘Low’ (13%) or ‘Very low’ (12%). A further 33% are in the middle and award the Police an Average rating for ethics and honesty. Women rate the ethics and honesty of Victorian Police more highly than do men, with 46% of women rating Victorian Police either ‘Very high’ (12%) or ‘High’ (34%) compared to 38% of men rating either ‘Very high’ (11%) or ‘High’ (27%). (Roy Morgan)

September 17, 2020

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

Around the world, people yearn for significant change rather than a return to a “pre-COVID normal”

A new global Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum unveils a profound and widespread desire for change rather than a return to how things were before the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey of more than 21,000 adults from 27 countries finds that 72% would prefer their life to change significantly rather than go back to how it was before the COVID-19 crisis started. Further, 86% would prefer to see the world change significantly – and become more sustainable and equitable – rather than revert to the status quo ante. (Ipsos)

September 16, 2020

World Grows Less Accepting of Migrants

As the European Union debuts a new migration pact, Gallup finds the world growing less accepting of migrants, and a number of EU countries topping the list of the least-accepting countries in the world. Overall, the world is slightly less accepting of migrants today than it was three years ago, according to Gallup's latest update of its Migrant Acceptance Index. Between 2016 and 2019, the global score on the index, which gauges people's acceptance of migrants based on increasing degrees of personal proximity to migrants, declined from 5.34 to 5.21. (Gallup USA)

September 23, 2020

ASIA

656-43-01/Poll

Luxury fashion brands not immune to pandemic

The pandemic has undoubtedly had an impact on businesses and consumer spending, and luxury brands are no exception. Latest YouGov Plan & Track data delves into how luxury brands have fared in Hong Kong as of late, how different ‘categories’ of luxury brands have been impacted, and what the average luxury brand buyer looks like in Hong Kong.

While there has been an overall decline in luxury brand consumers as a whole, not all brands performed the same. In this survey, they have been categorised by ‘Affordable Luxury’ (i.e. Coach, Michael Kors), ‘Accessible Core Luxury’ (i.e. Gucci, Prada) and ‘Premium Luxury’ (i.e. Cartier, Hermes). They have also been categorised under ‘Jewellery’ (i.e. Tiffany, Pandora) and Watch (i.e. Tag Heuer and Rolex).

The overall decline in customers for luxury brands is notable across all categories with the exception of ‘Premium Luxury’. It is the only category that doesn’t show a significant drop from the year prior.

The two categories that were most noticably hit by the pandemic however, are ‘Affordable Luxury’ and ‘Accessible Core Luxury’ brands. On 12 March 2020, when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the Affordable Luxury sector recorded a Current Customer score of 3.2 and for Accessible Core Luxury its score was 2.8. Since then both have been on a decline and fallen to 2.3 and 2.4 respectively.

What does the average luxury fashion consumer look like? YouGov Profiles reveals this by comparing demographics between the national population (nat rep) against a luxury fashion consumer. For example, though only 53% of the Hong Kong population are female, 54% of luxury fashion consumers are female – making them more likely to be female than male. They are most likely to have a personal income between HKD 15,000 and 29,000 (41% vs. 35% nat rep). Luxury fashion consumers are also very likely to be over the age of 45 (58% vs. 30% nat rep).

It is not all doom and gloom for luxury brands however. For one luxury brand, they actually saw an increase in their Purchase Intent score during the pandemic. Early on when the pandemic broke in Europe, Louis Vuitton were the first luxury fashion house to announce that they would be re-opening production sites to make PPE (personal protective equipment). This decision by the brand coincides with a rise in their Purchase Intent score, which has been on an upward trend since. This means that now more Hong Kong consumers are looking to purchase from the brand. Though other luxury brands followed suit, they did not enjoy the same uptick in scores.

Ervin Ha, Head of Data Products for YouGov APAC commented: “Many businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, and the luxury fashion sector is no exception. There has been a notable decline in Hong Kong consumers buying from luxury brands this year, with the exception of ‘premium luxury’ brands. It’ll be interesting to monitor if this changes in the following year, and if it will be the same profile of luxury fashion consumers post-pandemic.”

(YouGov)

September 22, 2020

Source: https://hk.yougov.com/en-hk/news/2020/09/22/luxury-fashion-brands-not-immune-pandemic/

656-43-02/Poll

A quarter of Singaporean employees are experiencing job insecurity

Job insecurity refers to the fear of losing one’s job. A quarter (26%) of Singaporean employees feel insecure in their jobs, up 6 per cent compared to a pre-COVID era. Almost one in ten (8%) feel ‘very insecure’ and about two in ten (18%) feel ‘somewhat insecure’. Three in ten (30%) feel neither secure nor insecure, and over two in five (44%) feel secure in their jobs. One in ten feel ‘very secure’ (11%), and a third (32%) feel ‘somewhat secure’. High-income earners (household income of SGD 8,000 a month or more) are the most likely to feel ‘very secure’ in their jobs, whereas mid-income earners (household income of SGD 4,000 to 7,999 a month) are the least likely to feel the same (17% vs. 7%).

The majority (94%) of employed Singaporeans are experiencing some level of stress over losing their jobs – only a small percentage (6%) feel ‘not at all stressed’. One in five (19%) feel a little stressed, half (49%) feel somewhat stressed and a quarter (26%) feel very stressed. Unsurprisingly, those who are feeling ‘very insecure’ in their jobs are the most likely to feel very stressed – with three quarters (74%) saying so, as opposed to those who feel ‘very secure’ (17%).

In the event of losing their jobs tomorrow, seven in ten (69%) believe it will be difficult to find another one of similar pay and benefits – a third (35%) think it’ll be ‘somewhat difficult’ and the other third (33%) think it will be ‘very difficult’. Two in ten (18%) are indifferent, and the remaining one in ten (10%) would find it easy. High-income earners are twice as likely to say it would be easy to find a similar job, compared to low and mid-income earners (15% vs. 7%). Two in five (41%) believe they’ll be able to find a new job within six months should they find themselves unemployed tomorrow – one in five (20%) think this will be within three months, and the other one in five (21%) think this will be within three to six months. A quarter (26%) believe this will be within six months to a year, and another one in five (21%) think this will take more than a year. The remaining 13% are unsure.

In the same circumstance of losing their jobs, half (48%) of Singaporean employees say they would be willing to take a pay cut of up to 20% to find another with a similar position. Almost a quarter (24%) would be willing to take a pay cut between 21% and 40%, and almost one in ten (9%) are willing to take a pay cut of more than 40%. The remaining 18% are unwilling to take a pay cut at all. Low-income earners (household income of less than SGD 4,000 a month) are twice as unwilling to take a pay-cut than high-income earners (25% vs. 12%). Men are also less willing to take a pay cut than women (16% vs. 21%).

(YouGov)

September 07, 2020

Source: https://sg.yougov.com/en-sg/news/2020/09/17/quarter-singaporean-employees-are-experiencing-job/

656-43-03/Poll

Covid-19: India's faith in PM Narendra Modi's handling of situation remains rock solid

Over the last six months, the IANS C Voter Covid-19 Tracker has brought to you data and analysis to capture India`s mood during the pandemic, one of the most unprecedented and disruptive events in the history of mankind.

The IANS C Voter Covid-19 Tracker is one of a kind poll and tracker in India covering the pandemic and consequent impact and the mood of the people.

Week after week, we have brought to you comparisons and changes in the mood of India and tracked variables like Trust in Government, Index of Panic, Index of Complacency, Index of Preparedness, changes in income and employment and the prevalence of Covid-19 symptoms.

The one constant in the tracker over the last six months has been Prime Minister Modi`s high approval ratings on the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As per the latest reading on September 12, three fourths` of the people have said the Modi government has handled the situation well and Trust in Government index remains strong. 75.8 per cent agree with the handling by the Modi government while 20.5 per cent disagree.

However, the approval ratings are not as high in the earlier months of the pandemic and the economic hardship is playing out longer. This number is off the highs of 80 and 90 per cent support seen in the months of April, May and June.

As per the latest reading, 75.8 per cent respondents to the survey agree that the Indian government has handled the situation well while 20.5 disagree leaving the net agree number at 55.3 per cent.

To a question on "I am afraid that either myself or someone in my family may actually catch the coronavirus", representing the Index of Panic, 49.8 per cent agree while 46.1 per cent disagree leaving a very slim majority for the agree camp at 3.7 per cent. This means that more people are afraid of catching the virus but with a very slim majority.

This number is now much lower than previous months indicating that people are less in panic mode. The sample size of the latest tracker is 4,853.

Covid-19 cases have been mounting in recent months and the latest daily addition is more than 95,000 cases in a single day.

To a question in the tracker on "I believe the threat from the coronavirus is exaggerated", 56 per cent agree while 33.5 per cent disagree. This means that 22.5 per cent overall agree that the threat is exaggerated. This is a little surprising after the total number of cases has crossed 46.6 lakh cases but the recovery rate has been strong and people are beginning to live with the pandemic.

The Index of Preparedness shows that 52.7 per cent people have stocked up on rations and medicines for more than three weeks 47.7 per cent have supplies less than that.

However, the news from the employment and income point of view is not very heartening. Out of the respondents, 17.43 per cent said they are completely laid off/out of work, 2.77 per cent said they were doing full time work, but are working part time now, 4.73 per cent said they are on leave without pay or work is halted and there is no income.

Almost one fourth or 22.94 per cent said they are working under regulations, but salary/income has salary decreased, 2.36 per cent said they are working, but there is no salary or income, 1.52 per cent said they are getting deducted salary and 6.88 per cent said they are working from home but income/salary has reduced.

