Americans are more likely than they were three years ago to say single women raising children on their own and couples living together without being married are bad for society, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. On both, the change has occurred more among Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party than Democrats and Democratic leaners. Views on these family arrangements vary across many demographic lines.

A bar chart showing that nearly half of Americans now say single women raising children on their own is bad for society

Some 47% of U.S. adults say single women raising children on their own is generally a bad thing for society, an increase of 7 percentage points from the 40% who said the same in a 2018 Center survey. A smaller share (43%) says it doesn’t make a difference, and just 10% of adults say it is good for society.

The share of births to unmarried women has remained relatively stable over the past decade, after increasing steadily from 1980 to around 2009. In 2020, that share was 41%, about double the percentage from 40 years ago.

Views on single motherhood differ somewhat by race and ethnicity. About half of White and Asian adults (49% each) say single women raising children alone is bad for society, compared with a smaller share of Hispanic adults (39%). Some 46% of Black adults say the same. Since 2018, White adults have had the largest increase in the share saying this is bad for society – up 8 points from 41%. Among Black and Hispanic adults, the shares saying single women raising children on their own is bad for society didn’t change significantly from 2018. The sample size for Asian adults in 2018 was not large enough to analyze separately.

A bar chart showing that older adults are more likely than young adults to say single motherhood is bad for society

Gender is strongly related to perspectives on single women raising children alone. A majority of men (59%) say single motherhood is bad for society, compared with 37% of women. In contrast, women are more likely than men to say women raising children on their own generally doesn’t make much of a difference for society (50% of women vs. 34% of men). However, the share of both men and women saying this is bad for society has increased since 2018 (up 9 points for men and 7 points for women).

There are also significant differences in these views across age groups. About half of adults ages 50 and older say single motherhood is bad for society, compared with 42% of those younger than 30 and 44% of 30- to 49-year-olds.

Along party lines, about six-in-ten Republicans and Republican leaners (62%) say single women raising children alone is bad for society, up from 53% in 2018. In contrast, 36% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say this is bad for society, up 6 points from three years ago. Within each party, there are differences by gender. About three-quarters of Republican men (73%) say single women raising children on their own is bad for society, compared with half of Republican women. Among Democrats, 45% of men say this is generally bad for society; only 28% of Democratic women say the same.

When it comes to views on cohabitation, Americans are more likely than they were in 2018 to say that couples living together without being married is bad for society, even as cohabitation is on the rise. Roughly a quarter of U.S. adults (24%) now say that couples living together without being married is generally bad for society, up 5 points from three years ago. A smaller share says it is good for society (14%). Still, a majority of Americans (62%) say it doesn’t make much of a difference.

A bar chart showing that views on cohabitation differ considerably by age, race and ethnicity, and partisanship

Views on cohabitation differ by race and ethnicity, gender, age and political affiliation. About one-third of Black adults say couples living together without being married is bad for society (32%), compared with about a quarter of White (25%) and Asian (24%) adults and 17% of Hispanic adults. Since 2018, opinions shifted the most among Black adults, with an increase of 8 percentage points in the share saying cohabitation is bad for society. White adults had a smaller increase of 5 points, while views didn’t change significantly among Hispanic adults. The sample size for Asian adults in 2018 was not large enough to analyze separately.

There are modest differences in views by gender. Women are less likely than men to say cohabitation is bad for society (23% of women vs. 26% of men). This has changed from 2018, when equal shares of men and women (19% each) thought it was bad for society.

There are also large differences across age groups. Young adults ages 18 to 29 are the least likely to say couples living together without being married is bad for society (13% say this), while 28% say it is good for society. About one-in-five adults ages 30 to 49 (22%) say cohabitation is bad for society, and roughly a quarter of adults 50 to 64 (27%) say the same. Among those 65 and older, 35% say cohabitation is bad for society, while a mere 6% say it is generally good.

Along party lines, Republicans and Republican leaners are more likely to say cohabitation is a bad thing for society than a good thing. Some 38% of Republicans say it is bad for society, and only 6% say it is a good thing. Democrats and Democratic leaners, on the other hand, are more likely to say it is good rather than bad. One-in-five Democrats say cohabitation is good for society, while 13% say it is generally bad. More than half in each party say it doesn’t make much of a difference. While opinions are largely unchanged since 2018 among Democrats, Republicans are more likely now than in 2018 to say it is bad for society (30% of Republicans said so in 2018).

(PEW)
MARCH 11, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/11/rising-share-of-americans-see-women-raising-children-on-their-own-cohabitation-as-bad-for-society/

732-734-43-66/Country Profile:

USA3

SUMMARY OF POLLS

ASIA

(Japan)

40% Of Municipalities Not Gearing Up To Handle Calamity; Japan Earthquake

Nearly 40 percent of municipalities remain woefully underprepared to grapple with the prospect of widespread reconstruction from a natural disaster, according to a survey by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The central government is pushing local authorities to develop reconstruction strategies before disaster strikes, citing the experience of towns, cities and villages in northeastern Japan devastated by the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami 11 years ago.

(Asahi Shimbun)

March 2, 2022

(South Korea)

South Koreans Vote For President In Tight, Bitter Election

South Koreans were voting for a new president Wednesday, with an outspoken liberal ruling party candidate and a conservative former prosecutor considered the favorites in a tight race that has aggravated domestic divisions. Pre-election surveys showed liberal Lee Jae-myung, a former governor of South Korea’s most populous Gyeonggi province, and his main conservative challenger, ex-prosecutor general Yoon Suk Yeol, with neck-and-neck support, way ahead of 10 other contenders. The winner will take office in May and serve a single five-year term as leader of the world’s 10th-largest economy.

(Asahi Shimbun)

March 9, 2022

(Turkey)

7 Out Of 10 Women Cannot Participate In Working Life Without Getting Permission From Their Husbands

Even today, 7 out of 10 women say that they cannot participate in working life without the permission of their husbands and family, and because they do not have economic independence, they cannot be decision-makers both inside and outside the home. In addition, the opinion that women are exposed to discrimination in business life is a very dominant opinion. 65% of women think they are discriminated against at work, do not have equal rights to promotions and 55% think they are paid less than men for the same job. Although the participation rate of men in these issues is lower, in general, half of the men have a similar opinion with women.

(Ipsos Turkey)

7 March 2022

67% Of Turkish People Express That They Will Continue To Wear Masks No Matter What Happens Indoors

While 6 out of 10 people evaluate the decision to remove the obligation to wear masks in open areas as correct, removing the mask requirement in closed areas when social distance or ventilation is sufficient is considered a wrong decision by more than half of the society. And 67% of individuals say that they already wear masks in closed places and will continue to wear them. However, the rate of those who do not wear masks or who say they will no longer wear masks is not low. 1 out of every 4 people states that they will not wear a mask in such places. Only 1/3 of the society thinks that the HEPP code will not be requested both when entering closed areas and for travels such as buses and planes, only 1/3 of the society is the right decision.

