The data shows at present two in five children (43%) in the UAE have their own tablets or iPads. Out of this total proportion, 36% of iPad/ tablet owners belong to the group age of 0-6 years. Private device ownership is highest in this age group when compared to using an adult’s device or sharing it among siblings (36% vs 22% and 16% respectively).

Apart from the iPads and tablets, a considerable number of children within this age group (0-6 years) have their own smartphones (31%), laptops or computers (27%) and handheld computer games (23%). The ownership of gaming consoles is comparatively lower at 18%.

The coronavirus pandemic forced people to stay indoors, which resulted in a higher adoption of digital mediums and devices for education and entertainment.

Unsurprisingly, four in five parents in the UAE said their child’s screen time has increased after the pandemic. Even though children’s total screen time has increased considerably after the pandemic, not many parents perceive it to be a negative development.

Two out of five (40%) parents look at their child’s interaction with digital devices favourably and said that it has positive impact on them. Three in ten (31%), however, think otherwise and feel digital devices affect their child negatively.

Parents whose youngest child is between 0-6 years were more likely to say tech gadgets affect their child positively, when compared to the rest of the parents.

With schools moving online, it is not surprising to see a large majority of UAE parents (56%) saying digital devices help keep up with schoolwork during this time.

According to parents, other benefits of using digital devices include enhancement of their child’s learning skills (42%) and exposure to a variety of ideas and opinions (37%).

A third of parents (32%) with children between 0-6 years age group claim digital devices have been beneficial in building their child’s problem solving skills.

Talking about the negative outcomes, a majority of parents claim digital devices have a detrimental impact on their child’s physical health (54%) and leads to excess time being spent online (52%).

Many are concerned about its effect on their child’s mood (44%) and their exposure to inappropriate content (45%). Notably, all these concerns are greater amongst parents with older children (6 years and above).

In order to deal with these issues parents are taking several measures. Half the parents set a limit for screen use (50%), encourage their child to participate in fun activities and educate them about privacy concerns (48% each).

Keeping a check on their child’s digital activity (46%), adding parental controls (45%) and restricting use of devices during bedtime (45%) are some of the other ways through which parents try to safeguard their child’s usage of digital devices

Commenting on the survey results, Zafar Shah of YouGov said, “Children today are growing up in a digital age and devices have become a part of their daily lives. The data shows a considerable proportion of young kids have their own personal gadgets. Numbers are notably high for smartphones and tablets. Parents of young children in the UAE especially have a favorable attitude towards digital devices and allow private ownership of gadgets among kids. This presents a lucrative segment of consumers for device makers. Therefore, understanding the mindset and needs of parents becomes important in order to approach these potential buyers in the best possible way.”

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/02/19/more-third-uae-kids-aged-6-years-or-under-own-ipad/

678-43-25/Country Profile: United Arab Emirates

SUMMARY OF POLLS

ASIA

(Japan)

Covid-19 Vaccinations Start For ‘Eager’ Medical Workers, 85% Of Workers Wish To Be Vaccinated

Health care professionals lined up for inoculations against COVID-19 on Feb. 17, when Japan’s vaccination program, described by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as the “game changer” in the pandemic, got under way. A questionnaire was distributed to staff members in January, and 85 percent of respondents expressed their wishes to be vaccinated under the advanced program. But only about 60 people at the center will be vaccinated a day to guard against staff shortages if members suffer side effects and need time off.

(The Asahi Shimbun)

February 17, 2021

(Philippines)

One In Five Filipinos Has Stopped Dated Entirely Since Pandemic

Latest YouGov data looks at how the pandemic has impacted dating and in people’s search for love. Prior to the pandemic, about half (52%) didn’t go on a single romantic date in the past six months. The remaining two in five (42%) went on more than one date, of which 33% went on a date with between one to two people. Mid-income (monthly household income between PHP 20,000 to PHP 99,000) are the most likely (40%) to have dated at least two people prior the pandemic, compared to about a quarter (28%) low-income earners (monthly household income below PHP 20,000).

(YouGov)

February 18, 2021

MENA

(UAE)

More Than A Third Of Uae Kids Aged 6 Years Or Under Own An Ipad Or Tablet

YouGov’s latest research shows more than a third (36%) of young children in the UAE, up to the age of 6 years, possess their own iPad or tablet. The survey questioned parents on their child’s interaction with digital devices to understand the likely impact of this engagement. The data shows at present two in five children (43%) in the UAE have their own tablets or iPads. Out of this total proportion, 36% of iPad/ tablet owners belong to the group age of 0-6 year.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

(Libya)

Libya’s Pulse: Ten Years After The Revolution

Ten years after the Libyan revolution, Libya makes international headlines for its civil conflict and institutional breakdown. Still, according to Arab Barometer surveys, a majority of Libyans have consistently said democracy is preferable to any other system of government.

(Arab Barometer)

February 17, 2021

(Algeria)

Algeria’s Pulse: Two Years After “Hirak”

In Arab Barometer’s first survey of Wave 6, a substantial majority of Algerians (82 percent) believe that corruption was prevalent in state institutions, but a comparably sizable majority believe the government was fighting corruption to a large or medium extent – 73 percent, and the largest proportion among surveyed countries. Moreover, almost 3 in 4 Algerians believed freedom of expression was guaranteed to a great or medium extent, also the largest proportion among surveyed countries (tied with Morocco). Finally, almost 2 in 3 Algerians believed democracy is always the most preferable system of government, the largest proportion among surveyed countries.

(Arab Barometer)

February 17, 2021

(Morocco)

Morocco’s Pulse: Ten Years After February 20th

When asked if corruption is prevalent within state institutions, 59 percent of Moroccans say that it is prevalent to a large or medium degree. As for democracy as a societal value, 79 percent of Moroccans consider choosing their leaders in free elections to be absolutely essential or somewhat essential. Finally, a majority of Moroccans still believe that the priorities of the government should focus on education and health care reform, and the creation of more job opportunities.

(Arab Barometer)

February 19, 2021

AFRICA

(Kenya)

Kenyans Embrace National And Ethnic Identities, But Interpersonal Trust Is Low, Afrobarometer Survey Shows

Most Kenyans value both their national and ethnic identities and feel comfortable speaking their mother tongue and wearing traditional dress in public, according to the most recent Afrobarometer survey. Most Kenyans also believe there’s strength in diversity and express tolerant attitudes toward other ethnicities, as well as other religions, political views, and nationalities. But even though a majority say there is more that unites Kenyans than divides them, very few think they can trust other people.

(Afrobarometer)

16 February 2021

WEST EUROPE

(UK)

Is Keir Starmer Really Doing So Badly?

Just over a third of the public (37%) now have a favourable view of Starmer, compared to 43% who have an unfavourable view. This gives him a net favourability score of -6, down nine points from +3 at the end of January. His ratings have fluctuated over his 10 months in charge but are now a fair way from his previous highs of +14 in June and +12 in September.

(YouGov)

February 15, 2021

Snap Poll: Do People Want The Option To Pay For Travel Over Time?

A new YouGov Direct snap poll conducted in Great Britain reveals 34% of YouGov Direct panellists say they would be interested in being able to purchase a service in the travel category and paying it off over time. Middle-income respondents in GB (£30,000-£59,000) express the highest rate of interest for buy now, pay later payment options in the travel category (42%).

(YouGov)

February 16, 2021

Two In Five NHS Staff Say Patient Care Has Declined During Pandemic

New YouGov research shows that two in five NHS workers (40%) say the quality of patient care in their workplace has fallen compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes some 10% who say patient care quality is now “much lower” than normal. Another 42% of NHS staff say the quality of their workplace’s care hasn’t changed, and 4% say it has improved.

(YouGov)

February 16, 2021

How Many National Health Service Staff Have Been Redeployed Due To Covid-19

The pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the NHS to make major changes, with the majority of NHS workers saying normal services have yet to return to normal. Further to this, some 14% of NHS staff say they have been redeployed to carry out other duties outside of their normal job, including one in five NHS staff aged between 18 and 34 (21%) taking on new duties during the pandemic.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Two-Fifths Of British Adults Will Not Travel At All Until They Receive A Covid-19 Vaccine

In order to measure perceptions around COVID-19 vaccines and travel intent, YouGov asked 2,000 British adults to reflect on their holiday plans once travel restrictions were lifted. The data suggests that receiving the vaccine will be key to travel confidence, especially with roughly two-fifths of Britons saying they won’t go on a holiday anywhere until they are inoculated (39%). This view is held by a plurality of British adults, with older Britons (48%) being especially wary of traveling before having received a coronavirus vaccine. For others, getting vaccinated will still only assuage their travel concerns enough to take a domestic holiday in the UK for the foreseeable future (27%).

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Britons Are Most Likely To Want To Donate Surplus Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccine To Other Countries

As Boris Johnson pledges to donate a majority of the UK’s surplus vaccine supply to poorer countries, new global polling from Ipsos MORI finds seven in ten Britons (69%) want to pass on some of our extra doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be used in other countries. Britons are more likely to want to do this than any other country polled. Globally, just under half (46%) say they would want their country to do this.