So, for more than half or 51.75 per cent, salary and income has reduced for the working members of the family.

5.42 per cent said they are working from home and drawing same the salary or income while 22.14 per cent said they are working under regulations and safety measures and income/salary is the same.

(C-voter India)

September 13, 2020

Source: https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-covid-19-indias-faith-in-pm-narendra-modis-handling-of-situation-remains-rock-solid-135155

656-43-04/Poll

Chennai Super Kings faces a double whammy yet almost half of urban Indians think it will win the IPL

Interest in the series hasn’t changed due to the pandemic, and more than half claim their time spent watching movies, online content and other sports is likely to decrease during IPL

After months of uncertainty, the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is set to commence from September 19^th in the UAE. The tournament appears to be high on drama with new events unfolding each day in the lead-up to the opening ceremony.

Although players from different teams have withdrawn from the series, the situation looks grim for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Not only did its leading players Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pull out of the tournament, but also two of its other teammates tested positive for Covid.

YouGov’s latest survey reveals although a large proportion of urban Indians (66%) think these developments can prove disadvantageous to CSK, nearly half (46%) still believe the team will take the trophy home in 2020. Some (23%) believe Mumbai Indians (MI) is going to win the IPL yet again this year. Few think Kolkata Knight Riders (12%) will be the winners, and fewer feel Royal Challengers Bangalore (7%) or Sunrisers Hyderabad (5%) will walk away with the trophy. Chances of Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals winning the series are believed to be the least by people.

team_csk_will_win_ipl_trophy In fact, the two teams that respondents are most excited to see competing against each other in the IPL finals are CSK and MI.

The unfortunate developments around team CSK have fans worried & almost six in ten (58%) think the safety of other teammates as well as the players of other teams is likely to be at risk. Only one in five (20%) feel these events are unlikely to pose a threat for the other players.

Given the IPL is the only sporting event of the year for Indians amid this pandemic, a majority (68%) expressed their interest in the tournament and said they will be following it. However, close to a third (32%) showed lack of eagerness in the IPL matches.

Despite the delayed start of the series, YouGov data shows interest level in this season of IPL is the same as last year (67% vs 65%), and the pandemic does not seem to have affected the popularity of this sporting event. The high interest level in this season could be the reason for more than half saying their time spent watching movies (61% saying this), web series or online content (57%) and other sports (54%) is likely to decrease during the upcoming IPL season.

chart2_time_spent_on_watching_other_content_reduces Out of those who showed a low level of interest this year, IPL being held outside India (39%) and fatigue of staying home and general loss of interest (36%) emerged as the main reasons for not wanting to watch the series this year.

When asked what are they likely to do if the UAE government allowed people to watch the match in the stadium, most people preferred to be safe and said they would watch it at home- on TV (56%) or online on phone or laptop (39%). Only 4% said they are likely to travel to the UAE to watch the match if it's allowed.

YouGov will continue tracking the excitement level and interest of Indian cricket fans throughout IPL 2020.

(YouGov)

September 17, 2020

Source: https://in.yougov.com/en-hi/news/2020/09/17/chennai-super-kings-faces-double-whammy-yet-almost/

MENA

656-43-05/Poll

Emirates tops the 2020 YouGov BrandIndex Customer Loyalty Rankings in the UAE

Dubai’s flag carrier airline remains the brand with the most loyal customers in the country

YouGov BrandIndex measures the public’s perception of brands on a daily basis across a range of metrics. The Customer Loyalty rankings are compiled using the Consideration score amongst the brands’ own Current Customers.

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After Emirates, Etihad also features in the top 10 at fifth spot with no change in ranking from the previous year. Despite the extended period of not being able to fly with these brands, loyalty towards the brand has remained strong for both carriers.

Within the top 10, the biggest movers were Lurpak, a new entry at tenth up from fifteenth last year, and Dettol, up to sixth this year from tenth last year. With the Global pandemic hitting, we have also seen staple products like Almarai and McVities consolidate their positions in the loyalty rankings.

Popular handset brands, iPhone and Samsung Galaxy remain high in terms of loyalty with customers not showing a change in reconsideration rates despite their status as luxury items in the midst of a tough economic climate. This will be reassuring as both handset brand’s flagship products have announced/released their latest iterations relatively recently.

YouGov BrandIndex has also released the ten “most improved” brands of the past year- brands that have registered the largest improvement to their loyalty score in the past year. Majid Al Futtaim is the “most improved” brand of the past year, with a rise of +9.6 points to its Loyalty score. Al Futtaim Group is the second-best improved, with a change in score of 8.6 points.

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Leisure destinations such as Saadiyat Island and Yas Island Abu Dhabi have also seen a notable uplift in their loyalty score, more notably around the time when Yas Island was announced as the host destination of UFC as Fight Island. Consumer brands like Mirinda, Fanta and Cheetos also make an appearance in the list of improvers highlighting the role of familiar FMCG power brands in maintaining comfort through periods of prolonged lockdown and social distancing.

flyDubai and Acer are other brands that complete the list of the most improved brands of 2020 in terms of loyalty as measured by Reconsideration rates.

(YouGov)

September 22, 2020

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2020/09/22/emirates-tops-2020-yougov-brandindex-customer-loya/

AFRICA

656-43-06/Poll

Kenyans overwhelmingly seek – and find – justice outside formal court system

(Afrobarometer)

September 13, 2020

Source: https://www.afrobarometer.org/press/kenyans-overwhelmingly-seek-and-find-justice-outside-formal-court-system

EUROPE

656-43-07/Poll

For just over half of Germans, Germany is considered child-friendly

YouGov study on World Children's Day in cooperation with the SINUS Institute

70 PERCENT THINK IT'S BAD WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS LEFT FOR CHILDREN

Almost 3 out of 5 Germans (58 percent) believe that the needs of the little ones are neglected during the Corona crisis. Parents of underage children take this opinion more than average (67 percent). Logically, a narrow majority (57 percent) see a need for action in anchoring children's rights in the Basic Law. Furthermore, two thirds (64 percent) of Germans consider World Children's Day, which draws attention to the rights and needs of children, important. 77 percent of those surveyed say that children's rights are better off in Germany than in most other countries in the world. 7 out of 10 (70 percent) say that it is bad to find the world that is left for children.

WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTION AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE AND VIOLENCE, POLITICIANS MUST ACT, ACCORDING TO THE GERMANS

According to the Germans, there is a great need for political action with regard to child protection and the wish list is long: The Germans see the greatest need for action at 73 percent in protecting children from sexual abuse, followed by protecting children from violence (72 percent) and providing them of childcare places, equality of educational opportunities and protection against child poverty (68 percent each). 57 percent are of the opinion that children's rights should be anchored in the Basic Law.

FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE CHILDREN? SHAPED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

The Germans were also asked to assess the challenges today's children would face in the future. The finding is sobering, the young generation will not have it easy from the population's point of view: It is assumed that, compared to today's adults, they will feel the consequences of climate change more strongly (78 percent agreement). The respondents also say that they will be confronted with pandemics more often (64 percent). They also fear that children will find it harder to find a job later (56 percent). 47 percent of Germans hope that children will enjoy a higher standard of living, and only 32 percent that they will live in a more socially just society. One is again agreed

(YouGov)

September 17, 2020

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2020/09/17/fur-nur-knapp-mehr-als-die-halfte-der-deutschen-gi/

656-43-08/Poll

Germans don't trust banks, but they trust their own bank advisor

A current YouGov analysis deals with the relationship of trust between Germans and banks and their bank advisors. It also shows that digital communication channels such as chatbots and messenger advice are trendy, but cannot replace face-to-face meetings.

Customers of direct banks have particularly great distrust of banks. Of them, two out of five respondents are convinced that banks cannot be trusted. Only 15 percent of them say they have confidence. Customers of savings banks (28 percent) and large banks (29 percent) are less mistrustful. This is shown by our current analysis " The trust in banks and bank advisors "

TWO THIRDS TRUSTED THEIR BANK ADVISOR AT THE LAST CONSULTATION

The situation is different if you are asked about specific experience with your own bank advisor during the last bank consultation. The majority (62 percent) felt that they could trust the bank advisor. Only one in ten (12 percent) of those surveyed who took advice from a bank on financial topics stated that they did not trust the bank advisor. One in five (22 percent) is unsure.

Within the age groups, it is especially the youngest and oldest respondents who had confidence in their counterparts when they last consulted a bank. 77 percent of the 18 to 24 year-olds say this and 67 percent of the over 55-year-olds. In comparison, trust is significantly lower among 35 to 44 year olds (53 percent) and 45 to 54 year olds (57 percent).

MOSTLY POSITIVE EVALUATION OF THE LAST CONSULTING EXPERIENCE - NEVERTHELESS, THE MAJORITY ALSO DID THEIR OWN RESEARCH

The confidence in the bank advisor may come from the fact that the majority of respondents did not feel that the bank advisor had put pressure to sell (66 percent). 14 percent felt they had been pushed. The majority also had the impression that the recommendations of the bank advisor were based on their individual needs (59 percent) and that their interests for the bank advisor came first (48 percent). Overall, 61 percent say they were completely satisfied with the advice.

Even if the experience of the last banking consultation was largely rated as positive, the respondents didn't just leave it to their bank to provide information. They obtained information themselves both before the consultation (53 percent) and / or did so afterwards (53 percent).

In addition to personal advice from their house bank, bank customers get information on financial topics when they talk to friends, relatives and acquaintances (29 percent) and from comparison portals such as Verivox, Check24 or Finanzscout24 (25 percent). Visiting the website of your own house bank (19 percent) or online consumer forums such as Ciao.de or Finanztest (16 percent) is also popular.