(Ipsos Turkey)

15 March 2022

(Singapore)

More Than Half (52%) Of Celebrity-Influenced Buyers Prefer Making Purchases Over The Web Than In Physical Stores In Singapore

Latest data from YouGov Profiles suggest that celebrity endorsements can encourage greater e-commerce spending in Singapore. Celebrity-influenced buyers – consumers who agree that celebrity endorsements have an effect on the things they buy – are more likely to prefer shopping online than the average consumer in Singapore. While slightly more than half (52%) of celebrity-influenced buyers prefer making purchases over the web than in physical stores, just over one-third (35%) of Singapore consumers in general prefer buying things online than offline.

(YouGov Singapore)
March 15, 2022

Singaporeans would like to sleep for at least seven hours but only a quarter have that routine

YouGov’s latest survey reveals only one in four people in Singapore (27%) have an ideal sleep cycle (of 7 hours or more). It is most common for Singaporeans to get six to seven hours of sleep a night (39%), followed by four to six hours (32%). Residents also generally sleep less than they would like – a substantial eight in ten (80%), wish they had seven or more hours of sleep on the daily, but only a quarter (27%) actually do.

(YouGov Singapore)
March 18, 2022

MENA

(KSA)

A Majority Of KSA Residents Are Aware Of Cryptocurrencies, But Only A Few Invest In Them

YouGov's latest survey shows that digital banking has become increasingly popular in Saudi Arabia, with nine out of ten respondents (91%) saying they prefer banking online. In addition to this, 86% of respondents have even shown an intent to switch to digital-only banking methods in the future. Digitization has not just revolutionised banking but also facilitated the growth of digital currencies. Over the last few years, the cryptocurrency market has rapidly expanded. Data shows that in Saudi Arabia, cryptocurrency has as an asset class has generated a fair amount of awareness, and more than three-quarters of residents (77%) claim to be aware of it.

(YouGov MENA)
February 28, 2022

AFRICA

(Nigeria)

Over 3 In 10 Nigerians Have Experienced Bullying In Secondary School

A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls has revealed that 34 percent of adult Nigerians have disclosed that they experienced some form of bullying during their secondary school days. More findings from the poll revealed that physical (65 percent), extreme punishment (46 percent) and exploitation (24 percent) are the top three forms of bullying mostly experienced in various secondary schools across the country.

(NOI Polls)

March 3, 2022

82% Nigerians See Discrimination Against Women

A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls has revealed that there is discrimination against women in Nigeria as stated by 82 percent of adult Nigerians. Additionally, analysis by geographical locations indicates that the North-East zone had more respondents (89 percent) who made this assertion. Similarly, there are more female (86 percent) than male (78 percent) respondents in this category.

(NOI Polls)

March 8, 2022

(Kenya)

Three-Fourths (74%) Of Kenyans Say The Country Is Going In The Wrong Direction

Three-fourths (74%) of Kenyans say the country is going in “the wrong direction,” a 20- percentage-point increase compared to 2019 (54%). Almost nine out of 10 citizens (85%) describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad,” a 30-point increase since 2016 (55%). Only one in four Kenyans (25%) describe their personal living conditions as “fairly good” or “very good,” a 16-point decline compared to 2019 (41%).

(Afrobarometer)

2 March 2022

Majority Of Kenyans Say Competency-Based Curriculum Will Improve Quality Of Education

Two-thirds of Kenyans believe that the new competency-based curriculum or CBC system will improve education in the country at least “a little bit,” a new Afrobarometer survey shows. More than half (52%) of Kenyans believe that the new competency-based curriculum or CBC system will improve education in the country “somewhat” or “a lot,” in addition to 13% who think it will help “a little bit.” Only one in four (26%) say the CBC system will do nothing to improve education.

(Afrobarometer)

09 March 2022

(Namibia)

Nearly Six In 10 Namibians (57%) Report That In Their Area, It Is Either Very Common (29%) Or Somewhat Common (28%) For Men To Use Violence Against Women

A majority of Namibians believe that violence against women and girls is common in their homes and communities, the most recent Afrobarometer survey shows. While more than half believe that men are never justified in physically disciplining their wives, about four in 10 say this can be justified at least some of the time. Most citizens believe that the police take reported cases of gender-based violence seriously, but many report that community members will criticize or harass the complainant for seeking help from the police.

(Afrobarometer)

7 March 2022

More Than Half Of Namibians (57%) Believe That It Is Either Always Justified (23%) Or Sometimes Justified (34%) For Parents To Discipline Their Children Using Physical Force

More than half of Namibians believe parents are justified in using physical force to discipline their children, at least on some occasions, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates. Four in 10 say the practice is never justified. Views are similarly divided on other aspects of child well-being, with four in 10 citizens reporting that child abuse and neglect are widespread in their communities and half saying school-age children are frequently not attending school. But a majority of Namibians are confident that people in their communities can secure help for abused, mistreated, or neglected children.

(Afrobarometer)

10 March 2022

(Cabo Verde)

Three-Fourths (73%) Of Cabo Verdeans Are Optimistic That Things Will Be Better Or Much Better In 12 Months’ Time

Cabo Verdeans offered a fairly gloomy assessment of their country’s economic situation, but most expected things to improve, according to an Afrobarometer survey. The survey, in late 2019, found that few citizens thought economic conditions had improved over the previous year, and only a minority described their personal living conditions as good. A majority said the country was going in “the wrong direction.”

(Afrobarometer)

9 March 2022

(Morocco)

More Than Three-Fourths (78%) Of Moroccans Say The Media Should Constantly Investigate And Report On Government Mistakes And Corruption

More than three-fourths (78%) of Moroccans say the media should “constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption”. But fewer than half (45%) insist on media freedom, while 55% endorse the government’s right to prevent the publication of things it disapproves of. Among Moroccans who have heard of social media, majorities say it makes people more informed about current events (96%) and helps them have more impact on political processes (64%), but also makes them more likely to believe false news (85%).

(Afrobarometer)

14 March 2022

WEST EUROPE

(UK)

7 In 10 Are Already Seeing An Increase To Their Typical Household Grocery Bill

Around 4 in 10 (39%) shoppers are finding it difficult to afford the increase in their grocery bills in 2022 compared to 2021. More than 8 in 10 (85%) UK shoppers are changing how they shop to reduce grocery bills in 2022. 18% of shoppers have changed their regular supermarket to cover the increase of their grocery shop as ALDI becomes the most popular destination for those looking to cut costs.