(Ipsos)

19 February 2021

(France)

More Local And Less Meat: Changes In Purchasing And Eating Habits

In April 2019, we published an article that analyzed the evolution of consumer expectations and behavior and sustainable consumption. A significant increase in the purchase of local products: where 53% of the national population declared to buy them regularly in 2019, the score rises to 58.3% in 2021 with a significant difference between 2019/2020, and 2020/2021. The purchase of responsible products also increased significantly between 2019 and 2020 but remains at the same level between January 2020 and January 2021.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

E-Commerce Boom: Citeo Presents 5 Levers To Improve The Design, Sorting And Recycling Of Packaging

In 2020, e-commerce jumped by more than 32% * for sales of products from all sectors combined, leading to an increase in the volumes of household packaging. In this context, Citeo, accompanied by the Federation of e-commerce and distance selling (FEVAD), publishes a study conducted by Ipsos and Hact on the uses and expectations of consumers in order to better identify the levers to be activated to facilitate and improve the sorting process.

(Ipsos)

February 19, 2021

(Spain)

The Financial Sector In Spain After Covid-19

At the local level, from YouGov Spain, we analyze the most significant results obtained thanks to our Profile and BrandInex tools to understand the current situation of this sector in the country. 43% of those surveyed claim to use PayPal as one of the frequent payment systems. After this, we find the Bizum application with 24%, followed by the banks' own apps, with 20%. Compared to 20% who interact with their bank in person, almost four out of 10 Spaniards (38%) carry out any type of management through their smartphone with the banking platform app and 33% use their computer. Finally, of the surveyed population that claims to use the bank's app, 17% claim to use it once a day, 16% two to 3 times a week and 11% less than once a week.

(YouGov)

February 22, 2021

NORTH AMERICA

(US)

Leading Teams Forward, Advised By Gallup Remote Work Trends

Gallup finds that employees who work remotely 60% to 80% of the time are more engaged than those who work exclusively in one place. Their wellbeing is higher too, which is a top concern among leaders right now.

(Gallup)

February 19, 2021

Americans Remain Largely Dissatisfied With US Gun Laws

Fifty-six percent of Americans say they are dissatisfied with U.S. gun laws and policies, marking the ninth consecutive year of majority-level dissatisfaction since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At the same time, 42% of U.S. adults express satisfaction with U.S. gun laws.

(Gallup)

February 19, 2021

AUSTRALIA

Inflation Expectations Unchanged At 3.6% In January - Now Higher For Older Generations Than Younger Generations

In January Australians expected inflation of 3.6% annually over the next two years, unchanged on December, but up 0.4% points on the record lows in June and August. However, Inflation Expectations are still 0.3% points below their level of a year ago in January 2020 (3.9%).

(Roy Morgan)

February 15 2021

Ing Home Loan Customers Once Again The Most Satisfied With Their Bank, Followed By Bendigo, Bankwest And Me Bank

New financial data from Roy Morgan shows ING not only retained its position at the top of banking customer satisfaction ratings among home loan customers, it increased an already exceptional score of 94.4% in November 2020 to 95.1% in December 2020. This is up 5.1% on a year earlier (89.3% in December 2019). In fact, Australia’s top 12 banks collectively increased their home loan customer satisfaction from 74% in December 2019 to 79.5% a year later.

(Roy Morgan)

February 15 2021

(New Zealand)

Over 2.8 Million New Zealanders Watch Subscription Tv - Largest Growth For Disney+ And Amazon Prime Video

New data from Roy Morgan shows over 2.8 million New Zealanders aged 14+ now watch Subscription TV in an average four weeks – encompassing over two-thirds (68%) of all New Zealanders. Total viewership of Subscription TV in New Zealand has increased 4.9% from a year earlier to 2,823,000, an increase of 131,000.

(Roy Morgan)

February 16 2021

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

February 2021: Consumer Confidence Around The World Increases A Bit

The Ipsos Global Consumer Confidence Index for this month stands at 43.9, which is a rise of 0.4 points from last month. Although it is at its highest point since April 2020, the index is still almost five points lower than it was 12 months ago, when the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency. The pace of the global recovery remains very slow. This month's increase is on par with the 0.4 point average month-on-month increase observed since August.

(Ipsos)

17 February 2021

Yougov Launches Global Fan Profiles – The Most Complete Data In Esports

YouGov has enhanced its Global Fan Profiles tool so properties, sponsors and rights holders can now track fan sentiment and attitudes in esports. Global Fan Profiles is built upon more than 300,000 interviews per year collected on a continuous basis. It provides an instant view of the size, make-up, attitudes and behaviors of fan bases in 32 key esports markets including the United States, China, India, Brazil, Germany, South Korea and Malaysia.

(YouGov)

February 17, 2021

ASIA

678-43-01/Poll

Covid-19 Vaccinations Start For ‘Eager’ Medical Workers, 85% Of Workers Wish To Be Vaccinated

The first round of shots will cover tens of thousands of health care professionals at about 100 medical institutions using the vaccine jointly developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, a German bio commerce company.

The vaccination procedure was opened to media representatives at the Tokyo Medical Center under the National Hospital Organization in the capital’s Meguro Ward.

Kazuhiro Araki, the center chief, said the injection was not very painful.

“In order to provide adequate medical care, there is a need to take every measure to prevent a spread of infections within our hospital,” Araki said. “I felt there was a need to take the lead in getting vaccinated as a measure against the novel coronavirus.”

Although surveys show much of the public remains concerned about the safety of the vaccine, Yukihiko Momiyama, the deputy hospital head who is in charge of the vaccinations at the institution, said medical staff were eager to receive the shots.

“Many of our staff members asked to be vaccinated because of their sense of crisis based on constantly facing the threat of infection within the community as well as within our hospital,” Momiyama said. “They also hold a sense of mission as health care professionals. We came up with our vaccination schedule while taking into consideration the continued provision of normal medical care.”

Government officials initially estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 health care professionals would be the first to be vaccinated. But like the Tokyo Medical Center, demand among medical staff around Japan was so high that the figure was upgraded to about 40,000.

A meeting room at the center was used for the vaccinations. Recipients had to first fill out forms about their physical condition. After the shots, they had to wait about 15 minutes at the meeting room to ensure that no side effects emerged.

The center has about 1,800 doctors, nurses, clerical and other staff, 800 of whom will be vaccinated under the prioritized program until March 31. Each individual will receive two doses.

A questionnaire was distributed to staff members in January, and 85 percent of respondents expressed their wishes to be vaccinated under the advanced program.

But only about 60 people at the center will be vaccinated a day to guard against staff shortages if members suffer side effects and need time off.

Surgeons and doctors scheduled to see out-patients will not be vaccinated the day before such work. Nurses will be vaccinated a day before their days off.

The government picked health care professionals as the first to receive vaccinations because they are at high risk of infection from their frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. The first round of vaccinations is intended to prevent in-patients from catching the virus and to secure an adequate medical care structure.

Of the 40,000 or so health care professionals around Japan who will receive the vaccine, 20,000 who have given their consent will be monitored for possible side effects.

For seven weeks in total after the two doses are given, they will have to record their temperatures, the condition of the skin where they were vaccinated and their overall physical condition. The results of those reports will be publicized.

Vaccinations of the 3.7 million or so other health care professionals will begin in March, but that schedule could be moved up depending on the availability of vaccines.

20210217-vaccine-G-L

(The Asahi Shimbun)

February 17, 2021

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14197548

678-43-02/Poll

One In Five Filipinos Has Stopped Dated Entirely Since Pandemic

How are Filipinos forming connections in the age of social distancing and staying at home? Latest YouGov data looks at how the pandemic has impacted dating and in people’s search for love.

Prior to the pandemic, about half (52%) didn’t go on a single romantic date in the past six months. The remaining two in five (42%) went on more than one date, of which 33% went on a date with between one to two people. Mid-income (monthly household income between PHP 20,000 to PHP 99,000) are the most likely (40%) to have dated at least two people prior the pandemic, compared to about a quarter (28%) low-income earners (monthly household income below PHP 20,000).

Since the pandemic however, one in five (20%) say they have stopped dating completely and a similar amount (22%) say they have been going on less physical dates. However, an equal amount (20%) have instead turned to virtual dates, either by starting to go on or going on more virtual dates. For a lucky one in eight (12%) the pandemic has not changed their dating habits at all, and for a quarter (25%) the pandemic not played a part in their search for love, with them saying that they didn’t date before the pandemic and still don’t. A small percentage (5%) have actually gone on more physical dates.

Dating apps also have played a big part in Filipino’s love lives during the pandemic. While one in twenty (5%) spend less time on dating apps now, one in seven (14%) have either started using, spending more time on, or downloaded new dating apps.