PREFERABLY COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR OWN BANK IN PERSON IN THE BRANCH

For banks, these results show how important personal contact with customers is. Here you can compensate for the lack of trust that prevails in the industry and secure the loyalty of your target group through positive experiences. Digitalization has moved a lot away from branches and large parts of the interaction take place online. However, by far the most popular communication channel among bank customers is advice in the bank branch (75 percent). Telephone advice (48 percent) and the app from their own bank (43 percent) follow a long way behind.

Purely digital forms of communication that no longer promise human contact are significantly less popular with bank customers. Only one in seven would use a chatbot (15 percent) or a robo-advisor, an online advice robot (16 percent) to get in touch with their own bank. Although these channels are trendy, they are not yet attractive for a large part of the population. There is potential here in the younger target groups. After all, one in four (25 percent) 18 to 24-year-olds could imagine communicating with the bank via chatbot, and 29 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds would consider this.

(YouGov)

September 15, 2020

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2020/09/15/die-deutschen-vertrauen-zwar-banken-nicht-aber-dem/

656-43-09/Poll

Are the French big consumers of pasta?

What frequency of consumption?

7 in 10 French people eat pasta at least once a week (70%). 36% even say they consume it more than once a week, a figure that climbs to 49% among Millennials (18-34 years old).

Spaghetti: the French favorite pasta form

While fusilli are the favorite pasta of the British , the French favor spaghetti. Nearly 1 in 4 people say they prefer this form (23%), a figure drawn on the rise by men (29% against 18% of women).

Penne (14%), fusilli (13%), tagliatelle (13%) and farfalle (10%) complete the top 5.

The impact of containment on pasta consumption

Judging by the significant increase in the Word of Mouth index of Panzani (+4.3 points) and Barilla (+3.5 points), it seems that the pasta makers have been particularly talked about. during containment.

On the other hand, 28% of French people say they have consumed more pasta than usual during this period. Once again, there are strong differences between the generations: 37% of Millennials vs. 18% of those 55 and over.

The reasons for this overconsumption? 52% say they have increased their consumption of pasta to avoid going to the supermarket, and 47% appreciated the ease of preparation. We also note that 41% of French people have opted more for these starchy foods in order to limit their spending.

Buying behaviors

1 in 4 people say they have a favorite brand of dough, and are loyal to it (26%). At the same time, 41% of the population says they buy several brands (always the same), and 30% do not take the brand into account when buying.

The emergence of "gluten-free"

While gluten-free products are increasingly present on supermarket shelves, the offer of gluten-free pasta remains insufficient according to 28% of the population (35% of Millennials).

75% of French people say they have never eaten gluten-free pasta. If 1 in 2 people do not see the benefit (50%), 30% of the French have simply never had the opportunity to consume it.

Other explanatory factors: 12% fear the taste of gluten-free pasta, and 12% consider that their price is too high.

(YouGov)

September 09, 2020

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2020/09/09/les-francais-grands-consommateurs-de-pates/

656-43-10/Poll

Most workers want to work from home after COVID-19

Fewer than four in ten want to leave their house to go to work

Prior to the outbreak 68% of British employees never worked from home. Just one in three did, split between 13% who did so the whole time, and 19% who did so some of the time.

But once the crisis is over, most (57%) of those who were working before the outbreak and who intend to stay part of the workforce say they want to be able to continue working from home.

This includes 18% who want to be able to work from home the whole time, and 39% who want to be able to work from home some of the time.

Only four in ten (39%) say they don’t want to work from home once coronavirus is done.

The results will be concerning for the Government, which has been keen to coax people back to their workplaces to save local economies dependent on commuter workers.

What people want depends on what they were doing before the outbreak, and whether or not they’ve been able to work from home during lockdown

Most (55%) of those who never worked from home prior to the crisis say they want to keep doing so, but nevertheless a significant minority (40%) say they want to be able to do so once everything is over.

However, this largely depends on whether or not they’re currently working from home. Among those who never worked from home before COVID but now do so all the time, fully 91% say they want to be able to do so at least some of the time once the pandemic is over.

Similarly, 81% of those who have transitioned from never working from home to sometimes doing so want to be able to continue.

But among those who never worked from home before the crisis, and still aren’t, fully 73% say they never want to work from home post-COVID either.

The vast majority of people who worked from home prior to coronavirus want to continue to do so after the crisis.

Notably, one in three (31%) of those who worked from home some of the time prior to the crisis and were forced by the disease to work from home full time want to stick to their new arrangements.

Most expect companies to continue to allow working from home, with a sizeable minority considering relocating

Three quarters of staff who are currently working from home think it is likely that their employer will continue to let them do so post-COVID.

To further worry the Government, in the event that working from home full time became an option for them, around one in five workers would consider moving to a different area of the country that is not within commuting distance of their company’s workplace (20%), or to a different country altogether (22%).

Working from home could have an even bigger impact in London

Some have claimed that the onset of coronavirus has sounded the death knell for London’s success, with workers and companies realising they are no longer bound to tolerate the capital’s high rents and cost of living.

This may prove to be true. A separate survey of London workers found that 66% want to be able to work from home once the coronavirus crisis is over, including 19% who would want to do so full-time.

Likewise, Londoners are more likely to consider moving away in the event that full-time home working becomes an option: 28-30% of workers say they would consider moving far away in the UK or to another country altogether under these circumstances.

(YouGov)

September 22, 2020

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/economy/articles-reports/2020/09/22/most-workers-want-work-home-after-covid-19

656-43-11/Poll

Over half of children worry about catching COVID-19 at school

Over half of children between 8 and 15 who attend school are scared they’ll contract coronavirus as they go back after nearly half a year at home

Many pupils are nervous about their safety as they head back to school. Some 55% of eight to 15-year-olds who attend school normally are worried they’ll get coronavirus when they return. In this group, most (43%) are “a little bit worried”, while one in eight (13%) said they’re “very worried”.

Girls are more worried than boys (or, at least, more likely to admit it). Three in five (60%) feel concerned they might catch the virus at school, compared with half of boys in the same age group (51%).

Similarly, one in six girls (16%) are very worried, compared with one in ten boys (10%).

Children with parents in social grade C2DE, who tend to work in manual professions, are slightly more worried (60%) than those with ABC1 parents (54%), who are often professionals.

Half of children who normally attend school felt happier at home

Not everyone rejoices at being back in the classroom. A fifth of children aged eight to 15 (21%) who normally attend school but didn’t during the coronavirus outbreak felt “a lot” happier staying at home. Another three in ten (29%) said they’d been “a little” happier than normal.

In this instance, there’s no difference between the genders. A similar number of boys (51%) and girls (50%) have felt happier at home.

About a third of children in the same age group have been less happy staying at home. This includes just under a quarter (23%) who have been a little less content, while 9% have been a lot less happy.

Girls are twice as likely to say they’ve been a lot less happy (12%) compared with boys (6%).

Children with ABC1 parents are slightly more likely to have been unhappy as a result of staying home (34%) than those with C2DE parents (27%). While this is a small gap, another YouGov survey found that C2DE parents spent more time on homeschooling in lockdown as they were less likely to work from home.

Only one in six children who normally attend school (16%) said staying home didn’t make any difference to how they felt.

(YouGov)

September 17, 2020

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/education/articles-reports/2020/09/17/over-half-children-worry-about-catching-covid-19-s

656-43-12/Poll

Which forms of public transport are Londoners comfortable using?

Londoners are more likely to feel comfortable on the Overground than the Underground

Of the transport methods YouGov London Omnibus asked Londoners about, two thirds (66%) say they feel comfortable using trains, including Overground services, with one in five (21%) are very comfortable doing so.

The London Underground was the focus of many headlines at the height of the pandemic, with major concerns about overcrowding. Over half (52%) of Londoners feel safe using the service, but 44% do not - the highest proportion of the transport types we asked about.

Men in the capital are more comfortable with the idea of taking the Tube (60%) than women, of whom less than half (45%) would feel comfortable doing so.

When it comes to taxis, Londoners say they would feel more comfortable in a black cab than using an app-based taxi service. Approaching two thirds (62%) say they would be comfortable using black cabs, compared to 56% who would feel comfortable in another type of taxi.

Londoners are least likely to feel comfortable using bike hire schemes, such as Boris Bikes, with only 39% happy to take one for a spin. However it is worth noting that not all Londoners will be able to ride a bike, and this answer option returned a higher “don’t know” response (21%) than other options.

(YouGov)

September 15, 2020

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/transport/articles-reports/2020/09/15/Londoners-comfort-TFL-covid-travel-london

656-43-13/Poll

Will Brexit once again become Britain’s big issue?

At one point Brexit was the most pressing issue for Britons when surveyed, but health and the economy have now risen back above it. Now that could be changing.

Until the start of this year it was near impossible to avoid the topic of Brexit. It had dominated headlines around the country since the EU referendum back in June 2016, and remained head and shoulders the most important issue facing the country in our polling. However, after COVID-19 hit the UK Brexit quickly slid into third place behind health and the economy.

With the debate around a trade agreement with the EU starting to heat up, the number of people seeing Brexit as a top issue has been steadily increasing once again. Some 51% now point to it as a top issue facing the country, the highest number since January 2020.

This is now just two points behind Healthcare (53%) and the Economy (53%), both of which have remained key issues for the public throughout the pandemic. With Brexit discussions only likely to ramp up, it’s possible the issue could top the list next week for the first time since February.