(Ipsos MORI)

2 March 2022

9 In 10 Brits Are Following The News Closely, And Concerned About The Impact On The UK Economy And Security On Ukrainian Civilians

NEW polling by Ipsos finds an increase in support for the UK Government implementing economic sanctions against Russia, now at 78% compared to 61% in late February, immediately before the invasion. Support for economic sanctions has hardened even if it leads to increased energy prices, from 49% in in late February, to 73% in this latest poll. Two thirds (66%) of people support humanitarian interventions by Britain, up by 26 percentage points since February and less than 1 in 10 think we shouldn’t get involved, down from 2 in 10. While support for military interventions remains lower than humanitarian, diplomatic and economic action, it has also risen slightly, by 8 percentage points, to 28%.

(Ipsos MORI)

3 March 2022

A Quarter (24%) Think That The Government Should Be Allowed To Make A British Person Entirely Stateless

By 57% to 27%, Britons say the government should be allowed to take away British citizenship in these circumstances from dual nationals – that is, people who have citizenship of another country – with 16% unsure. Two in five (40%) say they should be allowed to take citizenship away from someone whose only citizenship is British, but who would be eligible for automatic citizenship of another country if they applied, with 37% saying this should not be allowed. Some countries grant automatic citizenship to people whose parents are citizens of that country, but this is fairly rare.

(YouGov UK)

March 07, 2022

Nearly Six Out Of Ten Women (58%) Say Caring Responsibilities Have Stopped Them Applying For Promotion Or A New Job

Nearly six out of ten women (58%) say caring responsibilities have stopped them applying for promotion or a new job, and one in five (19%) have left a job because it was too hard to balance work and care, according to wide-ranging research by Ipsos and Business in the Community (BITC). Whilst 35% of all adults, and 44% per cent of working adults, have caring responsibilities, the research found that they are not spread equally. Women account for 85% of sole carers for children and 65% of sole carers for older adults. More people from ethnic minority backgrounds (42%) have caring responsibilities than from white backgrounds.

(Ipsos MORI)

7 March 2022

Defence Surges To Third Most Important Issue Facing The UK

With all eyes turned east following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “defence and security” has shot up the rankings in for YouGov’s ‘top issues facing the country’ tracker. Currently, 33% of Britons say defence is one of the top issues facing the country, about the same who say “health” (35%), although still a long way off from “the economy” (50%).The shift took place last week, when concern surged to 32% from 12% the prior week. These figures are the highest that YouGov has recorded for defence since the London Bridge attack in June 2017, when 41% of people said defence and security was a top issue.

(YouGov UK)
March 08, 2022

66% Of Women Say They Feel Unsafe Walking Home At Night At Least Sometimes

A year after the nation asked itself how to better protect women, following the murder of Sarah Everard, a new YouGov poll for the BBC shows that many women continue to feel unsafe going about day to day activities. Women are most likely to say they feel unsafe walking alone home at night, including a quarter (26%) who say they “always” feel unsafe doing so. Overall, 66% of women say they feel unsafe walking home at night at least “sometimes”, and another 20% never do so in the first place, some of whom will be doing so for safety reasons.

(YouGov UK)
March 08, 2022

Should Unvaccinated Workers Get Less Sick Pay Than Those Vaccinated Against Covid-19

Several big-name retailers have announced they will slash sick pay for unvaccinated workers who are isolating after being exposed to COVID-19. New YouGov research shows that by 46% to 37% Britons support businesses reducing the extra sick pay they give on top of statutory sick pay for those who are unvaccinated and have been instructed to isolate because they have COVID-19. However, people are split 41% support to 42% opposed on businesses reducing extra sick pay for unvaccinated workers who test negative for COVID-19 but still have to self-isolate.

(YouGov UK)

March 09, 2022

Four In Ten Britons (42%) Believe The UK Should Take In At Least “A Few Tens Of Thousands” Of Ukrainian Refugees

Since Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine almost two weeks ago, YouGov have tracked British public opinion on receiving Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and seeking asylum here. When we first posed the question on 24-25 February, in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, we found that 63% of the public supported introducing a scheme to resettle some Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. That figure quickly rose to around three-quarters (76%) of the public as soon as 2 March. Our latest data released today shows that figure remains effectively unchanged (75%).

(YouGov UK)
March 09, 2022

Consumer Confidence Falls As Household Finance Measures Take A Historic Nosedive

Consumer confidence dips by -2.4 points in February 2022 Household finance measures for the previous month (-9.2) and the year ahead (-19.3) see the worst scores in the near-ten-year history of the index. House value metrics for the past 30 days (+3.7) and the next 12 months (+0.8) climb upwards for the third month in a row. Business activity sees a five-point jump for the past 30 days, but outlook deteriorates (-3.5) to lowest levels since April 2021.

(YouGov UK)

March 09, 2022

Nuclear Fears Rise Among Extinction Worries Following Ukraine Invasion

In January, YouGov conducted new research looking at what the British public thought the most likely causes of human extinction might be. At that time, nuclear war (43%), climate change (42%) and a pandemic (30%) were seen as the three most likely causes of our annihilation. But following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and renewed questions about the nuclear threat posed by Vladimir Putin, new data shows the British public have become far more likely to see nuclear war as a top probable cause of human extinction. Six in 10 Britons (61%) now think nuclear war is one of the most likely ways the human race will end, a rise of 18 points since our prior survey on 21-23 January. All other causes remain effectively unchanged, leaving climate change in a distant second at 41%.

(YouGov UK)

March 10, 2022

Just 10% Of Britons Think The West Is Doing Enough To Stop Russia Winning In Ukraine

The Ukrainian leader has been critical of the West’s failure to offer more support, saying that NATO should tell Ukrainians whose children had died “sorry we didn't do it yesterday, one week ago… We did nothing and it's true, yesterday the world did nothing”. Now a new YouGov survey shows only 10% of Britons think that the economic actions the West is taking against Russia, and the military aid being sent to Ukraine, is enough to stop the Russians from winning. Two thirds (67%) say that it is not enough, evenly split between the 34% who say it is “not quite enough” and the 33% who say it is “not nearly enough”.

(YouGov UK)

March 10, 2022

6 In 10 Across The UK Would Support A Law Giving Employees The Right To Ignore Work-Related Communications Outside Of Working Hours

New research by Ipsos shows a majority of UK adults aged 16-75 are in favour of introducing a law giving employees the right to ignore work-related communications, such as emails, texts and instant messages, outside of their official working/on-call hours. Sixty per cent would support the Government introducing such a law, including 34% who would strongly support it. Only around 1 in 10 (11%) would be against it.

(Ipsos MORI)

11 March 2022

27% Of Britons Are Favourable Towards Boris Johnson (+7 Points From February) And 52% Are Unfavourable (-6 Points)

27% of Britons are favourable towards Boris Johnson (+7 points from February) and 52% are unfavourable (-6 points). Figures today are comparable to those witnessed in November where 24% were favourable and 51% unfavourable. However, they are still weaker than May 2021 where 40% were favourable and 40% unfavourable. 27% are favourable towards Labour leader Keir Starmer (-5 points) and 39% are unfavourable (+1 pt). Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak continues to have the strongest levels of favourability of the politicians included in the poll. 36% are favourable towards the Chancellor (+1 pts from Feb) and 33% are unfavourable (+1pt).