Pre-COVID days, almost two in five (38%) had downloaded dating apps. Of all the dating apps on the market, Tinder reigns the most popular, with a quarter (23%) of Filipinos having downloaded it. This is followed by Grindr (7%), Bumble (7%) and OkCupid (6%).

About one in ten (12%) Filipinos have downloaded a new dating app since the pandemic. Again, Tinder is the app that takes the lead, with one in twenty (5%) downloading the app for the first time, followed by Bumble (3%) and OkCupid (3%).

While dating apps have gained popularity, not many are confident they will improve one’s chances of finding love. Slightly under a quarter (23%) agree with the statement ‘dating apps improve my chances to find the right partner for me’. Over a quarter (28%) disagree, and about half (50%) are undecided.

(YouGov)

February 18, 2021

Source: https://ph.yougov.com/en-ph/news/2021/02/18/one-five-filipinos-has-stopped-dated-entirely-pand/

MENA

678-43-03/Poll

More Than A Third Of Uae Kids Aged 6 Years Or Under Own An Ipad Or Tablet

YouGov’s latest research shows more than a third (36%) of young children in the UAE, up to the age of 6 years, possess their own iPad or tablet.

The survey questioned parents on their child’s interaction with digital devices to understand the likely impact of this engagement.

The coronavirus pandemic forced people to stay indoors, which resulted in a higher adoption of digital mediums and devices for education and entertainment.

Parents whose youngest child is between 0-6 years were more likely to say tech gadgets affect their child positively, when compared to the rest of the parents.

With schools moving online, it is not surprising to see a large majority of UAE parents (56%) saying digital devices help keep up with schoolwork during this time.

According to parents, other benefits of using digital devices include enhancement of their child’s learning skills (42%) and exposure to a variety of ideas and opinions (37%).

A third of parents (32%) with children between 0-6 years age group claim digital devices have been beneficial in building their child’s problem solving skills.

Talking about the negative outcomes, a majority of parents claim digital devices have a detrimental impact on their child’s physical health (54%) and leads to excess time being spent online (52%).

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/02/19/more-third-uae-kids-aged-6-years-or-under-own-ipad/

678-43-04/Poll

Libya’s Pulse: Ten Years after the Revolution

(Arab Barometer)

February 17, 2021

Source: https://www.arabbarometer.org/2021/02/libya-ten-years-after-the-revolution/

678-43-05/Poll

Algeria’s Pulse, Two Years After “Hirak”

Two years have passed since the advent of the Algerian “Hirak” – the social protest movement that instigated far reaching and substantial political change, primary among them was the prevention of a fifth presidential term for Abdelaziz Bouteflika. In Arab Barometer’s first survey of Wave 6, a substantial majority of Algerians (82 percent) believe that corruption was prevalent in state institutions, but a comparably sizable majority believe the government was fighting corruption to a large or medium extent – 73 percent, and the largest proportion among surveyed countries. Moreover, almost 3 in 4 Algerians believed freedom of expression was guaranteed to a great or medium extent, also the largest proportion among surveyed countries (tied with Morocco). Finally, almost 2 in 3 Algerians believed democracy is always the most preferable system of government, the largest proportion among surveyed countries.

For more unique insight into what triggered the Hirak protests, read our topical report The 2019 Algerian Protests. This report is based on our 2019 Arab Barometer public opinion survey that was conducted on the eve of the protests, lending unique insight into several key questions: Were these protests to be expected? What drives the protests? And, what do Algerians want for the future?

(Arab Barometer)

February 17, 2021

Source: https://www.arabbarometer.org/2021/02/algeria-two-years-after-hirak/

678-43-06/Poll

Morocco’s Pulse: Ten Years After February 20th

On this day in 2011, thousands of Moroccans took to the streets in dozens of cities to demand an end to corruption and authoritarianism, and to call for democracy and dignity. The movement, which was dubbed “the February 20th Movement” — referring to the first day of protests — is considered the largest protest movement in the history of modern Morocco, and is greatly responsible for the constitutional and political changes that the country has witnessed since then.

According to Wave 6 of Arab Barometer, the reasons for the protests still persist. When asked if corruption is prevalent within state institutions, 59 percent of Moroccans say that it is prevalent to a large or medium degree. As for democracy as a societal value, 79 percent of Moroccans consider choosing their leaders in free elections to be absolutely essential or somewhat essential. Finally, a majority of Moroccans still believe that the priorities of the government should focus on education and health care reform, and the creation of more job opportunities.

(Arab Barometer)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://www.arabbarometer.org/2021/02/morocco-ten-years-after-february-20th/

AFRICA

678-43-07/Poll

Kenyans Embrace National And Ethnic Identities, But Interpersonal Trust Is Low, Afrobarometer Survey Shows

Most Kenyans also believe there’s strength in diversity and express tolerant attitudes toward other ethnicities, as well as other religions, political views, and nationalities.

But even though a majority say there is more that unites Kenyans than divides them, very few think they can trust other people.

Ethnicity promises to continue to be an important factor in Kenyan politics after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent indication of support for a successor from a different ethnic group after he leaves offices in 2022.

Key findings

· More than nine out of 10 Kenyans (93%) identify at least as much with their nation as with their ethnic group. But while few Kenyans identify primarily with their ethnic group, about seven in 10 (69%) consider their ethnic group an important part of their identity (Figure 1).

· Eight in 10 citizens (81%) say they feel comfortable speaking their mother tongue in public, and a smaller majority (57%) say they have no problem wearing traditional or cultural dress in public (Figure 2).

· One in five Kenyans (19%) say their ethnic group is “often” or “always” treated unfairly by the government, while 29% say this happens “sometimes” (Figure 3).

· Similarly, almost one-fifth (18%) of respondents say other Kenyans treated them unfairly based on their ethnicity “several times” or “many times” during the previous year (Figure 4). Fewer (11%) report being treated unfairly based on their religion, while more (25%) say their economic status was the basis of unfair treatment at least “several times.”

· A large majority (82%) of Kenyans say that communities made up of different ethnic groups, races, and religions are stronger than more homogeneous communities. And almost two-thirds (64%) say there is more that unites Kenyans than divides them (Figure 5).

· Most Kenyans express tolerant attitudes toward people from different ethnic groups (91%) and religious backgrounds (89%), people who support different political parties (79%), and immigrants and foreign workers (70%). But few (10%) indicate tolerance toward people of a different sexual orientation (Figure 6).

· Only one in 20 Kenyans (4%) believe that “most people can be trusted”; most (96%) say that one must be very careful when dealing with others (Figure 7).

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Seven rounds of surveys were completed in up to 38 countries between 1999 and 2018, and Round 8 surveys are currently underway. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice. The Afrobarometer team in Kenya, based at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, interviewed 2,400 adult Kenyans in August-September 2019. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Kenya in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2016.

Charts

(Afrobarometer)

16 February 2021

Source: https://www.afrobarometer.org/press/kenyans-embrace-national-and-ethnic-identities-interpersonal-trust-low-afrobarometer-survey-0

WEST EUROPE

678-43-08/Poll

Is Keir Starmer Really Doing So Badly

The opposition leader's favorability rating has fallen to its lowest level yet

A lot has been discussed of late regarding Keir Starmer’s performance as Labour leader, and after possibly his toughest few weeks in charge our latest favourability figures show there has been a drop in his personal ratings.

What could be Starmer’s main cause for concern is that a quarter (24%) of those who voted Labour in 2019 have an unfavourable view of their party leader, although 60% still hold a favourable opinion. In fact, his personal approval rating is now better amongst 2019 Lib Dem voters, who have a favourable opinion of him by 68% to 19%. He also has the support of one in five (21%) 2019 Conservative voters.

Nevertheless, on net approval Starmer is still performing better than his opposite number, Boris Johnson, who has a net favourability score of -15. While 38% have a favourable opinion of the prime minister (virtually the same as Starmer), more have an unfavourable view of him (53%) than the Labour leader.

Starmer is also doing considerably better than his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, whose final net score before handing over the reins was -45 (20% favourable, 65% unfavourable). In fact, Corbyn only received a net score better than Starmer’s current -6 on two occasions, both in the immediate aftermath of the 2017 general election.

Another thing to note is that Starmer is currently performing better amongst the public than the Labour party itself (-13). This isn’t the case, however, amongst 2019 Labour voters, where his net score of +36 is far from the +62 the party has. His overall score is therefore being propped up by those who voted for other parties in 2019, which is a good sign, given that the road to Number 10 will require winning over such voters.

Boris Johnson is similarly slightly less unpopular than his party (-15 vs -20). However, amongst 2019 Tory voters, they perform almost identically (Johnson +52, Conservatives +53). This is maybe to be expected given he was the leader in the last election whereas Starmer was not in charge when those who voted Labour in the last election cast their ballots.

Keir Starmer still outperforms Boris Johnson on key attributes

To dig a bit deeper into Starmer’s falling approval rating, we can use YouGov tracking data to test how the public view him across five key characteristics.