Healthcare first topped the list of issues in March, as the lockdown rules came into place, peaking at 75%. In more recent months, the economy has caught up (peaking at 60% in July) and these two issues have been switching places as the most important amongst Brits in recent weeks.

While it appears there are now three issues of concern, coronavirus isn’t going anywhere and with talks of a possible second wave and the end of the furlough scheme approaching. It would be quite something if Brexit were to overtake healthcare and the economy as the number one issue facing the UK.

(YouGov)

September 16, 2020

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2020/09/16/will-brexit-once-again-become-britains-big-issue

NORTH AMERICA

656-43-14/Poll

Canada No. 1 for Migrants, U.S. in Sixth Place

Most-Accepting Countries for Migrants

	Migrant Acceptance Index
Canada	8.46
Iceland	8.41
New Zealand	8.32
Australia	8.28
Sierra Leone	8.14
United States	7.95
Burkina Faso*	7.93
Sweden	7.92
Chad*	7.91
Ireland*	7.88
Rwanda	7.88
*Country not on the list in 2016-2017
GALLUP WORLD POLL, 2019

The index is based on three questions that Gallup asked in 140 countries in 2016 and 2017 and updated again in 145 countries in 2019. The questions ask whether people think migrants living in their country, becoming their neighbors and marrying into their families are good things or bad things.

The index is a sum of the points across the three questions, with a maximum possible score of 9.0 (all three are good things) and a minimum possible score of zero (all three are bad things). The higher the score, the more accepting the population is of migrants.

Both Canada and the U.S., which have long histories as receiving countries for migrants, made the most-accepting list in 2017 as well. Migration policies in each country have taken different paths since then, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opening Canada's doors even wider, as President Donald Trump has tried to shut doors in the U.S. However, the acceptance of migrants among residents in each country has remained resolute and relatively unchanged from where they stood three years ago.

In Canada, residents almost universally saw migrants living in their country (94%) and being in their neighborhoods (95%) as good things, while more than nine in 10 (91%) said a migrant marrying into their family would be a good thing. Most Americans said the same, although not nearly to the same degree as Canadians. Nine in 10 (90%) said a migrant living in their neighborhood would be a good thing, and similar percentages said migrants living in their country (87%) and marrying into their families (85%) would be good things.

Migrant Acceptance Continues to Follow Political Fault Lines

As in 2017, migrant acceptance in both countries continues to be polarized. In the U.S., those who approved of Trump's job performance scored a 7.10 out of a possible 9.0 on the Migrant Acceptance Index, while those who disapproved scored an 8.59 on the index. In Canada, those who approved of Trudeau's job performance scored an 8.73, while the score was 8.21 among those who disapproved.

The same relationships persist, although not to the same degree, looking at approval of the country's leadership in general.

Political Divides on Migration in Canada, U.S.

	Migrant Acceptance Index
Americans
Approve of Trump	7.10
Disapprove of Trump	8.59
Approve of country's leadership	7.10
Disapprove of country's leadership	8.49
Canadians
Approve of Trudeau	8.73
Disapprove of Trudeau	8.21
Approve of country's leadership	8.59
Disapprove of country's leadership	8.31
GALLUP WORLD POLL, 2019

In the U.S., interestingly, there are differences in migrant acceptance among those who personally identified most with their city and country where they live (8.16) compared with those who identified most with their race or religion (7.69). In Canada, there were no differences in migrant acceptance based on how people identified themselves.

Most Educated in Each Country Are Most Accepting

For the most part, as it did in 2017, people's acceptance of migrants follow the same patterns in both Canada and the U.S.: Acceptance is higher among those with the most education and among those living in urban areas.

Interestingly, the patterns by age in the two countries are different. In the U.S., acceptance was highest among the youngest Americans and then declined with age. Among Americans between the ages of 15 and 29, the index score was 8.34; it measured nearly a full point lower among those aged 65 and older (7.37). In Canada, there were no real statistical differences by age group.

Migrant Acceptance by Age in the U.S., Canada

	Migrant Acceptance Index
Americans
15-29	8.34
30-44	8.11
45-54	8.04
55-64	7.79
65+	7.37
Canadians
15-29*	8.32
30-44	8.54
45-54	8.53
55-64	8.41
65+	8.51
*Difference not significant because of smaller sample sizes
GALLUP WORLD POLL, 2019

Bottom Line

Both Canada and the U.S. have long histories as receiving countries, but over the past several years, policies in each country have moved in opposite directions. Until the pandemic forced Canada to slow immigration to a trickle, the country was poised to admit more than 1 million permanent residents between 2019 and 2021, with targets increasing every year. In the U.S., the Trump administration is estimated to have cut legal immigration by almost half since taking office.

However, it appears that these changes in policies haven't drastically changed most people's acceptance of migrants. Residents in each country, and particularly in Canada, are accepting of the migrants who will continue to play a huge role in shaping their country's future.

(Gallup USA)

September 23, 2020

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/320669/canada-migrants-sixth-place.aspx

656-43-15/Poll

Will Wariness of China or Russia Sway More Voters in 2020?

In his acceptance speech at this year's Republican National Convention, President Donald Trump mentioned China 16 times, far more than any other country. "China would own our country if Joe Biden got elected," Trump predicted, effectively declaring it the United States' chief adversary.

A week later, Joe Biden had similarly tough words for Russia. Citing intelligence reports on Russian interference in the election, he said, "I just want to make it clear. I believe that any country that engages in any activity to delegitimize or impact on American elections is in direct violation of our sovereignty." Biden has also been critical of China, and, according to The Wall Street Journal, has grown more hawkish on it. But thus far, Biden has not spoken of China in terms that suggest it poses an existential threat.

Americans' Perceptions of U.S. Greatest Enemy

What one country anywhere in the world do you consider to be the United States' greatest enemy today?

	Feb 2008	Feb 2018	Feb 2020
	%	%	%
Russia	2	19	23
China	14	11	22
Iran	25	7	19
North Korea/Korea	9	51	12
Iraq	22	2	7
GALLUP

This dispersion reflects the post-Cold War reality that the United States still lacks a clear rival. At the end of the Cold War, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the U.S. preeminent, there was concern in the foreign policy community that, without a common enemy left, America's ascendency could result in a loss of a sense of purpose for its grand strategy.

What has evolved in the 21^st century is that America is facing not one, but two, ambitious rivals in Russia and China. Both challenge the U.S. in different ways, as they work to grow their chosen spheres of influence.

Consistent with Americans' perceptions, Business Insider columnist, Tom Porter, wrote at the beginning of 2020 that the biggest threats to the U.S. were: 1) Russia, with its interference in elections and its expanding weapons programs; 2) the Middle East, where tension between Iran and the U.S. are at a boiling point, the consequences of which are still unclear; and 3) China, whose leaders are gearing up their bid to strengthen the might of the PLA and expand China's influence beyond its borders.

Porter also saw that Democrats and Republicans were not able to agree on which power might serve as America's "orienting enemy." Samuel Huntington, in his famous 1997 book, The Clash of Civilizations, voiced that any weakening of the U.S. sense of a common enemy would create a lack of policy cohesion for the U.S.

Different Threats for Different Parties

It's not just Trump and Biden who are emphasizing different threats, but Republicans and Democrats nationwide. Gallup's February poll found Republicans about three times more likely to name China than Russia as the United States' greatest enemy, and the reverse was true among Democrats.

Despite the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and all that has since changed in the world, partisan differences in views of China continued in a Pew study conducted June 16-July 14, with Republicans (83%) viewing it more unfavorably than Democrats (68%).

The picture wasn't so fractured two years ago when Republicans and Democrats agreed that North Korea posed the greatest threat. At that time, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were trading verbal threats, and North Korea displayed the potential of its ballistic missiles to reach the U.S. But Americans' fear diminished after Trump's summit with Kim in 2019. Also, in 2008, Republicans and Democrats agreed on the Middle East as the greatest threat, selecting either Iran or Iraq.

Party Groups' Perceptions of the United States' Greatest Enemy

Selected trend by party in leading countries mentioned in 2020

	Republicans	Independents	Democrats
	%	%	%
2020 Feb 3-16
Russia	9	22	43
China	31	23	12
Iran	30	16	11
North Korea/Korea	10	12	15
Iraq	6	7	5
2018 Feb 1-10
Russia	9	19	30
China	15	11	7
Iran	10	7	3
North Korea/Korea	58	50	45
Iraq	1	1	2
2008 Feb 11-14
Russia	2	3	1
China	19	14	12
Iran	39	24	16
North Korea/Korea	7	8	13
Iraq	16	22	27
GALLUP

Commenting on the United States' current first-tier rivals, Reihan Salam, President of the Manhattan Institute, wrote, "Nationalist conservatives and Republicans see rising China as the far greater threat to American interests, but cosmopolitan liberals and Democrats see a Russia that will serve America as their chief geopolitical adversary." (The Atlantic, "Is China or Russia America's Defining Rival?" Oct. 9, 2018).

Bottom Line

The 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment delivered by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence laid out for the 2020 election cycle the harmful actors to U.S. interests. The report stated that Russia's intelligence services would, among other things, seek to "erode U.S. democracy, undermine U.S national policies and foreign relationships, and increase Moscow's global position and influence." The report also assesses that China's intelligence services will "exploit the openness of American society, especially academia and the scientific community using a variety of means."

Nearly a quarter of Americans share each of these concerns, identifying either China or Russia as the greatest threat to the U.S. The more Trump mentions China, the more Biden may feel compelled to emphasize Russia to stoke his own base, which has expressed more concern about Russia than China. Thus, even with COVID-19 and the economy uppermost in people's minds, a close 2020 election may be won over whether voters believe it is more important to face down Russia or China.