(Ipsos MORI)

11 March 2022

Two-Thirds Of The Public Say Brands Should Take A Stance On Ukraine

New YouGov data reveals that two in three Britons (68%) say it’s important that brands publicly take a stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict – with fewer than one in five (17%) in dissent. More specifically, three-quarters of the public think companies should stop doing business in Russia entirely (76% vs. 6%), and the same proportion say they should donate money and supplies to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine (77% vs. 4%). A majority also want brands to offer this kind of support to the Ukrainian army (54% vs. 15%), and issue statements in support of Ukraine (61% vs. 11%).

(YouGov UK)

March 14, 2022

War In Ukraine Leads To Spiking Stress, Fear, And Sadness Among Britons

A third of Britons (36%) say they’ve been sad in the last seven days, up 5pts from 31% on 24^th February, and 12pts compared to 10^th February. This latest datapoint is higher than the beginning of the initial COVID-19 lockdown (March 2020), when sadness reached a peak of 33%.Another fifth report feeling scared in the last week (23%), a leap of 13pts versus 17^th February – and the highest since the previous peak of 36% in mid-March 2020. This rise has been steepest among the oldest Britons – many of whom will no doubt be drawing parallels between recent events and the nuclear tensions of the 60s. The number of those 65 and over feeling scared rose 16pts from 6% in mid-February to 22% now.

(YouGov UK)

March 14, 2022

Confidence In The Police Sinks In Two Years

In recent months, the proportion of Britons saying the police are doing a good job has declined. Two years ago, in February 2020, seven in 10 Britons said they thought the police were doing well. Now barely half of the public (53%) do so, while the percentage saying that the police are doing a bad job has more than doubled from 15% to 37%.Conservative voters are more likely to think the police are doing a good job (61%) than Labour voters (44%). The collapse of approval in the police has been particularly acute among Labour voters, falling 31pts from 75% in February 2020.

(YouGov UK)

March 15, 2022

8 In 10 Britons Are Concerned About The UK's Dependence On Foreign Countries For Its Energy Supply

New research from Ipsos shows more than 8 in 10 (83%) Britons are concerned about how dependent the UK is on energy imports from other countries. A similar proportion (82%) are concerned about the chance that energy supplies to this country to be interrupted and this affects people’s home energy. Looking forward three quarters (76%) think the chances of interruptions to the UK’s energy supplies will get worse over the next 6 months, and that this will affect energy supplies to homes.

(Ipsos MORI)

15 March 2022

7 In 10 Britons Support Assisted Dying In Latest Ipsos Poll

On the day the House of Lords considers an assisted dying amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, a new online Ipsos poll has found that 7 in 10 Britons aged 16-75 think it should be legal for doctors to prescribe life ending medication for a patient to take themselves (69%) as well as doctors being able to administer life ending medication to a patient (68%).Conditions under which patients would be able to request this course of action were shown to survey respondents: the patient must be 18 or over and have made a voluntary decision to end their life (signed in front of witnesses) with time to consider other options, two doctors must agree the patient is of sound mind, terminally ill and believed to have six months or less to live, and the High Court confirms it is satisfied these conditions have been met.

(Ipsos MORI)

16 March 2022

85% Of Britons Say They Have Heard Of The Ukrainian Leader

Now new YouGov data shows that two thirds of Britons (67%) have a favourable opinion of Zelenskyy, including 43% who have a “very” favourable view. Only 7% have a negative view. Another 15% say they have never heard of the Ukrainian president, meaning that of the people who have heard of him, 79% have a favourable view. By contrast, Russian president Vladimir Putin is near-universally reviled. Fully 92% of Britons have an unfavourable view of him, including 87% with a “very unfavourable” view. Just 2% say they have a favourable view.

(YouGov UK)

March 17, 2022

Three In Four (76%) Expect The Economy To Get Worse Over The Next Twelve Months

76% think economy will get worse in the next 12 months. This matches the worst ever levels in 44 years of tracking (in 2008 and 1980). Boris Johnson’s leader ratings recover to pre partygate levels, but 6 in 10 still dissatisfied. Labour retains 4 point lead (down from 9 points in January). Economic optimism is weaker than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 69% expected the economy to worsen over the next year in March 2020. It is also weaker than October 1992 when it stood at 60%. The only times Ipsos has recorded similar levels of economic pessimism are January 1980 (74%) and July 2008 (75%).

(Ipsos MORI)

18 March 2022

(France)

Two Out Of Three French People Have Already Practiced Skiing

If the mountain seems to be a key destination for the French in winter, more than one in two (53%) say they never go there. The destination is therefore not popular with a majority of French people, only 1 in 3 (34%) say they go there from time to time, and it is a tradition for only 13%, who say they go there every year. Young people (22% of 16-24 year olds) and Parisians (19%) are the most likely to go to the mountains in winter. But even if 34% of French people occasionally go to the mountains in winter, it is not always to go skiing.

(Ipsos France)

March 1, 2022

91% Of French People Have A Good Opinion Of Farmers

In the midst of a health crisis, farmers take 4th place among the favorite professions of the French (cited by 32% of those interviewed) , behind firefighters (60%), nurses (50%) and doctors (47%) but far ahead of police officers and teachers (22%) or even pharmacists (13%). Bankers bring up the rear of this ranking (2%).9 out of 10 French people have a good opinion of farmers (91%). For their part, farmers are much less convinced that the French like them (only 59% are aware of this).

(Ipsos France)

March 4, 2022

76% Of French People Claim To Know The Difference Between Criminal Majority And Criminal Responsibility

Criminal responsibility is the age at which a minor can be found guilty of an offence. When the criminal majority is reached, the minor no longer benefits from a reduction in sentence. 76% of French people claim to know the difference between criminal majority and criminal responsibility, a figure drawn up by the inhabitants of the Paris region (82%). 27% of French people even say they know exactly the difference.

(YouGov France)

March 8, 2022

61% Of French People Have Never Heard Of The Concept Of Metaverse

On October 28, Mark Zuckerberg announced the change of identity of his company: Facebook then became Meta. This new name marks the bet of the Californian giant to embark on a huge metaverse project, with nearly 10 billion dollars allocated in 2021. But behind the "hype" aroused by this project supposed to tip the world into an ever more digitized future, what about the perception of the French? Are they familiar with the concept of metaverse and what activities in their daily life are they really ready to digitize?

(YouGov France)

March 8, 2022

37% Of French Women Consider That Prioritizing Their Family Life Is A Threat To Their Career

Having to choose between professional life and family responsibilities and facing discrimination at work when you are a woman are also a problem for 14% of French people , as are all the tasks they have to perform without pay. From this point of view, France is well behind the world average: 32% of French people (34% of men and 30% of women) say they think that men and women are treated on the same level in their place work compared to 44% of those interviewed worldwide.