While the number expressing an opinion on Starmer has been increasing over time, it is worth noting that many people are still unsure of the Labour leader across all characteristics. There was an initial drop in don’t knows between April and June 2020 that coincided with a positive boost for Starmer across most of the characteristics. Since then, increased awareness of the leader has been slower and tended to be accompanied by an increase in negative sentiment.

Our latest data from late January shows that Starmer’s best characteristic in the public’s eyes is his competence, with 42% saying he is competent compared to 21% who consider him incompetent (a net score of +21). This view is almost unchanged since the previous survey in November 2020 when he had a net score of +23, though it has fallen from a peak of +34 in June last year.

Starmer’s ‘likeability’ rating has held steady, with 36% of the public currently seeing him as likable compared to 28% who see him as dislikeable, a net score of +8.

When it comes to trust in the Labour leader, the public are completely split: 29% say he is trustworthy, 29% untrustworthy (a net score of 0). While these latest numbers aren’t anything to write home about, they actually represent a small increase in trust since November, when Starmer had a net score of -4.

This leaves his decisiveness and strength as a leader, both of which have seen continued gradual drops since June last year, and perhaps go some way to explaining the drop in his favourability more generally. In our latest results, 33% think Starmer is decisive while 30% think he is indecisive, giving him a net score of +3. This is a fall from +10 in November, and is a long way off his peak decisiveness score in June 2020 of +22, when 37% saw him as decisive and just 15% undecisive.

There has also been a decline in the number of people thinking Starmer is a strong leader. Between November and January, the Labour leader’s rating on this measure declined from +10 to +4, with 30% currently considering him strong vs 26% weak. Again, Starmer’s leadership reputation is a far cry from how it was in June, when he enjoyed a net score of +21.

Despite the drop in these two characteristics, he continues to perform better than Johnson on both. The Prime Minister has a net score of -16 for ‘strong leader’ and -48 for decisiveness, the latter decreasing rapidly throughout the second half of 2020. In fact, when looking at net scores Starmer performs better than Johnson across all five characteristics, albeit very narrowly when it comes to likeability.

Shortly after taking the Labour leadership, Keir Starmer pledged to provide ‘constructive opposition’ to the Conservative government. While his perceived competence has diminished since June, it still seems to be a real asset. He may need to show more strength and decisiveness if he wants to prevent further drops in his overall approval as opposition leader, and win over those who are yet to make up their mind.

(YouGov)

February 15, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/02/15/keir-starmer-really-doing-so-badly

678-43-09/Poll

Snap Poll: Do People Want The Option To Pay For Travel Over Time

When countries lift restrictions on travel, prospective travellers may be looking for more ways to pay for – and afford – their holiday plans. In order to help consumers pay for travel, several online travel agencies and airlines companies offer flexible payment options for travel purchases through a third-party financial services company or their own version of a buy now, pay later plan. These types of solutions offer travellers the ability to spread out the price of big-ticket purchases such as a hotel stay or an airline booking over a period, often with zero-interest, rather than pay the entire sum at once.
A new YouGov Direct snap poll conducted in Great Britain reveals 34% of YouGov Direct panellists say they would be interested in being able to purchase a service in the travel category and paying it off over time. Middle-income respondents in GB (£30,000-£59,000) express the highest rate of interest for buy now, pay later payment options in the travel category (42%).
Pent-up travel demand in the UK has many thinking and dreaming of travel. The latest data from YouGov’s Global Travel Profiles shows 47% of UK adults say they plan to go on a domestic holiday some time in 2021, with 33% planning an international trip as well this year.

A similar YouGov snap poll in the US finds a third of Americans say they would be interested in spreading out the cost of their travel purchases over time. And like in Great Britain, middle-income Americans are more likely to express interest in paying off travel purchases in installments.
A broader look at barriers to travel reveals significant proportions of Brits (18%) and Americans (27%) view the price for travel as an obstacle preventing them from travelling, only behind other barriers such as travel restrictions and health risks.
In the UK, another 14% also say the price of accommodations stops them from being able to travel. There are significant differences by income, with those earning less than the median income more likely to point to costs of travel and accommodations as preventing them from travelling (29% and 23%, respectively). Few people with an annual household income of £60k or more cite the price of travel and accommodations as barriers to travel.

For some travellers, financing a holiday can be a great choice if they’ve got a vacation in mind and the means to pay for it at a later time. Many types of buy now pay later solutions often have a zero-interest fee policy and provides people a way to pay for vacations for a variety of reasons.

(YouGov)

February 16, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-reports/2021/02/16/buy-now-pay-later-travel-snap-poll

678-43-10/Poll

Two In Five Nhs Staff Say Patient Care Has Declined During Pandemic

Nine in ten healthcare workers are worried about the impact on non-COVID patients with conditions such as cancer

Another 42% of NHS staff say the quality of their workplace’s care hasn’t changed, and 4% say it has improved.

However, among private sector healthcare workers, the majority (60%) say the quality of care where they work has not changed, with only 20% of those working in private healthcare saying their quality of care has fallen during the pandemic.

Healthcare workers report not having enough time with each patient

The research also shows the time constraints patient-facing healthcare workers in the NHS and the private sector are facing. Just over a third of staff who care for patients with chronic or long-term health conditions say they either have “much less” (17%) or “somewhat less” (19%) time than necessary to give each patient the attention they need. A small minority (9%) say they have more time than required.

The figures are similar for coronavirus patients. One in three staff working with these say they have much (14%) or somewhat (21%) less time than necessary, while 12% say they have more than enough.

Staff caring for people with acute or short-term health problems report similar constraints, with 13% saying they have much less time than needed, while a fifth (22%) are somewhat short. One in ten (10%) have more time than they need.

Staff are worried about the impact on non-COVID patients

Most healthcare workers are either very (48%) or somewhat (44%) fearful for how the pandemic is affecting patients suffering from other conditions than coronavirus such as cancer.

Among those working for the NHS, nearly all staff (91%) say normal services continue to suffer from some level of disruption due to the pandemic.

One in eleven (9%) say that they are not running at all, and another 48% of staff say their normal functions are heavily disrupted. Only 3% of NHS staff say their normal services are no longer affected, and 4% say their services were never disrupted by the pandemic.

(YouGov)

February 16, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2021/02/16/two-five-nhs-patient-care-quality-declined-covid

678-43-11/Poll

How Many National Health Service Staff Have Been Redeployed Due To Covid-19

YouGov’s latest healthcare workers research finds that around one in seven NHS staff have been redeployed from their normal duties during the pandemic

Breaking this down, 8% of NHS staff say they have been redeployed to assist in intensive care wards or units, while the same proportion of staff (8%) have been asked to care for patients with COVID. Elsewhere some 6% have been drafted from other roles in to look after non-COVID patients.

Among registered NHS nurses and midwives one in ten (10%) say they’ve been redeployed to intensive care wards and units at some point during the pandemic.

Another one in six nurses and midwives (11%) say they’ve been redeployed to care for other non-intensive care patients with COVID-19, and 10% have been asked to care for non-COVID patients where they would not normally do so.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2021/02/19/nhs-staff-redeployed-ICU-covid-19

678-43-12/Poll

Two-Fifths Of British Adults Will Not Travel At All Until They Receive A Covid-19 Vaccine

At the end of 2020, hope returned to world as countries approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca. This hope spurred optimism for many industries and when it came to travel and tourism, signaled an imminent return to flying, cruising, and globetrotting again. However, with vaccines still being prioritized for health workers, the elderly, and high-risk individuals, this leaves large-scale distribution still months away for the general public.
In order to measure perceptions around COVID-19 vaccines and travel intent, YouGov asked 2,000 British adults to reflect on their holiday plans once travel restrictions were lifted. The data suggests that receiving the vaccine will be key to travel confidence, especially with roughly two-fifths of Britons saying they won’t go on a holiday anywhere until they are inoculated (39%).
This view is held by a plurality of British adults, with older Britons (48%) being especially wary of traveling before having received a coronavirus vaccine. For others, getting vaccinated will still only assuage their travel concerns enough to take a domestic holiday in the UK for the foreseeable future (27%).

It is hard to predict whether Brits will be required to get the coronavirus vaccine before traveling to or from the UK but 14% of GB adults say they would holiday in both the UK and abroad even if they have not had the vaccine. This attitude is held by roughly a fifth of all age groups except those aged 55 and over (only 7% of this age group take this stance) Those with higher incomes are marginally more likely to say they would holiday unvaccinated (16% of ABC1s vs. 12% of C2DEs).
Sizable shares of younger generations will not link the timing of their travel to when they receive a vaccination. Britons aged 25-34 (22%) and 35-44 (20%) stand out for their eagerness to travel without being inoculated and this data suggests not only pent-up demand, but that younger people may be the first ones to book as soon as information around possible travel destinations and dates becomes available.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-reports/2021/02/19/travel-intent-covid-vaccine-poll

678-43-13/Poll

Britons Are Most Likely To Want To Donate Surplus Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccine To Other Countries

Britons are more likely to want to do this than any other country polled. Globally, just under half (46%) say they would want their country to do this.