Even if it's not crucial to the vote, the U.S. now has antagonistic relations on multiple fronts, with partisans in Washington and nationwide disagreeing on priorities, contributing to a lack of foreign policy cohesion. What direction U.S. foreign policy takes over the next four years will likely depend upon which political party is in power -- not only because Trump and Biden approach the question differently, but because their political bases agree. As the old saying goes, "Elections have consequences," and this is certainly the case for this election and U.S. foreign policy.

(Gallup USA)

September 16, 2020

Source: https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/320276/wariness-china-russia-sway-voters-2020.aspx

656-43-16/Poll

SURVEY AMONG ASIAN AMERICANS; INDIANS MOSTLY FAVOR BIDEN, VIETNAMESE FAVOR TRUMP, CHINESE HIGHEST AMONG UNDECIDED

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the country, and the group exhibited record levels of turnout in 2018 for midterm elections. Enthusiasm levels are high as we approach the November 2020 Presidential elections as well.

Asian Americans constitute a critical mass in several competitive states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. They are likely to be influential in congressional races in Southern California, Texas, and New Jersey, as well as in other states.

As attention turns to the immigrant vote, it is worth noting that “immigrant voters” include about as many Asian Americans as Latinx people and that Asian Americans are the only racial group that is majority immigrant. This means that bilingual voting materials and outreach remain acute needs in Asian American communities.

Results from the survey show strong enthusiasm about the upcoming Presidential election among Asian American registered voters. A majority (54%) of registered Asian Americans said that compared to previous elections, they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting.

A majority of Asian Americans (54%) surveyed planned to vote for Biden compared to just 30% who planned to support Republican incumbent Donald Trump.

Biden was strongly favored among all national origin groups surveyed, except Vietnamese Americans. Among Vietnamese registered voters, support is higher for Trump (48%) than Biden (36%). Indian Americans are the most inclined to vote for Biden among all Asian American groups (66%). At the same time, 14% of Asian American registered voters remained undecided about their presidential vote choice, with Chinese Americans (22%) exhibiting the highest proportion of voters who said they were “undecided.”

Majorities of Asian American registered voters also said they will support Democratic over Republican candidates in House and Senate races. Again, the exception to this trend of Democratic support were Vietnamese American voters, who on the whole are more likely to support Republican candidates for House and Senate than Democratic candidates.

Partisanship likely drives these group differences among Asian Americans. Vietnamese Americans were the only Asian American group surveyed that leans more Republican (38% ) than Democrat (28%) with a large proportion of those who identify as non-partisan (34%)

Although enthusiastic about voting, Asian American registered voters also expressed some concerns about the upcoming election. Almost half (48%) said they often worry about the possibility of election interference in November. In addition, almost half worry about the health and safety of voting in-person at the polls due to COVID-19. Perhaps as a consequence, most Asian American registered voters (54%) said they prefer to vote by mail or vote by absentee ballot, rather than to vote in-person (26%) on Election Day.

Asian American voters exhibit tremendous diversity in terms of characteristics like national origin, geographic region, religion, and English-langauge proficiency. At the same time, they demonstrate remarkable cohesion when it comes to their interest in health care and opinions related to immigration, the environment, guns and education. On many of these issues, Asian Americans lean progressive, favoring a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, stronger environmental protections, gun control, and affirmative action. They are likely to believe that the Democratic party handles most issues better than the Republican party, with the exception of taxes and “jobs and the economy.”

Political parties have yet to harness the power of the Asian American vote despite the fact that many remain persuadable. The 2020 Asian American Voter Survey shows that about half of all respondents were not contacted by either major party. With a higher than average response of voters who do not subscribe with either party, party outreach will be critical for Asian American voters.

(APIA Vote)

September 15, 2020

Source: https://www.apiavote.org/research/2020-asian-american-voter-survey

656-43-17/Poll

U.S. Image Plummets Internationally as Most Say Country Has Handled Coronavirus Badly

In some countries, ratings for U.S. are at record low

For instance, just 41% in the United Kingdom express a favorable opinion of the U.S., the lowest percentage registered in any Pew Research Center survey there. In France, only 31% see the U.S. positively, matching the grim ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. Germans give the U.S. particularly low marks on the survey: 26% rate the U.S. favorably, similar to the 25% in the same March 2003 poll.

Part of the decline over the past year is linked to how the U.S. had handled the coronavirus pandemic. Across the 13 nations surveyed, a median of just 15% say the U.S. has done a good job of dealing with the outbreak. In contrast, most say the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union have done a good job, and in nearly all nations people give their own country positive marks for dealing with the crisis (the U.S. and UK are notable exceptions). Relatively few think China has handled the pandemic well, although it still receives considerably better reviews than the U.S. response.

All publics surveyed rank the U.S. coronavirus response lowest

Poor ratings for the U.S. and Trump Ratings for U.S. President Donald Trump have been low in these nations throughout his presidency, and that trend continues this year. Trump’s most negative assessment is in Belgium, where only 9% say they have confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing in world affairs. His highest rating is in Japan; still, just one-quarter of Japanese express confidence in Trump.

Attitudes toward Trump have consistently been much more negative than those toward his predecessor, Barack Obama, especially in Western Europe. In the UK, Spain, France and Germany, ratings for Trump are similar to those received by George W. Bush near the end of his presidency.

Low confidence in Trump in Western Europe

Trump less trusted than leaders of Germany, France, UK, Russia and China The publics surveyed also see Trump more negatively than other world leaders. Among the six leaders included on the survey, Angela Merkel receives the highest marks: A median of 76% across the nations polled have confidence in the German chancellor. French President Emmanuel Macron also gets largely favorable reviews. Ratings for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are roughly split. Ratings for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are overwhelmingly negative, although not as negative as those for Trump.

More confidence in Trump among European right-wing populist party supporters Views of Trump are more positive among Europeans who have favorable views of right-wing populist parties, though confidence is still relatively low among all groups. For instance, supporters of Spain’s Vox party are particularly likely to view Trump in a positive light: 45% are confident in his ability to handle international affairs, compared with only 7% among Spaniards who do not support Vox.

Ratings of America’s response to the coronavirus outbreak are also related to support for right-wing populist parties and political ideology within several countries. While ratings are low among both groups, those on the political right are more likely than those on the left to think the U.S. has done a good job handling the outbreak.

Thus far, the pandemic and resulting global recession have not had a major impact on perceptions about the global economic balance of power among the nations surveyed. Majorities or pluralities in these countries have named China as the world’s leading economic power in recent years, and that remains true in 2020. The exceptions are South Korea and Japan, where people see the U.S. as the world’s top economy.

These are among the major findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 13,273 respondents in 13 countries – not including the U.S. – from June 10 to Aug. 3, 2020.

Racial injustice and perceptions of the United States

In recent months, the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police has led to massive protests both in the U.S. and around the world. All countries polled in Pew Research Center’s summer 2020 Global Attitudes Survey have experienced protests in response to these events. Many demonstrations took place during or directly prior to the fielding of our survey.

Certainly, these events may have had an impact on how people think about the U.S. Our survey did not include questions about the protests, Floyd’s killing, the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality or racial injustice. However, Pew Research Center has conducted some research relevant to these issues in recent years.

A recent Center analysis showed the extent to which the debates sparked by the killing of George Floyd have spread beyond America’s shores. The study examined legislators in four predominantly English-speaking countries and found that many had tweeted about Floyd or used the phrase “Black lives matter” or the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. This includes roughly six-in-ten British members of Parliament (59%), 44% of Canadian representatives and about a quarter (26%) of Australian lawmakers who tweeted during the study period. And 14% of legislators tweeted about this subject or used the phrase or hashtag in New Zealand, a country not included in the current survey.

Concerns about racial injustice fit into a broader pattern of decline in the belief that the U.S. government respects the personal freedoms of its people. We first saw a decrease on this measure between 2013 and 2014, as news broke about Edward Snowden and National Security Agency surveillance around the world. We saw further declines in 2015 following protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in response to the police killing of Michael Brown in August 2014. And we observed continuing erosion on this measure through 2018, the last time the question was asked.

Declining shares have said the U.S. respects its people’s personal freedoms

Country spotlights: Canada, Germany, South Korea

Findings from Canada, Germany and South Korea illustrate key patterns in how foreign publics view the U.S. and its president.

Canada: Favorable opinion of U.S. and confidence in its president at all-time low

In Canada, one-in-five have confidence in Trump Like all countries surveyed this year, Canada’s favorable rating of the U.S. dropped sharply in 2017 as confidence in the U.S. president plummeted. In the more than three years since Trump first took office, views have slowly shifted, but 2020 sees the lowest ratings for the U.S. in Canada since Pew Research Center began polling there almost two decades ago.

Only 35% of Canadians have a favorable view of their southern neighbor, and 20% trust Trump to do what is right regarding world affairs.

Germany: Deeply negative views of the U.S.

In Germany, roughly a quarter regard U.S. positively Germans give the U.S. some of its worst ratings in the survey. Only 26% have a positive view of America, while just 10% have confidence in Trump when it comes to his handling of world affairs. These opinions are in stark contrast to the very favorable assessments Germans had during Barack Obama’s presidency, but roughly on par with views at the end of George W. Bush’s tenure.

Across the European countries surveyed, support for right-wing populist parties is related to ratings of the U.S. In Germany, people who have a favorable view of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) are much more likely than those with an unfavorable view of the party to have a positive opinion of the U.S. (43% among party supporters vs. 22%) or to trust Trump’s approach to international affairs (34% vs. 5%). They are also more likely to believe that the U.S. has done a good job in response to the coronavirus outbreak (25% vs. 6%).