(Ipsos France)

March 9, 2022

Despite An Increasing Amount Of Time Spent On Screens, Young People Still Read As Much

The 2022 edition of Junior Connect' reveals that 13-19 year olds have an average of 2.9 personal screens. A figure that increases with age, since it is 1.6 among 7 to 12 year olds. In detail, how is this distributed? The smartphone remains the preferred personal device for teenagers; 89% of 13-19 year olds have one, i.e. 12 points more than in 2016. This increase is also very strong among 7-12 year olds (35% equipped in 2021). 13-19 year olds have an average of 3 personal screens, compared to 1.6 on average for 7-12 year olds. The smartphone is the fetish terminal of teenagers (90% of equipment).

(Ipsos France)

March 18, 2022

(Germany)

The Majority Of Germans Do Not Know The Minimum Holding Period When Buying E-Cars

In order to achieve the climate goals that have been set and the desired turnaround in traffic, switching to an electric car must also be financially attractive for consumers. Therefore, the German state is currently promoting the purchase of an e-car with a bonus of up to 9,000 euros, which is paid out after registration. This means that the subsidy must be repaid by the consumer if the vehicle is sold again before six months have elapsed. Only slightly more than every fourth German is aware of this fact (27 percent), men more often than women (35 percent vs. 19 percent). However, 60 percent of all respondents were not aware of this fact before the survey.

(YouGov Germany)

March 15, 2022

Energy Supply Is The Most Important Issue For Germans, Ahead Of Environmental Protection

In Germany, the increased prices for fuel, heating, etc. are currently on everyone's lips. The federal government wants to relieve consumers of the sharp rise in costs with packages of measures. Currently, 17 percent of German citizens who are entitled to vote say that the energy supply (e.g. electricity, gas) is the most important issue that politicians in Germany should concern themselves with. This value has risen significantly in recent weeks: in mid-December, only 3 percent made this statement. The energy supply has thus currently overtaken environmental and climate protection, which has been the most important issue for Germans since February 2021 that politicians should concern themselves with.

(YouGov Germany)

March 16, 2022

NORTH AMERICA

(USA)

Most In The U S Say Young Adults Today Face More Challenges Than Their Parents’ Generation In Some Key Areas

About seven-in-ten Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future (72%), paying for college (71%) and buying a home (70%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. These findings come at a time when younger Americans are more likely than previous generations to have taken on student debt with tuition costs steadily rising, and to face an affordable housing crisis as rent and housing prices have grown markedly faster than incomes in the last decade.

(PEW)

FEBRUARY 28, 2022

The Changing Political Geography Of Covid-19 Over The Last Two Years

A new Pew Research Center analysis of official reports of COVID-19-related deaths across the country, based on mortality data collected by The New York Times, shows how the dynamics of the pandemic have shifted over the past two years. By the spring and summer of 2021, the nationwide death rate had slowed significantly, and vaccines were widely available to all adults who wanted them. But starting at the end of the summer, the fourth and fifth waves (marked by new variants of the virus, delta and then omicron) came in quick succession and claimed more than 300,000 lives.

(PEW)

MARCH 03, 2022

With Legislative Redistricting At A Crucial Stage, Most Americans Don’t Feel Strongly About It

The once-a-decade process of legislative redistricting is a topic of intense interest for both parties and scores of lawmakers whose jobs may be riding on the outcome. But when asked their view of how redistricting is being handled in their state, only a small share of Americans have heard a lot about it and a majority are not sure how they feel. Just 14% of U.S. adults say they have heard a lot about the redistricting process in their state, according to a mid-January Pew Research Center survey. Overall, more than eight-in-ten Americans (85%) say they have heard a little or nothing at all about legislative redistricting in their state.

(PEW)

MARCH 4, 2022

Three-Quarters Of Americans Support The United States Participating In International Efforts To Help Reduce The Effects Of Climate Change

Three-quarters of Americans support the United States participating in international efforts to help reduce the effects of climate change, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Nearly all Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (92%) support a U.S. role in international efforts to reduce climate change impacts, as do 53% of Republicans and GOP leaners. Within the Republican Party, 57% of conservative Republicans oppose U.S. participation in international efforts while 42% support it. Most moderate or liberal Republicans favor U.S. involvement (75%).

(PEW)
MARCH 9, 2022

Rising Share Of Americans See Women Raising Children On Their Own, Cohabitation As Bad For Society

(PEW)
MARCH 11, 2022

Black Catholics In America

Black Catholics are a minority in the United States in numerous ways. They comprise a small share of Black adults (6%) and an even smaller share of Catholic adults (4%). Still, there are approximately 3 million Black Catholics in the U.S., and the group received media attention after Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., became the first Black American cardinal in 2020.

(PEW)
MARCH 15, 2022

35% Public Favor U S Military Action Even If It Risks Nuclear Conflict With Russia

Three weeks into Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, nearly half of Americans (47%) approve of the Biden administration’s handling of the Russian invasion, while about four-in-ten (39%) disapprove; 13% say they are not sure. Roughly a third of Americans (32%) say that the United States is providing about the right amount of support to Ukraine as it fights to hold off the Russian invasion. A larger share – 42% – say the U.S. should be providing more support to Ukraine, while just 7% say it is providing too much support. About one-in-five (19%) say they are not sure.

(PEW)
MARCH 15, 2022

46% Of U S Adults Think Use Of Facial Recognition Technology By Police Would Be A Good Idea For Society

This survey looks at a broad arc of scientific and technological developments – some in use now, some still emerging. It concentrates on public views about six developments that are widely discussed among futurists, ethicists and policy advocates. Three are part of the burgeoning array of AI applications: the use of facial recognition technology by police, the use of algorithms by social media companies to find false information on their sites and the development of driverless passenger vehicles. 46% of U.S. adults think this would be a good idea for society, while 27% think this would be a bad idea and another 27% are unsure.

(PEW)

MARCH 17, 2022

(Canada)

Majority (55%) Disagrees That Canada Cannot Afford To Help Ukraine, But Fewer Than Half (47%) Are Willing To Pay More For Gas Because Of Sanctions Against Russia

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, Canadians support increasing sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine, but stop short of supporting direct military involvement of Canadian troops against Russia. As gas prices across the country catapult to roughly $2 per litre, Canadians are split on whether they’re personally willing to pay the costs associated with the tough sanctions against Russia. While half of Canadians (48%) believe that Canada’s level of support to Ukraine thus far has been about right, on balance the scales tip towards doing more to help: 39% believe Canada has not done enough to support Ukraine and needs to do more.