Just one in five (19%) say that we should keep all of our doses in case we need them in the future, compared with 37% globally.

Kelly Beaver, Managing Director of Public Affairs commented:

The UK Government’s decision to pass spare COVID-19 vaccines will strike a chord with Brits who are the most likely of the countries we polled around the world to think this is the right decision. In a global pandemic, the sharing of excess vaccines with other countries is the best way to help beat the virus.

(Ipsos)

19 February 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/britons-are-most-likely-want-donate-surplus-doses-covid-19-vaccine-other-countries

678-43-14/Poll

More Local And Less Meat: Changes In Purchasing And Eating Habits

In April 2019, we published an article that analyzed the evolution of consumer expectations and behavior and sustainable consumption. In particular, it highlighted a significant increase between 2018 and 2019.

We propose here to come back to these habits to see if this trend is confirmed at the start of 2021 and to look at the food habits of the national population in parallel.

The data comes from Profiles, our media segmentation and targeting tool based on daily data collection. Profiles contains more than 80,000 variables and its weekly update allows us to be assured of data that is always very current.

First, let's compare the scores for January 2021 with those for January 2020 and January 2019.

The graph below shows the share of the national population who say they regularly buy local and responsible products.
We note a significant increase in the purchase of local products: where 53% of the national population declared to buy them regularly in 2019, the score rises to 58.3% in 2021 with a significant difference between 2019/2020, and 2020/2021.

The purchase of responsible products also increased significantly between 2019 and 2020 but remains at the same level between January 2020 and January 2021.

Let us now look at the eating habits of the French. The graph below shows the evolution of three eating habits: vegetarians (does not consume either meat or fish), pesco-vegetarians (does not consume meat but consumes fish), and flexitarians (mixed diet, mainly vegetarian with occasional consumption of meat).

We note that the share of the population adopting a vegetarian diet increased significantly between January 2020 and January 2021 to reach 2.2%.
As for people opting for a flexitarian diet, they are significantly more numerous from year to year, going from 12.5% in 2019 to 17.5% in 2021.

The radar below shows the distribution by age group according to eating habits in January 2021. It can be read that the vegetarian diet is particularly popular with 25-34 year olds with 27.7% of them who have decided to eliminate meat and fish from their diet.

We note that those 45 and over are more inclined to adopt a flexitarian diet.

These different data, taken from three Profiles datasets from 2019, 2020 and 2021, show us the significant evolution in the purchasing habits of food products and diets among the French population.

(YouGov)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2021/02/19/evolution-habitudes-achats-alimentaires/

678-43-15/Poll

E-Commerce Boom: Citeo Presents 5 Levers To Improve The Design, Sorting And Recycling Of Packaging

Above all, e-consumers are looking for packaging that properly protects products, while waiting for them to be more environmentally friendly. Respondents want for their e-commerce purchases:

Packaging that protects the product well for 98%
Packaging that uses the right amount of materials for 92%
89% recyclable packaging

Although eager to do the right thing, e-consumers doubt when sorting and make mistakes:

If the gesture of sorting cardboard e-commerce packaging seems to have been accepted by e-consumers with 80% correct answers, sorting errors remain frequent, such as nesting or even being placed outside the sorting bins of large boxes.
58% of respondents think that plastic packaging cannot be recycled
More than 20% doubt about the right gesture for plastic cushioning elements E-consumers are showing a growing interest in the reuse of their packaging:
1/3 of respondents reuse their e-commerce packaging,
85% of them believe that it is important for packaging to be reused, primarily to send parcels themselves or to store their belongings.

Improvement levers for sorting and recycling e-commerce packaging

Based on these lessons, Citeo, accompanied by FEVAD and several of its members, and has developed some sixty ideas to improve the sorting process for e-commerce packaging. 19 of these key ideas were retained after consultation with a panel of 1,000 consumers and identified five major levers for improving the sorting of e-commerce packaging. The combined implementation of these levers in user journeys convinces more than 90% of consumers questioned:

Give a personalized sorting instruction when the parcel is delivered (sms in particular) to benefit from the strong attention of the e-consumer;
Favor single-material packaging (packages and wedging elements) avoiding the risks of overlapping different materials;
Provide packages with easy and clean opening systems, in order to promote their later reuse as well as their flattening;
Packaging that is easy to flatten (in a single gesture), favoring their storage for reuse, and also limiting the risks of seeing packaging with different nested materials;
Offer common spaces adapted to the collection of large e-commerce packaging (in the e-consumer path) and promoting reuse.

The next steps could be to carry out experiments in real situation to evaluate their conditions of implementation and allow their implementation.

(Ipsos)

February 19, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/boom-du-e-commerce-citeo-presente-5-leviers-pour-ameliorer-la-conception-le-tri-et-le-recyclage-des

678-43-16/Poll

The Financial Sector In Spain After Covid-19

The arrival of a global crisis, the increase in distrust in banks or the diminishing use of cash are some of the elements that, after the crisis caused by COVID-19, have determined the new reality of consumption and services financial For this reason, YouGov has prepared a global analysis of the financial sector, to discover what are some of the most relevant results of this industry after the pandemic and the new purchasing and use attitudes of users.

At the local level, from YouGov Spain, we analyze the most significant results obtained thanks to our Profile and BrandInex tools to understand the current situation of this sector in the country.

If you want to know more about the most relevant conclusions at a global level, download our new White Paper On the Money: Yougov's Global Banking & Finance Report 2021.

The financial sector in Spain

In each and every one of the crises unleashed throughout modern and recent history, banks have played a notable role. However, unlike the position and image that was implemented in this sector after the 2008 crisis and the subsequent euro crisis, the crisis caused by COVID-19 has positioned it as one of the main promoters of the recovery. What is the Spanish position towards the banking sector? How has the current situation affected the consumption and purchase of new financial products? What is the current profile of the users of some of the best-known banking entities?

Savings and product ownership you investment

From pension plans to investments in the real estate sector. What are the savings and investment products that Spanish men and women have today?

While 37% of those surveyed affirm that they do not have savings or investment products, the rest are divided into holders of a bank deposit that allows you to enter or withdraw money (33%), in second place, pension plans (16% ), fixed-term bank deposit in third place (8%) and, in fourth place, investments in the Stock Market (6%).

On the other hand, of those surveyed, almost three out of 10 people (29%) admit that they do not save at the end of each month, compared to 40% who answered saving less than 500 euros and 13% who said they saved more than this amount, between 500 and 1000 euros per month.

The banking sector and new technologies

The arrival of the crisis has accelerated the decline in the use of cash in some countries. Sweden, China or Poland are in the top three of countries that prefer to use some of the new payment methods compared to others such as Mexico or Germany, which continue to tend towards cash.

In the case of Spain, the statement "I prefer to use cash" receives a total of 36% votes against, compared to 33% votes in favor. That is to say, more and more Spanish men and women tend to put money aside and opt for any of the new forms of payment.

PayPal, Bizum or the banks' own apps are some of the new forms of payments most used by those surveyed. In the first place, 43% of those surveyed claim to use PayPal as one of the frequent payment systems. After this, we find the Bizum application with 24%, followed by the banks' own apps, with 20%.

The arrival of new technologies has also changed the way in which we communicate with our bank when carrying out procedures or contracting products, something that has been accelerated by the arrival of the pandemic and mobility and capacity restrictions. Compared to 20% who interact with their bank in person, almost four out of 10 Spaniards (38%) carry out any type of management through their smartphone with the banking platform app and 33% use their computer .

Finally, of the surveyed population that claims to use the bank's app, 17% claim to use it once a day, 16% two to 3 times a week and 11% less than once a week.

Do you want to know the profile of the users of some of the best-known banking entities in Spain? Read our profile peeks to find the similarities and differences between the clients of two of the most important banks in the country.

(YouGov)

February 22, 2021

Source: https://es.yougov.com/news/2021/02/22/el-sector-financiero-en-espana-tras-el-covid-19/

NORTH AMERICA

678-43-17/Poll

Leading Teams Forward, Advised By Gallup Remote Work Trends

If you're a leader, you're worrying about your employees' productivity -- whether they're in the office, at home or a hybrid of both -- particularly if productivity is as high for remote workers as for those on-site. After a year like 2020, decisions about productivity take on a whole new dimension.

The problem is that in six months, the world won't look like it does today, and it'll look different six months after that. Today's decisions may not fit next year's needs -- but revising a strategy introduces disruption.

You -- and your employees -- have probably had more than enough disruption.

Gallup's data -- reflecting the experiences of more than 20,000 remote workers -- can guide your current and future-focused decisions. What remote workers say they need to perform is what you need to know to make good decisions.