South Korea: A sharp drop in Trump confidence

In South Korea, confidence in Trump falters South Korea has seen a steep decline in favorable views of the U.S. since last year, but it is the only country surveyed where a majority still holds a positive opinion. At the same time, trust in the U.S. president has dropped substantially.

South Koreans’ confidence in Trump more than doubled from 2017 to 2018 and remained at that level in 2019. That year, 78% of Koreans approved of Trump’s policy to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about the country’s nuclear weapons program. Current ratings are back to their 2017 low: Only 17% believe Trump would do the right thing regarding world affairs.

Still, South Korea stands out for its people’s views of the U.S. as an economic leader. In nearly every other country surveyed, China is the most common choice as a global economic leader, but 77% of Koreans believe the U.S. holds this spot.

Majorities have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S. in nearly every country surveyed

Few have positive opinion of U.S. Pew Research Center surveys have found mixed or relatively negative views of the U.S. in Canada and Western Europe since 2017 and the beginning of the Trump administration. In the current survey, views of the U.S. have deteriorated further, with a median of only 34% across the 13 countries surveyed expressing a positive view.

Roughly one-third of Canadians (35%) view their neighbor to the south positively. A similar share across Europe holds this view (median of 33%), though favorable opinions range from a low of roughly a quarter in Belgium (24%) and Germany (26%) to a high of about four-in-ten or more in the UK (41%) and Italy (45%).

Many in Australia and Japan have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S., while South Korea stands out as the only country surveyed where a majority (59%) views the U.S. positively.

The current survey shows a substantial dip in ratings of the U.S. since 2019. Japan saw the largest drop, with only 41% expressing a positive view in 2020, compared with 68% in 2019. Every other country surveyed in both years saw a decrease of between 12 and 18 percentage points since the previous year.

Views of the U.S. generally shift in tandem with confidence in the American president. Favorable views of the U.S. dropped sharply in 2017 during President Trump’s first year in office and have decreased further in every country surveyed in both years except Spain. A larger share of Spaniards view the U.S. positively in 2020 (40%) than in 2017 (31%), though fewer hold this view now than during Obama’s presidency.

Positive views of the U.S. are at or near an all-time low in most countries for which trends are available. However, Spain and Italy had less positive views of the U.S. before the start of the Iraq War in March 2003 than they currently do. Favorable opinions were also lower in South Korea in the same year.

U.S. favorability

In every country surveyed, men have a more positive assessment of the U.S. than women. The gender gap is largest in Denmark, where 42% of men rate the U.S. favorably, compared with 26% of women. There is a similarly large gap in Spain (48% of men vs. 33% of women) while the magnitude of the gender difference is roughly 10 percentage points in the other countries polled.

Sentiment toward the U.S. differs by ideological orientation In all European countries surveyed, views of the U.S. are significantly more favorable among those who support their country’s right-wing populist parties. For example, 73% of people with a favorable view of Spain’s Vox have a positive opinion of the U.S., compared with only 29% of those who view Vox unfavorably.

Consistent with the right-wing populist party findings, people who place themselves on the right of the ideological spectrum in general have a more positive view of the U.S. than people on the ideological left. This ideological divide is particularly large in Spain and South Korea, where there is a roughly 30 percentage point difference between the two groups.

This pattern mirrors the findings of previous surveys, where those on the right have generally viewed the U.S. more favorably than those on the left, even during President Obama’s tenure. In 2019, U.S. favorability ratings increased in some countries, driven in part by large jumps in ratings among those on the ideological right.

Overwhelming majorities rate America’s response to coronavirus outbreak as bad

Few think the U.S. has dealt with the coronavirus outbreak well Overall, few assess the American response to the coronavirus outbreak positively. In no country surveyed do more than a fifth think the U.S. has done at least a somewhat good job dealing with the virus, and a median of only 15% across the 13 countries polled consider the country’s handling of the virus to be effective.

While positive assessments of the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak are scarce overall, in some countries, they are in the single digits: Only 6% in South Korea, 7% in Denmark and 9% in Germany think the U.S. has dealt well with the virus. Spaniards hold the most positive assessments of the American response, but even there, only one-in-five think the U.S. has handled the outbreak well.

On the flip side, in every country surveyed, roughly eight-in-ten or more say the U.S. has handled the virus badly. And, in 11 of the 13 countries surveyed, half or more say the U.S. has done a very bad job dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Poor marks for America’s response to coronavirus outbreak These numbers are particularly low when compared to how publics think other countries and organizations have handled the outbreak. Consistently, the shares who think the U.S. has responded well to the virus are surpassed by those who think the same of China, the EU, the WHO and their own country. Only in Japan does the comparison between the U.S. and China coronavirus response come close: 15% think the U.S. has done a good job dealing with the outbreak and 16% think the same of China.

In most countries, at least half or more believe their country has done a good job dealing with the virus. However, the U.S. and UK are notable outliers, with 47% and 46% of people in each country, respectively, saying their nation has done at least a somewhat good job dealing with the outbreak.

Those with favorable views of right-wing populist parities more approving of U.S. handling of virus Attitudes toward political parties also impact assessments of the U.S.’s handling of the virus. Those who hold favorable views of right-wing populist parties are more likely than those who hold unfavorable views to think the U.S. has dealt with the virus effectively. The differences between supporters and nonsupporters on this mark are sharp: Across all 11 right-wing parties surveyed, there are double-digit gaps in views of the American response to the outbreak.

Political ideology also influences how people assess the American response to the outbreak in roughly half of the countries surveyed. In Spain, Germany, Canada, Italy, the UK, France and Belgium, those who identify as being on the right of the ideological spectrum are significantly more likely than those on the left to positively assess the U.S.’s efforts to curtail the virus.

Few in Europe name the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power, but most in South Korea and Japan do

South Korea, Japan see U.S. as world’s leading economic power; Europeans say it’s China A median of 34% across the 13 countries surveyed believe the U.S. is the world’s leading economic power, while almost half (48%) say the same of China.

South Korea and Japan – the two nations geographically closest to China among those surveyed – are the only countries where the U.S. is the most common choice for the leading economic power. In Australia, Canada and the European countries surveyed, China is the top choice.

Overall, very few say the countries of the European Union are the world’s leading economic power, though 18% in Germany and 16% in Denmark hold this view.

Previous surveys have found that the U.S. tends to be the most common choice in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. But in Canada, Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific, more have chosen China – consistent with the pattern of findings in the current survey. Overall, ratings have not changed significantly in most countries since 2019, despite the drastic economic challenges spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.

Confidence in President Trump is low, similar to his first year in office

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, very few polled in Canada, Europe or the Asia-Pacific have confidence in Donald Trump to do the right thing regarding international affairs. Across the 13 countries surveyed, a median of 16% have confidence in the American president.

Little confidence in President Trump’s handling of world affairs Just one-in-five or fewer in Canada and Western Europe trust the president to do what is right. In Belgium, Denmark, Germany and France, roughly one-in-ten have confidence in Trump.

The countries surveyed with the highest confidence in Trump are both in the Asia-Pacific region, and ratings in these countries are still very low. Roughly one-quarter of people in Australia and Japan believe the president will do the right thing in international affairs.

In previous years, confidence in Trump has been relatively higher in some countries such as India, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines, but due to the coronavirus outbreak, interviewing is not currently possible in countries such as these where we typically conduct face-to-face interviews.

There has been some variability in Trump’s confidence ratings over the last few years, but overall, current ratings are consistent with those at the start of his presidency in 2017. Italy (9 percentage point decrease) and Australia (-6 points) are the only countries where confidence in Trump has decreased since he first took office. In contrast, Spaniards have more confidence in Trump now (16%) than they did four years ago, when they had one of the lowest levels of confidence measured (7%).

Confidence in U.S. presidents

Trust in the American president is low across most demographic groups, but men, people with less education and those on the right of the ideological spectrum tend to have more confidence in Trump’s handling of world affairs than their counterparts.

There is a significant gender gap in confidence in 10 of the 13 countries surveyed. This gap is largest in Japan, where 31% of men, compared with 19% of women, trust Trump. The educational divide is relatively small, but significant in seven countries. In Australia, the UK, Italy, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and France, those with less than a secondary education have more confidence in Trump than those with more education.

Relative to the gender and educational differences, ideological differences are greater when evaluating confidence in Trump. The largest ideological divide is in Australia. Roughly four-in-ten Australians on the ideological right have confidence in Trump’s handling of global affairs, compared with only about one-in-ten of those on the left. A similar pattern can be seen in every country surveyed except France.

Mirroring the ideological divide, people who have a favorable opinion of right-wing populist parties in Europe also have more trust in the U.S. president than those with an unfavorable view of these parties. In Spain, supporters of the right-wing party Vox (45%) are more than six times as likely to express confidence in Trump as nonsupporters (7%). Backers of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) are almost seven times as likely non-backers to trust that Trump will do the right thing in world affairs (34% vs. 5%, respectively).

Confidence in world leaders

The survey also asked about confidence in five other world leaders: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump is the least trusted among these six leaders.

Xi also receives relatively negative ratings across the board. Confidence in the Chinese president is particularly low in Japan (9%), where people are more likely to trust Trump than Xi. About three-in-ten in the Netherlands trust Xi, the highest share among the countries surveyed. Confidence in Xi has also decreased since the previous year in 10 countries.

A median of 23% trust Putin’s approach to international affairs. Very few in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands hold this view, while Italians are the most likely among countries polled to have confidence in the Russian president.