(Ipsos Canada)

11 March 2022

Meeting Energy Needs: More Than Half Of Quebecers (52%) Agree To Developing Own Oil Resources Instead Of Importing All Its Oil

The recent geopolitical instability caused by the war in Ukraine has underlined the importance of rethinking how the global economy meets its energy needs. In this context, a new Ipsos survey on behalf of the Montreal Economic Institute shows that more than 52% of Quebecers think their province should develop its own oil resources instead of importing all the oil that is consumed – this represents a 9-point increase compared to last year. Inversely, almost one in three Quebecers (28%) thinks 100% of the oil consumed should be imported and a fifth (20%) are undecided.

(Ipsos Canada)

17 March 2022

AUSTRALIA

(Australia)

Mobile Banking Apps And The Internet Are More Satisfying For Customers Than Branch Visits Or Phone Banking

As of December 2021, CBA was the strongest performer of the big four with the highest customer satisfaction across three of the service channels including mobile banking (90.8%), internet banking (87.8%) and branch banking (83.5%). The CBA had customer satisfaction of 76.3% for phone banking. There was little to split their three competitors with ANZ coming in second overall with 89.2% (mobile), 86.6% (internet), 83.2% (branch) and 76.6% (phone). Westpac followed with 87.9% (mobile), 86.1% (internet), 82.1% (branch) and the highest of the big four for phone banking (79.4%). NAB rounded out the big four with 89.8% (mobile), 86.5% (internet), 81.5% (branch) and 77.3% (phone).

(Roy Morgan)

February 28 2022

Australian Unemployment Up To 8.5% In February As Omicron Variant Slowly Recedes Around Australia And Restrictions Ease

The moves in the employment market led to a rise in Australian unemployment with 1.23 million Australians (8.5% of the workforce) unemployed in February, up 26,000 on January. The increased unemployment was driven entirely by an increase in part-time unemployment (up 26,000) as summer jobs came to an end while full-time unemployment was virtually unchanged. In better news there was a significant drop in Australian under-employment with 1.13 million Australians (7.8% of the workforce) now under-employed, down 96,000 (down 0.6% points) on January.

(Roy Morgan)

March 07 2022

Inflation Expectations Up 0.2% Points To 5.1% In February; Highest For Nearly Eight Years Since June 2014

Inflation Expectations are now 0.4% points above the long-term average of 4.7% and a large 1.4% points higher than a year ago in February 2021 (3.7%). A look at Inflation Expectations by home ownership status in February 2022 shows renters have clearly the highest Inflation Expectations at 5.9%, up a large 2.3% points since the low point of August 2020. People who are currently paying off their homes have the lowest Inflation Expectations at only 4.5% (up 1.5% points since August 2020) while those who own their own home now have Inflation Expectations of 4.8% (up 1.7% points).

(Roy Morgan)

March 15 2022

(New Zealand)

2.9 Million New Zealanders Read Newspapers And Nearly 1.8 Million Read Magazines In 2021

2.9 million, or 69.5%, of New Zealanders aged 14+ now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, almost 1.8 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (42.5%) read magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app. These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,514 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2021.

(Roy Morgan)

March 16 2022

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

Every Third Person Has Shopped Via Social Media In The Nordic Countries, Survey In 4 Countries

33% of the population in the Nordic countries have tried social shopping, and 22% shop regularly via social media. 64% of the population in the Nordic countries have not tried social shopping; however, 24% can imagine doing so. In Norway, we see the highest proportion of consumers who have not shopped via social media and can not imagine it (45%). Denmark has the second largest proportion of consumers who do not have or want to shop via social media (41%). In Sweden and Finland, this second is somewhat lower (32%).

(YouGov Denmark)

March 3, 2022

Source: https://yougov.dk/news/2022/03/03/hver-tredje-har-shoppet-sociale-medier-i-norden/

A Global Country Average Of 55% Disagree With The Idea That Gender Inequality Doesn’t Really Exist, Result Of 30-Country Survey

One in seven (15%) Britons think gender inequality doesn’t really exist, with men (19%) more likely than women (11%) to hold this view, according to a major survey conducted ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. A global country average of 55% disagree with the idea that gender inequality doesn’t really exist. Men (21%) are more likely to agree that this is the case than women (14%), and in several countries, the proportion of men who agree is double that for women – including Australia (30% vs 14%), Romania (27% vs 13%) and Russia (30% vs 12%).

(Ipsos MORI)

4 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/inequality-between-women-and-men-doesnt-really-exist-say-one-seven-britons

One In Three Men Says Feminism Does More Harm Than Good; A Study In 30 Countries

Only two in 10 deny that there is gender inequality, but public opinion is split on the benefits of feminism. Concerns about online abuse remain, with one in 10 men saying it's acceptable to send explicit images without the other party's request. Four out of 10 people say they've been abused or exposed to sexist content online, but one in three say women overreact. The majority of people globally do not agree that gender inequality really does not exist. (55%).

(Ipsos Turkey)

4 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/one-three-men-believe-feminism-does-more-harm-good

March 8: Women's Rights Around The World, Survey In 13 Countries

Data from the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project shows that while some countries are calling for changes abroad, most people think there is more to be done to advance women's rights in their countries. Lower percentages of people in Germany (48%), Britain (48%), Denmark (46%) and the United States (43%) think their countries have not gone far enough in promoting women's rights. About three in ten (between 34% and 29%) in each of these nations say that "women's rights have reached the point where they should be"

(YouGov Italy)

March 7, 2022

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/03/07/8-marzo-i-diritti-delle-donne-nel-mondo/

Equal Opportunities And Rights: A Global Picture From 39 Countries

WIN International, the world’s leading association in market research and polling has published the Annual WIN World Survey – WWS 2021 – exploring the views and beliefs of 33236 individuals among citizens from 39 countries across the globe. On International Women’s Day, WIN releases the latest results of the survey about gender equality, violence and sexual harassment, to understand what are, if any, the improvements around the world in terms of equal opportunities and rights.

(WIN)

8 Mar 2022

Source: https://winmr.com/equal-opportunities-and-rights-a-global-picture/

Gap Between Men And Women In Attitudes On Gender Issues In A Survey In 34 Countries

In 14 countries, including Brazil and Poland, roughly the same shares of men and women say equal rights for women are very important, and in an additional seven countries, gender gaps on this question are 10 percentage points or less. In India, women (75%) are only modestly more likely than men (70%) to support equal rights for both genders.

(PEW)

MARCH 15, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/15/in-india-and-many-other-countries-there-is-little-gap-between-men-and-women-in-attitudes-on-gender-issues/

NATO: Has Europeans' Perception Changed Since The Invasion Of Ukraine, Survey In 7 Countries

In Britain, support for NATO membership rose from 59% in March 2019 to 68% in March 2022*, and in Germany from 54% to 64%. Note: this question used a five-point scale, including a "neither for nor against" option. In France, the number of people in favor of the country's presence in NATO rose by 8 points (from 39% to 47%) , while the opposition remained stable (15-16%).In Sweden, where NATO membership has long been debated but remains outside the alliance for the time being, support for membership fell from 36% in 2019 to 44% in early March. At the same time, the opposition fell from 27% to 22%.