Below you'll find analysis, sorted by individual contributors and managers, contextualized with Gallup research -- including data from our workplace and news resources regarding remote work and wellbeing -- to help you decide the next steps that lead you steadily forward, wherever you want to arrive.

Current Issues for Individual Contributors

The number of employees working remotely doubled from mid-March to early April 2020, from 31% to 62%, and most don't want to return to the office full time. Many new remote workers have established their remote-work rhythm and are more productive from home than from the office.

However, humans are social animals, and reuniting with their team will fulfill a very real need for social wellbeing. Home offices may seem awfully lonely in comparison. As people begin to return to the office, expect to see new energy behind collaboration and innovation (and maybe a brief dip in productivity) during the first few days.

But when the novelty of the workplace reunion wears off -- and, more specifically, when schools and childcare centers are all safely open -- many employees may well lobby to return to their home office. Don't be surprised to find millennials at the head of that pack. They've done especially well working remotely, though Gallup finds similar wellbeing and engagement for older remote workers.

Hybrid work seems like a good solution. True, your company will forfeit many of the advantages of a remote workforce -- a global labor pool, lower infrastructure costs and geography-adjusted salaries -- but sustained engagement, productivity and retention may justify a hybrid solution.

Moreover, Gallup finds that employees who work remotely 60% to 80% of the time are more engaged than those who work exclusively in one place. Their wellbeing is higher too, which is a top concern among leaders right now.

Whatever model makes the most sense for your organization, pulse surveys can help you track your employees' changing feelings and stay ahead of the trend.

Future Issues for Individual Contributors

Unfortunately for some employees who want to work remotely, Gallup finds that some roles flourish best on-site. That doesn't mean you can't have a flexible workplace -- it just means your plan will need to include selectivity and individualization.

For instance, according to Gallup's database of more than 550 jobs summarized into 35 roles across 20 industries, an optimal remote work role can be performed off-site, has inherently well-defined tasks and processes, and doesn't require highly interdependent work.

Knowledge workers tend to fit those criteria, but not across the board. The engagement level of accountants, CPAs and auditors, for instance, does not improve when they work from home more often -- but finance, insurance and real estate roles thrive off-site. The difference is related to meaningful feedback and collaboration, which the first group seems to lack out of the office.

Meanwhile, some accountants have flourished at home, while some real estate agents desperately need to work with others. The constant variable is the need for good managers. The right solution must account for the demands of the role, the personality of the individual and the capacity of the manager to coach performance flexibly.

But beware: Employees' definitions of flexibility may soon be about work hours as much as work location. That's a dicey proposition. Irregular hours make work-flow handoffs and collaboration vulnerable to lapses in accountability, and employees can seem irresponsible and uncommunicative to their coworkers on a standard clock.

On the other hand, more and more studies show a correlation between wellbeing, time flexibility and productivity. Finland changed its labor laws to maintain that productivity gain -- employees can now work 50% of their hours whenever and wherever they like. And aligning work across time zones is already the norm in global companies.

So, if a fully remote workforce wins out for your company over a hybrid model and you want to ramp up productivity, time flexibility may be a beneficial offering. Just make sure the roles are right for remote work and managers can support workers dispersed by time and location.

Managers: What You Should Know Now

Most managers are open to permitting remote work post-pandemic, Gallup finds. And both before and during the pandemic, remote managers have had the most highly engaged and productive employees. That may explain why a majority of managers think today's remote work policies will outlast COVID-19.

Still, some managers of remote workers are more effective than others. Gallup finds that the highest-performing remote managers are crystal clear about expectations and priorities, give meaningful feedback, hold themselves and others accountable, and make sure workers have opportunities to learn and grow. In fact, among millennials who have worked remotely since the start of the pandemic, a staggering 75% are engaged in their job. These same millennials also strongly agree that their manager keeps them informed and that they feel well-prepared at work.

Many of those managers struggled to prevent employee burnout, though. Before COVID-19, the more people worked off-site, the less burnout they suffered. Now the opposite is true. Some of that can be blamed on pandemic-era conditions, such as kids at home, stress, and the lack of a proper workspace and boundaries. But remote work can exacerbate what Gallup finds are the root causes of burnout: unfair treatment, unmanageable workload, unclear communication from managers, a lack of managerial support and unreasonable time pressure. If wellbeing is a priority, that's crucial intel.

Managers: What's Coming

These challenges will not disappear with the pandemic, so heading off burnout may require manager development focused on navigating remote work conditions. Actually, development may help managers do a host of things better, and coaching employees is at the top.

Gallup research shows that today's employees want development, purpose and in-the-moment feedback. In other words, they prefer "coaching" over "bossing." Data also show that well-coached teams tend to considerably outperform less ably managed teams on engagement, retention, safety, productivity and profitability metrics.

The world's largest work-from-home experiment was certainly proof-of-concept for coaching. The only way managers could inspire and motivate high performance was through ongoing coaching conversations -- and remote workers are more liable than in-house employees to say they have opportunities to learn and grow. Many managers achieved record-high engagement levels and productivity while maintaining the consistency, clarity and authenticity of their cultures.

Next-gen videoconference technology built with behavioral science gleaned from a year of online meetings will surely alleviate today's communication difficulties. Still, nothing beats great management. Regardless of your path forward -- sans remote work, fully remote or a hybrid approach -- reskilling managers from bosses to coaches may provide inestimable long-term gains.

Incidentally, if your future does include remote work, those managers will star in an unbeatable recruiting message. Flexibility is no longer a rare benefit now, but highly developed remote coaches will become your new unique employment brand differentiator.

That matters when smaller cities are paying remote workers big bucks to move to town, and good coaching increasingly defines a good job.

A Final Thought for Leaders: Organizational Wellbeing

One of leaders' chief concerns right now is employee wellbeing. And rightfully so: Gallup finds that negative emotions like stress, worry and anger are up, especially among remote workers -- which affects people's wellbeing and organizations' performance. Your employees' wellbeing really matters.

But remember: Yours does too. And "Leading During a Pandemic" was most likely not a class you were required to take in college. So, as you plan the next six months -- which won't be like the six months before them or like the six months after -- plan to take your own wellbeing as seriously as your employees.'

Employees can only be as successful as managers enable them to be. But your company can only be successful if you are. Think about that as you strategize your future. Now and in the months to come, your wellbeing is as important as everyone else's.

(Gallup)

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Source: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/329726/leading-teams-forward-advised-gallup-remote-work-trends.aspx

678-43-18/Poll

Americans Remain Largely Dissatisfied With US Gun Laws

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fifty-six percent of Americans say they are dissatisfied with U.S. gun laws and policies, marking the ninth consecutive year of majority-level dissatisfaction since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At the same time, 42% of U.S. adults express satisfaction with U.S. gun laws.

Gallup has asked Americans about their satisfaction with specific issues, including the nation's gun laws and policies, each January since 2001, except for 2009-2011. In 2001, 38% of the public was satisfied with U.S. gun laws. Satisfaction rose in subsequent surveys, hovering near 50% from 2002 through 2012, but since then, it has generally held near 40%. The highest dissatisfaction, 62%, was recorded one month after the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.

The latest findings are from a Jan. 4-15 Gallup poll that preceded President Joe Biden's Feb. 14 call for "commonsense gun law reforms" on the third anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. His proposed changes include background checks on all gun sales, bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and more accountability for gun manufacturers.

Striking Partisan Differences on Gun Policy

Biden's desired stricter gun measures are very similar to those that Congress failed to pass after the Newtown mass shooting, when Biden was serving as Barack Obama's vice president. That vote in Congress laid bare Republican lawmakers' unwillingness to support new gun restrictions. Since then, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have generally become increasingly likely to express satisfaction with U.S. gun laws, while Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have become less likely to be satisfied. Two exceptions to this occurred in 2014 and 2016, when Republicans' satisfaction fell amid calls for stricter gun laws.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are now more than three times as likely as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to say they are satisfied with the nation's gun laws and policy, 69% vs. 22%. This 47-percentage-point gap in satisfaction is in line with those since 2018. Before that, the average party gap was 22 points.

Dissatisfaction With Gun Laws Rooted More in Call for Stricter Regulation

A follow-up question, asked only of those who said they were dissatisfied with current gun laws, explored what respondents would like to see happen to those laws. Given that dissatisfaction with gun laws is primarily seen among Democrats, it follows that people who are dissatisfied prefer stricter rather than more lenient laws.

As Biden calls for stricter gun laws, 41% of the public is dissatisfied with current gun laws and wants them made stricter; 8% are dissatisfied and want them to be made less strict; and 7% are dissatisfied but want them to remain the same.

While 69% of Republicans say they are satisfied with U.S. gun laws, 68% of Democrats are dissatisfied and want them to be stricter.

Bottom Line

Americans continue to express more dissatisfaction than satisfaction with U.S. gun laws, and partisans remain sharply divided in their views. The public's calls for more gun control have tended to be in reaction to mass shootings, as have lawmakers' attempts to pass stricter gun laws.