Confidence in world leaders

People are roughly split in their views of Johnson; a 13-country median of 48% have confidence in the British leader when it comes to world affairs, while 46% do not. Britons are similarly divided in their opinions of their prime minister. Majorities in Sweden, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands express trust in Johnson, while very few in Spain and Italy agree.

Roughly half or more in 12 of the 13 countries surveyed expect Macron to do the right thing in international affairs. The exception is Italy, where just 35% voice confidence in the French president. In his own country, 52% express confidence in Macron.

Merkel is the most trusted world leader asked about in the survey and has held that spot since 2017, when Trump succeeded Obama as U.S. president. At least half in every country surveyed have confidence in the German leader when it comes to her handling of international affairs. Just under 90% in the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark express confidence in Merkel, slightly higher than the 81% of Germans who trust their leader to do the right thing.

As is the case for ratings for the U.S. president, people who support right-wing populist parties in Europe are more likely to express confidence in Putin and Johnson than people who do not support these parties. The opposite pattern is true for Merkel and Macron; backers of populist parties in Europe tend to have less confidence in the leaders of Germany and France.

(PEW)

September 15, 2020

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/09/15/us-image-plummets-internationally-as-most-say-country-has-handled-coronavirus-badly/

656-43-18/Poll

Few Trump or Biden supporters have close friends who back the opposing candidate

Majorities of Trump, Biden voters say they have ‘just a few’ or no friends who support the other candidate

Most voters instead report having a lot of friends who share their political preferences. Around six-in-ten Trump supporters (59%) say they have a lot of friends who share their support for the president’s reelection bid, while a slightly smaller share of Biden supporters (48%) say a lot of their close friends also back the former vice president in the election this fall. Nearly nine-in-ten backers of both Trump (89%) and Biden (87%) say they have at least some close friends who support their candidate for president.

How we did this

Demographic differences

Older voters are more likely to say a lot of their close friends share their candidate preference

Trump supporters with a high school diploma or less education are more likely than those with more education to report having a lot of Trump-supporting friends: Two-thirds say this, compared with 59% of Trump supporters with some college experience and 49% of those with a college degree or more education. The pattern was similar, though less pronounced, in the summer of 2016. Trump voters without college experience are also more likely than those with a college education to say they have no friends who back Biden.

Among Biden supporters, those with a four-year college degree are somewhat more likely than those with less education to say they have a lot of friends who back Biden. But they are somewhat less likely to report having no Trump-supporting friends.

In both coalitions, older registered voters are more likely than younger voters to report having a lot of friends who back their candidate.

More than half of Black Biden supporters (56%) say they have a lot of close friends who support the Democratic nominee – little different than the 59% of Black voters supporting Hillary Clinton who said this in the summer of 2016.

Roughly half of White Biden supporters (48%) say they have a lot of friends who share their candidate preference, as do 39% of Hispanic Biden supporters. In the summer of 2016, Hispanic Clinton supporters were somewhat more likely than White Clinton supporters to say they had a lot of friends who backed Clinton (47% vs. 33%, respectively).

White Trump supporters are more likely than Hispanic Trump supporters (63% vs. 41%) to say a lot of their close friends also support the president.

Geographic differences

Trump supporters who live in counties that Trump won by a wide margin over Clinton in 2016 are more likely to say they have a lot of friends who also support the president – and more likely to say they have no friends who back Biden – than those who live in more politically mixed counties or counties that Clinton won in 2016.

Voters who live in counties where others have similar politics are less likely to report having any friends who back the other candidate

In counties where Trump’s margin over Clinton was 30 points or more, 71% of Trump supporters say a lot of their friends currently support the president and nearly half (46%) say they have no close friends who back Biden. By comparison, in counties that Clinton won by a similarly wide margin, only 42% of Trump supporters say a lot of their friends back Trump and just 30% say none of their close friends support Biden.

The pattern is similar among Biden supporters: 57% of those who live in counties that Clinton won handily in 2016 say a lot of their close friends support Biden, while 53% say none of their close friends support Trump. But among Biden backers living in places that Trump overwhelmingly won in 2016, just 31% say a lot of their friends back Biden and only 32% say they have no close Trump-supporting friends.

(PEW)

September 18, 2020

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/18/few-trump-or-biden-supporters-have-close-friends-who-back-the-opposing-candidate/

AUSTRALIA

656-43-19/Poll

Only 42% of Victorians rate the Victorian Police highly for their ethics and honesty

Women rate the ethics and honesty of Victorian Police more highly than do men, with 46% of women rating Victorian Police either ‘Very high’ (12%) or ‘High’ (34%) compared to 38% of men rating either ‘Very high’ (11%) or ‘High’ (27%).

Older Victorians have a more positive view of the Victorian Police than their younger counterparts with 54% of 50-64 year olds, 45% of 35-49 year olds and people aged 65+ rating them either ‘Very high’ or ‘High’ compared to only 31% for those aged under 35.

This research on the view of Victorians on the ethics and honesty of Victorian Police was conducted after several videos involving people allegedly breaking State of Emergency laws throughout Victoria were publicised in the media, including the arrest of a pregnant woman in her home in Ballarat and a woman being forcibly removed from her car after refusing to provide her driver’s license.

In the Roy Morgan Image of Professions survey in 2017 Victorians rated Police as the 8^th most trusted profession with 76% of respondents awarding the Police ‘Very high’ (27%) or ‘High’ (49%) marks. Police were behind only Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, School Teachers, Engineers, Dentists and State Supreme Court Judges.

An increasing majority of 55% of (up 2% in a week) say Melbourne residents should now be able to visit the homes of immediate family members. There are majorities of women (53%), men (58%), Melburnians (56%), Country Victorians (54%) and – for the first time – all age groups agree they should be able to visit.

Victorians are now evenly split on whether Melburnians should now be able to travel more than 5km from home with 50% saying yes (up 4% in a week) and 50% saying no (down 4%).

However, among Melbournians an increased majority of 53% say they should be free to travel more than 5 km from their home – up from 50% a week ago. This compares to slightly more than a third of people in Country Victoria (36%) who say Melburnians should now be able to travel more than 5km from home. This is again the largest gap between Melburnians and Country Victorians of any question.

People surveyed were each asked the following questions to determine their attitudes towards the current Victorian Government Stage 4 directives with changes compared to a week ago.

Question 1: “Melbourne residents are currently banned from visiting the homes of immediate family members with the exception of singles, delivering care or essential services. Should Melbourne residents now be able to visit the homes of their immediate families?” Yes 55% (up 2% from a week ago) cf. No 45% (down 2%).
Question 2: “At present Melbourne has a curfew from 9pm to 5am, should the curfew end now or not?” Yes 35% (down 2%) cf. No 65% (up 2%).
Question 3: “Melbourne residents are currently restricted from travelling more than 5km from their homes for exercise or buying essential items such as food. Should Melbourne residents now be free to travel more than 5km from their home?” Yes 50% (up 4%) cf. No 50% (down 4%).
Question 4 (NEW QUESTION): “From what you know or have heard, how would you rate Victorian Police for honesty and ethical standards?” Very High (11%), High (31%), Average (33%), Low (13%), Very Low (12%).

Support for the night-time curfew from 9pm to 5am remains strong with 65% of Victorians saying the curfew in Melbourne should not end compared to 35% who say it should.

This special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with a Victoria-wide cross-section of 2,278 Victorians aged 18+ conducted on Tuesday September 15 – Wednesday September 16, 2020.

The survey was conducted six weeks after the introduction of stringent Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne and a week after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a two-week extension to the Stage 4 lockdown. The current restrictions are now due to end in just over two weeks’ time although Country Victoria has scored a reprieve with restrictions wound back to Stage 2 level this week.

ALP & L-NP supporters have the same views on Victorian Police, but L-NP supporters want to be able to visit their immediate families, and the end of travel restrictions and the night-time curfew

Nearly half of ALP supporters (46%) and L-NP supporters (46%) rate the police either ‘Very high’ or ‘High’ for ethics and honesty compared to 41% of Greens supporters.

However, there are large gaps between L-NP supporters and ALP supporters when it comes to the Stage 4 restrictions including visiting their immediate families, ending travel restrictions and the night-time curfew.

A large majority of 71% (up 2% in a week) of L-NP supporters say Melburnians should now be able to visit the homes of their immediate families compared to 46% (down 4%) of ALP supporters and 53% (up 18%) of Greens supporters;
Two-thirds of L-NP supporters 66% (up 9%) say Melbourne residents should now be able to travel more than 5km from their home compared to 38% (down 8%) of ALP supporters and just 34% (down 1%) of Greens supporters;
For the first time a slim majority of L-NP supporters 52% (up 11%) say the Melbourne night-time curfew from 9pm-5am should end now compared to just 27% (down 5%) of ALP supporters and only 24% (down 6%) of Greens supporters.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Victorian Police have been attracting a degree of controversy in recent weeks in the wake of several videos highlighted by the media of alleged COVID-19 lawbreakers being subject to potentially ‘heavy-handed’ police action:

“The Victorian Police have been under the spotlight in recent weeks with videos circulating of a pregnant woman in Ballarat being arrested at home for a Facebook post, old ladies being confronted on park benches for not wearing masks, a woman being forcibly removed from her car after refusing to provide her driver’s license and a man under arrest in Epping who appeared to have his head stomped by one of the arresting police officers and was subsequently put into an induced coma.