(YouGov France)

March 16, 2022

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2022/03/16/OTAN-evolution-perception-des-europeens/

ASIA

732-734-43-01/Polls

40% Of Municipalities Not Gearing Up To Handle Calamity; Japan Earthquake

The central government is pushing local authorities to develop reconstruction strategies before disaster strikes, citing the experience of towns, cities and villages in northeastern Japan devastated by the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami 11 years ago.

At that time, town development plans were compiled only after the event, which led to delays in reconstructing affected areas and helping residents to get back on their feet due to a lack of data on public land and land registry surveys.

The government is calling on municipalities to develop reconstruction strategies while they continue to step up disaster preparedness efforts.

A 2017 revision to the government’s basic disaster preparedness plan calls on municipalities to actively prepare for recovery from disasters.

The following year, the government compiled guidelines on five tasks municipalities need to tackle: deciding which division will be responsible for rebuilding disaster-hit areas; establishing procedures for drafting reconstruction plans; training officials; gathering and analyzing basic data necessary for reconstruction; and setting goals and creating plans for town development based on estimates of disaster damage and challenges facing municipalities.

In a survey of 1,788 municipalities conducted by the ministry last year, only about 62 percent said they had started at least one of the five tasks. In particular, only 6 to 7 percent said they have worked on training officials, collecting the necessary basic data or setting town development goals.

In a separate ministry survey, some municipalities said they had no time to spare on following the guidelines due to other pressing tasks, while others said they have no idea what they are supposed to do.

The government will start drafting new guidelines from April to urge municipalities to have reconstruction strategies in place. It will also send experts to municipalities upon request.

Under the new guidelines, the government will give specific examples of what preparations municipalities should make based on, among other things, whether they are urban or regional areas or coastal regions prone to tsunami.

(Asahi Shimbun)

March 2, 2022

Source: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14561820

732-734-43-02/Polls

South Koreans Vote For President In Tight, Bitter Election

SEOUL--South Koreans were voting for a new president Wednesday, with an outspoken liberal ruling party candidate and a conservative former prosecutor considered the favorites in a tight race that has aggravated domestic divisions.

Pre-election surveys showed liberal Lee Jae-myung, a former governor of South Korea’s most populous Gyeonggi province, and his main conservative challenger, ex-prosecutor general Yoon Suk Yeol, with neck-and-neck support, way ahead of 10 other contenders. The winner will take office in May and serve a single five-year term as leader of the world’s 10th-largest economy.

Lee and Yoon conducted one of the most bitter political campaigns in recent memory. Both recently agreed that if they won they would not conduct politically motivated investigations against the other, but many believe the losing candidate could still face criminal probes over some of the scandals they’re been implicated in.

Critics say neither candidate has presented a clear strategy on how they would ease the threat from North Korea and its nuclear weapons. They also say voters are skeptical about how both would handle international relations amid the U.S.-China rivalry and how they would address widening economic inequality and runaway housing prices.

“Despite the significance of this year’s election, the race has centered too much on negative campaigning,” said Jang Seung-Jin, a professor at Seoul’s Kookmin University, adding that neither leading candidate laid out a convincing blueprint on how they would lead South Korea.

The election comes as South Korea has been grappling with an omicron-driven COVID-19 surge. On Wednesday, South Korea’s health authorities reported 342,446 new virus cases, another record high.

After the voting began at 6 a.m., masks-wearing voters waited in long lines at some polling stations before putting on vinyl gloves or using hand sanitizers to cast ballots. People infected with the coronavirus were to vote after regular voting ends Wednesday evening.

About 44 million South Koreans aged 18 or order are eligible to vote, out of the country’s 52 million people. About 16 million cast ballots during early voting last week. About 3 1/2 hours after Wednesday’s voting began, the turnout stood at 8.2 %, according to the website of the National Election Commission.

Ahead of the vote, Jeong Eun-yeong, a 48-year-old Seoul resident, said she was agonizing over which candidate is “the lesser of two evils.”

“Nobody around me seems happy about voting” for either Lee or Yoon, she said. “We need a leader who would be really devoted to improving the lives of working-class citizens.”

While both Lee and Yoon share some similar economic and welfare policies, they’ve clashed over North Korea and other foreign policy issues.

Lee, who has often expressed nationalistic views, calls for exemptions to U.N. sanctions so that dormant inter-Korean economic projects can be revived, and hopes to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington over the North Korean nuclear crisis. Yoon, for his part, says he would sternly deal with North Korean provocations and seek to boost trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo.

On confrontation between Washington, Seoul’s top military ally, and Beijing, its biggest trading partner, Lee says picking a side would pose a greater security threat to South Korea. Yoon wants to place a priority on an enhanced alliance with the United States.

After North Korea’s latest reported ballistic missile launch Saturday, Yoon accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of trying to influence the results of the South Korean election in favor of Lee.

“I would (teach) him some manners and make him come to his senses completely,” Yoon told a rally near Seoul.

Lee wrote on Facebook that he would push for a diplomatic solution to North Korean nuclear tensions but won’t tolerate any act that would raise animosity.

South Korea’s constitution limits a president to a single five-year term, so Lee’s party colleague, President Moon Jae-in, cannot seek a reelection. Moon came to power in 2017 after conservative President Park Geun-hye was impeached and ousted from office over a huge corruption scandal.

With conservatives initially in shambles after Park’s fall, Moon’s approval rating at one point hit 83% as he pushed hard to achieve reconciliation with North Korea and delve into alleged corruption by past conservative leaders. He eventually faced strong backlash as talks on North Korea’s nuclear program faltered and his anti-corruption drive raised questions of fairness.

Yoon had been Moon’s prosecutor general but resigned and joined the opposition last year following infighting over probes of Moon’s allies. Yoon said those investigations were objective and principled, but Moon’s supporters said he was trying to thwart Moon’s prosecution reforms and elevate his own political standing.

Yoon’s critics have also attacked him over a lack of experience in party politics, foreign policy and other key state affairs. Yoon has responded he would let experienced officials handle state affairs that require expertise.

Lee, a former human rights lawyer who entered local politics in 2005, has established an image as a tough-speaking, anti-elitist who can get things done and fix establishment politics. But his opponents call him a dangerous populist relying on divisions and demonizing opponents.

Yoon has launched a political offensive on Lee over allegations that Lee is a key figure in a corrupt land development project launched in the city of Seongnam when he was mayor there. Lee has tried to link Yoon to that scandal. Both of their wives have offered public apologies over separate scandals.

Whoever wins will likely struggle to bridge conservative-liberal divisions, some experts say.