After the nation's deadliest mass shooting, in Las Vegas in 2017, the Trump administration banned bump stocks, which make semi-automatic rifles able to fire like machine guns. Trump also indicated that he was open to stricter gun laws after the Parkland, Florida, shooting, but he never took action on that. Likewise, Trump said in 2019 that he would look into changing background checks in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, but ultimately he declined to push for any changes.

The latest proposal from Biden, however, comes when the U.S. has not seen a mass shooting in recent months. Biden has worked to make the nation's gun laws and policies stricter since he was a U.S. senator and helped pass the Brady bill and the now-expired assault weapons ban. However, he faces an uphill battle in trying to get a bipartisan deal now, given the nation's current political divide and the availability of the legislative filibuster.

(Gallup)

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329723/americans-remain-largely-dissatisfied-gun-laws.aspx

AUSTRALIA

678-43-19/Poll

Inflation Expectations Unchanged At 3.6% In January - Now Higher For Older Generations Than Younger Generations

Inflation Expectations increased in the closing months of 2020 as Victoria got on top of its second wave of COVID-19 and internal boundaries were relaxed. However, a series of outbreaks of COVID-19 from hotel quarantine facilities in the last few months has tempered expectations of a quick return to normal.

Inflation Expectations at the start of 2021 are heavily correlated to age. Older Australians born before 1946 and known as ‘Pre-Boomers’ now have the highest Inflation Expectations at 3.8%, and with the biggest increase of 0.7% points since the mid-2020 record lows.

The Baby Boomers, born from 1946-1960 and now entering retirement in large numbers, have similarly high Inflation Expectations at 3.8%, but up a lesser 0.5% points since June 2020.

The bulk of the working age population aged 30-60 and comprised of Gen X (born 1961-1975) and Millennials (born 1976-1990) have Inflation Expectations clustered around the national average at 3.7% for Gen X and 3.6% for Millennials.

It is younger Australians aged under 30 in Gen Z who now have the lowest Inflation Expectations of any generation at only 3.3%, and up only 0.1% points since the low of June 2020.

Inflation Expectations now highest in Tasmania and lowest in South Australia

On a State-based level Inflation Expectations are now highest in Tasmania at 4.5% and have increased in each of the last two months. Despite the increases Inflation Expectations in Tasmania are 0.9% points lower than a year ago in January 2020 – the largest year-over-year decline of any State.

Also with higher than average Inflation Expectations are both Queensland at 3.8% and New South Wales at 3.7%. Inflation Expectations in both of these States increased slightly in January as the border between the two States remained heavily restricted as New South Wales battled to get on top of several outbreaks in the Greater Sydney area. The border re-opened fully at the start of February.

There were three States in which Inflation Expectations fell in January led by Western Australia, down 0.4% points to 3.6%, Victoria, down 0.1% points to 3.5%, and South Australia, down 0.6% points to 3.1%.

Victoria began the month dealing with a breakout of COVID-19 at a Melbourne restaurant while Western Australia had its first case of community transmission at the end of January prompting the State’s first lockdown for over eight months since April 2020.

The constantly changing situation led to significant border closures and re-openings throughout the month although the good news is Consumer Confidence peaked at 112.1 right at the end of the month on January 30/31, 2021 indicating Australians are becoming increasingly confident.

On a regional basis Inflation Expectations are higher in Country Areas and are now at 3.9% (up 0.1% points since December) compared to 3.5% (down 0.1% points) in Capital Cities.

Inflation Expectations Index long-term trend – Expected Annual Inflation in next 2 years

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Inflation Expectations are unchanged in January at 3.6% as Australia battled multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns and border closures halted the upward momentum in the index:

“Inflation Expectations were unchanged at 3.6% in January, up 0.4% points from the record lows of 3.2% in June 2020 and August 2020, but still down 0.4% points on a year ago.

“The increases in Inflation Expectations seen in the last few months are expected to continue during 2021 as Australia opens up and begins a large-scale vaccination program in the next few weeks. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has forecast that every Australian who wants a vaccine will have the chance to get one by October 2021 at the latest.

“However, the experience of the last few months illustrates there is still a long way to go in what is increasingly seen as a stop-start process. New outbreaks in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne over the summer months have seen border restrictions re-instated at a moment’s notice and in some cities short and sharp lockdowns have also been back on the agenda.

“These strong actions to keep COVID-19 under control also cause uncertainty for people and businesses and are set to continue throughout much of 2021 before enough Australians can be vaccinated. A special Roy Morgan Snap SMS Poll in late January showed 79% of Australians are willing to be vaccinated when a vaccine becomes publicly available.

“Interestingly when we look at Inflation Expectations by Generation it shows a heavy correlation to age. Older generations including Pre-Boomers (born before 1946) and Baby Boomers (born 1946-1960) have the highest Inflation Expectations at 3.8% in January – and both up strongly since the middle months of 2020.

“In contrast it is Gen Z with Inflation Expectations of only 3.3% that is clearly the lowest and well below the national average. Gen Z are those Australians born from 1991-2005 and are now aged in their teens and 20s.

“Gen Z has been hardest hit by job losses in tourism and hospitality businesses in particular over the last year and with the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy at the end of next month there is considerable uncertainty for many about their employment prospects in the next few months. Given this context it is understandable that Australians in this age cohort do not expect high levels of inflation over the next two years.”

The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source which has interviewed an average of 4,500 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade from April 2010 – January 2021 and includes interviews with 4,545 Australians aged 14+ in January 2021.

(Roy Morgan)

February 15 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8639-australian-inflation-expectations-january-2021-202102150449

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Ing Home Loan Customers Once Again The Most Satisfied With Their Bank, Followed By Bendigo, Bankwest And Me Bank

In fact, Australia’s top 12 banks collectively increased their home loan customer satisfaction from 74% in December 2019 to 79.5% a year later.

The data covers six months, July to December 2020. This period began with more than Australian 436,000 home loans deferred, as customers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic took an initial payment pause of up to six months, and ended with all but around 100,000 of these borrowers having resumed payments.

Following leader ING is Bendigo Bank, with a home loan customer satisfaction rating of 88.1% (a lift from 83.3% a year earlier). Next are Bankwest and ME Bank, equal on 88% each. For Bankwest this is a jump up from its rating of 77.1% a year earlier, however ME Bank actually fell from a 91.4% satisfaction rating. CBA once again has the highest home loan customer satisfaction among the big four banks, with a rating of 80%. Total home loan customer satisfaction with the big four banks as a group is 77.6%.

Customer satisfaction ratings of home loan banking customers: Dec. 2019 cf. Dec. 2020

These latest banking satisfaction ratings come from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says banks will be pleased the strong efforts they made to help their customers during the pandemic have been appreciated, however the next few months will be a critical time for many home-loan borrowers.

“Home loan customer satisfaction for Australia’s top 12 banks as a group lifted from 74% in December 2019 to 79.5%, on a six-month average. This is the result of the support banks showed for borrowers, including mortgage-holders, who were doing it tough.

ING continues to perform at a stellar level, once again landing the highest home loan customer satisfaction with a remarkable 95.1%. This is quite a way ahead of the big four banks’ collective rating of 77.6%, but Bendigo Bank, Bankwest and ME Bank are all making a strong showing.

It's reassuring to see so many mortgage-holders who took a payment pause are back on track, but as we found recently, 20% of these borrowers, an estimated 783,000, were at risk of mortgage stress as last year drew to a close. Government support in the form of JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments are set to finish by the end of next month, which means those with home-loans who are currently teetering on the edge may be in serious trouble.

Roy Morgan will continue to closely monitor mortgage stress, unemployment and other key measures, as well as continuing to measure home-loan consumer satisfaction with the banks that play a large part in this picture.”

(Roy Morgan)

February 15 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8641-home-loan-satisfaction-december-2020-202102150355

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Over 2.8 Million New Zealanders Watch Subscription Tv - Largest Growth For Disney+ And Amazon Prime Video

New data from Roy Morgan shows over 2.8 million New Zealanders aged 14+ now watch Subscription TV in an average four weeks – encompassing over two-thirds (68%) of all New Zealanders.

Total viewership of Subscription TV in New Zealand has increased 4.9% from a year earlier to 2,823,000, an increase of 131,000.

The biggest increases over the last year have been experienced by the new Disney+ streaming service which launched in late 2019 and Amazon Prime Video.

Netflix is by far the most popular service and now watched by 2,141,000 people in an average four weeks, an increase of 92,000 (+4.5%) from a year ago.

In clear second place is Sky with 1,248,000 viewers. During the last year Sky purchased the Lightbox streaming service from Spark New Zealand and merged Lightbox into its own Neon streaming service in June 2020. Sky also includes the Sky Sport Now sports streaming service (formerly known as FAN PASS) which now has over 140,000 viewers.

In its first year of operation Disney+ has attracted an audience of 700,000 viewers equal to one-in-six New Zealanders and is already the third most popular Subscription TV service.