“It should be recognised that the police officer accused of stomping on the man under arrest in Epping has been suspended and is now under criminal investigation for the actions taken during the arrest by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

“Given the media attention paid to these incidents in locked down Melbourne it is no surprise that fewer Victorians than three years ago rate the Police either ‘Very high’ or ‘High’ for ethics and honesty – now at 42%. This compares to a record high 76% in mid-2017 in the nationally conducted Roy Morgan Image of Professions survey.

“Views on the Victorian Police are nearly identical for ALP and L-NP supporters, but younger Victorians are the least likely to rate the ‘Police highly. Only 31% of Victorians aged under 35 rate the Police either ‘Very high’ (4%) or ‘High’ (27%) for ethics and honesty while 32% rate them either ‘Low’ (16%) or ‘Very low’ (16%) – easily the highest of any age group.

“When it comes to the Stage 4 restrictions the gap continues to widen between L-NP supporters and ALP supporters. A majority of L-NP supporters want to be able to visit the homes of their immediate family members (71%), travel freely around Melbourne (66%) and an end to the 9pm-5am night-time curfew (52%). Majorities of ALP supporters say all three of these restrictions should continue.”

(Roy Morgan)

September 17, 2020

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8519-stage-4-restrictions-in-victoria-week-4-september-17-2020-202009161201

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

656-43-20/Poll

Around the world, people yearn for significant change rather than a return to a “pre-COVID normal”

A new global Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum unveils a profound and widespread desire for change rather than a return to how things were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey of more than 21,000 adults from 27 countries finds that 72% would prefer their life to change significantly rather than go back to how it was before the COVID-19 crisis started. Further, 86% would prefer to see the world change significantly – and become more sustainable and equitable – rather than revert to the status quo ante.

Nearly nine in ten want the world to change instead of returning to how it was

Globally, 86% of all adults surveyed agree that, “I want the world to change significantly and become more sustainable and equitable rather than returning to how it was before the COVID-19”. More precisely, 46% strongly agree and 41% somewhat agree with that proposition, while 14% disagree (10% somewhat and 4% strongly).

In each of the 27 countries surveyed, those who share this view outnumber those who don’t by a substantial margin – more than 50 percentage points in every country except South Korea.

Russia and Colombia top the list of countries where the desire for change is most prevalent, at 94% each. They are followed by Peru (93%) Mexico (93%) Chile (93%) Malaysia (92%), South Africa (91%) Argentina (90%), and Saudi Arabia (89%).

Countries where the preference to return to the way things were before the pandemic is strongest include: South Korea (where 27% strongly or somewhat disagree that they would like to see the status quo changed), Germany (22%), the Netherlands (21%), the United States (21%), and Japan (18%).

Three out of four globally want significant change in their own life

Across all 28 countries, 72% want their lives to change significantly rather than return to what they were like before the COVID-19 crisis (30% strongly and 41% somewhat) while the other 29% disagree (21% strongly and 8% somewhat).

More than four in five adults throughout Latin America and in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Russia, and India express a desire for significant change in their personal lives after the pandemic.

By contrast, at least two out of five adults in the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada long for their life to just return to how it was before the pandemic.

(Ipsos)

September 16, 2020

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en/global-survey-unveils-profound-desire-change-rather-return-how-life-and-world-were-covid-19

656-43-21/Poll

World Grows Less Accepting of Migrants

Overall, the world is slightly less accepting of migrants today than it was three years ago, according to Gallup's latest update of its Migrant Acceptance Index. Between 2016 and 2019, the global score on the index, which gauges people's acceptance of migrants based on increasing degrees of personal proximity to migrants, declined from 5.34 to 5.21.

Many of the countries leading the global downturn have been on the receiving end of the mass exodus of Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis in their country. Scores dropped more than two full points in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, which have absorbed millions of Venezuelans since 2015. Initially, many of the migrants and refugees were welcomed in these countries, but public sentiment started to turn against them as their economies, and their health, education and social assistance programs buckled under the strain.

Scores also dropped substantially in a number of other countries where migration continues to be a polarizing subject, including European countries such as Belgium and Switzerland, where right-wing, anti-immigration parties continued to gain ground between 2016 and 2019. Notably, scores also declined in India, where controversial laws went into effect in late 2019 that provided paths to citizenship for migrants -- excluding Muslims.

Migrant Acceptance Index: Biggest Declines, 2016-2019

	2016	2019	Change
Peru	6.33	3.61	-2.72
Ecuador	6.13	3.51	-2.62
Colombia	6.13	3.98	-2.15
Tunisia	6.47	4.88	-1.59
Guatemala	4.59	3.05	-1.54
Belgium	6.16	4.83	-1.33
Libya	5.79	4.57	-1.22
Dominican Republic	6.03	4.97	-1.06
Lesotho	6.65	5.75	-0.90
India	4.90	4.01	-.089
Bolivia	5.42	4.53	-0.89
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2.71	1.85	-0.86
Iraq	3.42	2.69	-0.73
Switzerland	7.11	6.42	-0.69
GALLUP WORLD POLL

In Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, percentages dropped precipitously on all three questions. In Colombia, for example, the percentage of residents who said migrants living in their country was a good thing dropped from 61% in 2016 to 29% in 2019. Sixty-six percent of Colombians were favorable toward a migrant becoming their neighbor in 2016, but just 45% were in 2019. And, while 59% of Colombians thought a migrant marrying into their family was a good thing in 2016, 40% said so in 2019.

Migrant Acceptance Increased in Some Parts of the World

Acceptance of migrants did not decrease in every part of the world; in fact, it rose by at least one full point in a number of countries. This small group includes Chile, which has also taken in hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. However, Chile did not absorb as many migrants as Venezuela's closer neighbors in the region, and initially, the country tended to receive more-educated migrants (including many doctors) who had the means to travel.

In Moldova, which saw the biggest increase, the higher acceptance of migrants may be related to the influx of Turkish, Azerbaijani and Uzbekistani migrant workers into the country. Most of these workers were enrolled in foreign companies that brought in EU funds for different development projects.

Migrant Acceptance Index: Biggest Increases, 2016-2019

	2016	2019	Change
Moldova	3.80	5.58	1.78
Pakistan	2.47	4.21	1.74
Chile	5.17	6.28	1.11
Afghanistan	2.51	3.61	1.10
Kosovo	4.17	5.26	1.09
Azerbaijan	4.34	5.41	1.07
Myanmar	2.96	4.00	1.04
Niger	6.64	7.65	1.01
Lithuania	2.72	3.73	1.01
Mauritius	5.58	6.50	0.92
Poland	3.31	4.21	0.90
Tajikistan	4.39	5.10	0.71
Slovakia	1.83	2.52	0.69
GALLUP WORLD POLL

Attitudes toward migrants have also notably improved in Poland, which was among several EU countries that voted against the United Nations' migration pact in 2018. Although the country's index score is not high, it improved by just under a point within the past three years, rising from 3.31 to 4.21. In that time, Poles became more open to seeing migrants living in their country as a good thing (increasing from 28% to 42%) and as their neighbors (26% vs. 38%), but not necessarily as members of their family (23% vs. 27%).

The Least- and Most-Accepting Countries for Migrants

Approval of the European Commission's plan to overhaul the EU's migration and asylum policy is far from secure, based on the public's attitudes toward migrants in a number of EU countries. The countries that were the least accepting of migrants in 2019 include several EU member states, such as Hungary, Croatia, Latvia and Slovakia, and those same states were also on this list in 2016.

Least-Accepting Countries for Migrants

	Migrant Acceptance Index
North Macedonia	1.49
Hungary	1.64
Serbia	1.79
Croatia	1.81
Bosnia and Herzegovina*	1.85
Montenegro	1.87
Latvia	2.25
Malaysia*	2.24
Thailand*	2.48
Slovakia	2.52
Turkey*	2.53
*Not on the list in 2016/2017
GALLUP WORLD POLL, 2019

Most of the countries with the lowest scores on the Migrant Acceptance Index in 2019 were also on this list in 2016. In fact, only three -- Thailand, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey -- were new to the list in 2019. Turkey's appearance likely reflects the burden the country took on with the 2016 deal with the EU to keep refugees in its territory. The country currently hosts an estimated 4 million refugees and migrants, and the 2016 deal has since collapsed.

Nearly all of the countries that were most accepting of migrants in 2019 were also among the most accepting of migrants in 2016-2017. This list notably still includes the U.S. and Canada, the latter of which vaulted ahead of Iceland and New Zealand in 2019 and now sits atop the list as the most-accepting country in the world with a score of 8.46. (Gallup will explore the results from these two migrant-receiving countries in the second article in this series.)

Most-Accepting Countries for Migrants

	Migrant Acceptance Index
Canada	8.46
Iceland	8.41
New Zealand	8.32
Australia	8.28
Sierra Leone	8.14
United States	7.95
Burkina Faso*	7.93
Sweden	7.92
Chad*	7.91
Ireland*	7.88
Rwanda	7.88
*Countries not on the list in 2016/2017
GALLUP WORLD POLL, 2019

Bottom Line

Gallup's Migrant Acceptance Index was largely born out of reaction to the migrant crisis that swept Europe in 2015. Amid the backlash against migrants, Gallup developed the index to gauge people's acceptance of migrants, not only in Europe, but throughout the rest of the world.

Since Gallup's first measure of people's acceptance of migrants in 2016 and 2017, and the signing of the Global Compact on Migration in 2018, people's acceptance of migrants has declined globally, and people are even further apart in some countries than they were before. These divides underscore the challenges that remain as the world, and the future of migration policy, both try to find their footing in the post-COVID-19-pandemic world.

(Gallup USA)

September 23, 2020

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/320678/world-grows-less-accepting-migrants.aspx