Also growing quickly over the past year is Amazon Prime Video which now has 323,000 viewers, an increase of 141,000 (+77.5%) on the December quarter 2019.

There are 481,000 New Zealanders now viewing one of multiple other services including Apple TV+, Spark Sport, Vodafone TV, YouTube Premium, Google Play and Tubi. Viewership of these services increased strongly over the last year up by 275,000 (+133.9%) on a year ago.

This new pay television data has been obtained from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over six thousand New Zealanders each year.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the new competition in the New Zealand subscription TV market over the last year with the entry of Disney+ means consumers have been the big winners with a wider variety of content available to view:

“Over 2.8 million New Zealanders (68% of the population) now watch Subscription TV in an average four weeks. Although growth has slowed in the overall market with an increase of only 4.9% viewers from a year ago there has been faster growth for the newer services in the market”.

“Disney+ has been the stand-out performer during 2020 with the service which was launched in the final months of 2019 already attracting 700,000 viewers within a year of launching and becoming the third most watched Subscription TV service already.”

“Amazon Prime Video has been in the market since late 2016 but really experienced strong growth during 2020 and increased its viewership by 141,000 to 323,000, an increase of 77.5% on a year ago.”

“However, despite the fast growth for both Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, the clear market leader is again Netflix which is viewed by over 2.1 million New Zealanders in an average four weeks – more than half of the population.”

“Also in a strong position in the market is Sky which includes under its banner Sky TV, the Sky Sport Now sports streaming service (formerly FAN PASS) and the Neon streaming service. During mid-2020 Sky purchased the Lightbox streaming service and merged this into Neon in June 2020. Across these different services Sky now attracts an audience of 1,248,000 viewers – around one-in-three New Zealanders.”

(Roy Morgan)

February 16 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8623-new-zealand-pay-tv-services-december-2020-202102150627

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

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February 2021: Consumer Confidence Around The World Increases A Bit

The Global Consumer Confidence Index is the average of the National Indices of 24 world markets. It is based on a monthly survey of more than 17,500 adults under the age of 75 through the Ipsos Global Advisor online platform. This survey was conducted between January 22 and February 5, 2021.

National Index Trends

One sign that consumer sentiment is barely moving in much of the world is that only two countries register a significant change (i.e., an increase or decrease of at least 1.5 points) in their National Index compared to January:

A loss of 2.3 points to 71.8 in China, its lowest level since September 2020
A gain of 2.5 points to 56.1 in India, its highest level since April 2020

Compared to 12 months ago, only two countries registered an increase in their National Index: China (+6.5) and Australia (+3.5). On the contrary, 20 of the 24 countries present a National Index significantly lower than that of February 2020, especially the United States (-12.6), Israel (-11.4), Mexico (-10.3), Poland (- 10.2) and Spain (-9.9). Seven countries (the same as in January and December 2020) have a National Index greater than 50:

China (71.8)
Saudi Arabia (63.5)
India (56.1)
Sweden (55.1)
Australia (54.1)
Germany (51.1)
USA (50.3)

Only three countries continue to record a national index below 35 this month, as Russia (36.3) has stopped:

Turkey (32.0),
South Africa (33.8)
Spain (34.2)

February 2021 Global Consumer Index

(Ipsos)

17 February 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/es-es/febrero-2021-la-confianza-de-los-consumidores-en-todo-el-mundo-aumenta-un-poco

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Yougov Launches Global Fan Profiles – The Most Complete Data In Esports

YouGov has enhanced its Global Fan Profiles tool so properties, sponsors and rights holders can now track fan sentiment and attitudes in esports.

Global Fan Profiles is built upon more than 300,000 interviews per year collected on a continuous basis. It provides an instant view of the size, make-up, attitudes and behaviors of fan bases in 32 key esports markets including the United States, China, India, Brazil, Germany, South Korea and Malaysia.

It is designed to help properties, sponsors and rights holders identify the size of their fan bases, who their fans are, how fans consume content and how they align with the thousands of brands and audience trends YouGov tracks on a daily basis.

As it is connected to YouGov’s market-leading depth and breadth of consumer data, YouGov Global Fan Profiles provides a much deeper dataset than just isolated esports and sports attitudes. Subscribers can connect data across sport and esports with core demographics, media consumption, brand preference, interest, following, viewing and awareness. It is an extension to YouGov’s connected data solutions and is complementary to YouGov SportsIndex.

The new YouGov Global Fan Profiles means that for the first time the esports industry can fully understand the nuance of the marketplace. It gives an instant view of fan bases around the world, providing comprehensive and precise data across 200 leagues, 50 events, 45+ game titles and 2,000 teams in sport and esports. Subscribers can easily create side-by-side comparisons of individual game titles, leagues, events, tournaments, and team fan bases.

Global Fan Profiles is designed to help esports stakeholders in a number of ways:

Sponsorship: Develop compelling propositions using real data on the number of fans a title, league or team has, who they are, and how they align with potential sponsors
Esport properties: Create side-by-side comparisons of individual game titles, leagues, events, tournaments, and team fan bases
Marketing: Use media consumption data to more effectively and efficiently reach target consumers
Strategy: Assess international market differences in fan base size and make-up to inform strategic plans and decisions
Broadcast: Prove growth and composition of a fan base to support broadcast negotiations
Sponsor activation: Use fan profile data to create laser-focused activation strategies with real impact
Benchmark: Compare fan bases with key competitors for internal analysis or external validation

Nicole Pike, YouGov’s Global Sector Head of Esports & Gaming: “Esports is such a valuable and fast-developing industry that properties, partners and rights holders deserve to have accurate and always-on data at their fingertips. Sponsors are getting more sophisticated about how and where they choose to invest in the space, and YouGov Global Fan Profiles is the most comprehensive, in-depth and valuable dataset in the market. This tool represents an important step in moving the conversation away from generic "esports fans," and toward a more nuanced view of the distinct fan bases within this growing space.”

Global Fan Profiles in action: Esports team fandom across key markets

Data from YouGov’s Global Fan Profiles shows just how much affinity toward major esports teams and organizations varies by market:

Brazil: The influence of large global esports teams is relative more limited in this market, where instead esports culture is more driven by engagement with regional and local organizations. The country’s fervor around Garena Free Fire, a battle royale title where individuals are more commonly followed than teams, may also contribute to this trend.
China: The picture is noticeably different in this highly-engaged esports market. Here, fandom is emphatically strongest (57%) for Chinese-based organization Invictus Gaming; engagement with major non-Chinese teams is more limited by comparison.
Germany: In its home market, Berlin-based G2 Esports is most popular (17%), followed by two of the most established esports organizations fielding teams in multiple popular titles – Fnatic (14%) and Cloud9 (12%).
India: Given the lack of Indian-originated teams competing at a global level, following is fragmented and Western teams are the favorites. One in five (21%) avid esports fans in India follow London-based Fnatic, whose popularity may be aided by the team’s signing of XSpark – an Indian-based roster for PUBG Mobile – in 2019. The American esports organization Evil Geniuses is just as popular with Indian esports fans (20%), likely due to the success of the team’s former Indian-American Dota 2 player, Universe.
Malaysia: Though based in Europe, Team Secret boasts a PUBG Mobile roster that is almost entirely Malaysian - and fans in the market have followed them across borders.
South Korea: Over a third (36%) of esports fans are T1 fans, one of the most storied Korean esports organizations. Cloud9 is also popular in the country, unsurprising given it has several teams under its umbrella with a majority or all of its players being South Korean.
USA: American esports fans tend to gravitate toward successful teams regardless of borders, but American-based organization Cloud9 still holds a slight advantage in this market. Of note, influencer-driven team organizations 100 Thieves and Faze Clan also rank highly in the US, but engagement is more limited in other regions.

Global Fan Profiles in action: Understanding Garena Free Fire’s fanbases around the world

After debuting in 2018, the mobile battle royale game became wildly successful in Southeast Asia and Latin America. Garena Free Fire filled a market gap for playable battle royale games in developing countries given the scarcity of phones powerful enough to run PUBG Mobile or Fortnite, and its popularity has since caught fire in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
While people who follow esports tend to be younger in many countries, the share of people who watch or follow Garena Free Fire in Brazil is more equitably split across age groups. While nearly 6 in 10 fans in Brazil are within the coveted 18-34 demographic, another 21% are aged 45 and over. In Peru, 14% of the game’s fanbase skews 45 and older though a full 53% are under the age of 25.
In select markets, the game is also unique for its popularity among the female esports audience compared with more traditional esports titles such as League of Legends or CS: GO. Significant minorities of those who watch or follow Garena Free Fire are women and this is true in the game’s biggest markets such as Brazil, India, Peru, and the US. In Indonesia, two in five (41%) fans of the esports title are female.

(YouGov)

February 17, 2021

Source: https://in.yougov.com/en-hi/news/2021/02/17/yougov-launches-global-fan-profiles-most-complete-/