“Both candidates have failed to create their own, distinctive images because they became absorbed in party allegiances amid partisan animosity, so the race was defined by negative campaigning,” said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul’s Myongji University. “Whoever wins will be tasked with an important but difficult task of healing the divisions.”

(Asahi Shimbun)

March 9, 2022

Source: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14567802

732-734-43-03/Polls

7 Out Of 10 Women Cannot Participate In Working Life Without Getting Permission From Their Husbands

An important problem faced by women is their inability to be economically independent.

Impunity for Violence Against Women The Most Important Challenge for 84% of Women

In addition to impunity for violence against women, family pressure is another important problem faced by women. Apart from these two issues, women's domestic responsibilities and the fact that these responsibilities are not shared equally with their husbands are other issues that women say they have difficulty with. Although the rate of answers given by men to these issues is lower, 7 out of 10 men still think that violence against women goes unpunished.

85% of the Society State that Lack of Sufficient Laws and Implementation of Existing Laws Are the Most Important Obstacles to Ensuring Gender Equality in Turkey

In addition to the inadequacy and non-implementation of the laws, cultural prejudices are another important obstacle to the lack of equality between women and men. Apart from these two main issues, the fact that both the politicians and the media do not pay enough attention to this issue is stated by 80% of the society as another important obstacle in this regard.

The Proportion of Those Who Think Men and Women Are Treated Equally in Turkey Only 22%

While 22% of the society think that men and women are treated equally, 55% think that they are not treated equally. The opinions of men and women are similar in this regard. Half of the society thinks that men and women are not treated equally, both within the family and at work. The rate of those who think that there are laws to protect the equality of women and men is only 31%.

Ipsos, Social Research and Qualitative Research Service Units Leader, Executive Board Member Ece Ertürk made the following evaluations about the data; Although we feel its visibility and priority in the agenda more in certain periods, gender inequality (not only in Turkey but also in the world) is a social problem that both women and men agree with the negative aspects of the issue.

We see that the perception that women and men are not treated equally in society in Turkey is an accepted reality regardless of gender. 70% of the society thinks that there are no laws to protect gender equality. Although there is a common opinion about gender inequality in society and business life, men are more positive than women in terms of equality within the family. While impunity for violence against women and family pressure stand out as the most fundamental social problems, the unequal distribution of domestic and child-related responsibilities, which we felt the reflections of during the pandemic period, are other problems that should be taken into account. Economic independence and equal access to resources that can lead women to economic independence, as one of the issues that affect women's stance both in society and in the family, are also among the social issues that need attention and improvement. Today, 70% of women still cannot participate in working life without the permission of their families and spouses.

Again, a similar number of women do not have economic freedoms, so they cannot be the decision maker in matters both inside and outside the home. The existence and correct implementation of the necessary laws for a more egalitarian and inclusive social order; At the same time, the prioritization and ownership of the gender issue by both politicians and the media in a more concrete and continuous manner, which is independent of the agenda, seems to be the first action that will meet the social expectation on this issue and provide improvement.

(Ipsos Turkey)

7 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/10-kadindan-7si-esinden-izin-almadan-calisma-hayatina-katilamiyor

732-734-43-04/Polls

67% Of Turkish People Express That They Will Continue To Wear Masks No Matter What Happens Indoors

And 67% of individuals say that they already wear masks in closed places and will continue to wear them. However, the rate of those who do not wear masks or who say they will no longer wear masks is not low. 1 out of every 4 people states that they will not wear a mask in such places. Only 1/3 of the society thinks that the HEPP code will not be requested both when entering closed areas and for travels such as buses and planes, only 1/3 of the society is the right decision.

The Most Concern for Individuals Is That The PCR Test Is Not Required During Travel By Airplane. The Proportion of Those Who Think This Decision Is Right Only 27%

The Anxiety of Individuals Also Decreases.

Although 72% of the society is still worried about catching the coronavirus, this rate was 82% of those who stated that they were worried a month ago. It is seen that there is a 10-point decrease in the sense of anxiety within a month. The percentage of those who say they are not worried has increased from 13% to 21%.

Even if they are caught with this virus, the belief that it will be easily overcome is also increasing.

Although 3 out of 10 people still think that they will get through this virus even if they get it, the increase in the number of people who think that they will get over it easily is quite remarkable. A month ago, the rate of those who thought that they would get over this virus when they were caught was 43%, but today, 54% of individuals believe that they will get over it easily.

Omicron Variant Considered Less Dangerous Than Other Variants

A month ago, half of the population thought that the Omicron variant was as dangerous as the previous variants, but today the perception of danger created by this variant has declined considerably. Today, the rate of those who think that this variant is also dangerous is 33%. And the rate of those who think it is not dangerous rises to 49%.

Half of the Society Says We Have Left the Hard Days Behind

Parallel to the fact that the Omicron variant is found to be less dangerous, the rate of those who think that the difficult days are behind, is 54%. This rate was 35% exactly one month ago.

Sidar Gedik, CEO of Ipsos Turkey, made the following evaluations about the data; We have always witnessed controversial processes from the beginning of the epidemic. Let's remember, the World Health Organization said that masks should not be worn in the first days of the epidemic, then recommended the opposite. The vaccine development process led to separate discussions, and the production methods of the developed vaccines created different differences of opinion. The fronts of support for, distrust, and anti-vaccine are still controversial. With or without restrictions, their content has always been on the agenda. There were also long discussions on the economic support packages for the epidemic. In the past month or two, the questions of whether the end of the epidemic is in sight or do we still have a way to go have been on the agenda.

While there was no vaccine in 2020, the number of cases in the thousands caused us to wash packaged foods with soap, and towards the end of 2021, even the number of cases expressed in hundreds of thousands -with the convenience of vaccines- did not cause much panic. This state of relaxation is getting stronger. Even in just 1 month, we observe great relief. The proportion of people who think that Omicron is as dangerous as the old variants has dropped from almost 50% a month ago to one-third now. Now, more than half of the citizens believe that even if they get sick, they will get over it easily. In the last month, there has been a 10% decrease in the rate of those who are worried that they or a family member will get the disease.

The relaxation of restrictions accelerated the relief. The rate of those who think that we have left the difficult days behind in the epidemic was 35% at the beginning of February, this rate remained at approximately this level until the end of February. As of March 7, it rose to 54%. Now, more than half of the society thinks that the next process will be an easier one. A month ago, the rate of those who believed that the epidemic would end by the end of this year was 27%, last week this rate increased to 41%. Those who, for the first time, point out after 2022 in response to this question, are in the minority.

As I mentioned, we are experiencing faster relief with the relaxation of restrictions. It is a fact that society needs this relief materially and morally. Citizens strongly support the abolition of the mask requirement in the open air, and six out of ten people agree with this decision. However, when it comes to the use of masks in closed areas, the abolition of the HES code application in public transport-shopping centers, the requirement for PCR negative test results on plane trips, the table is reversed. More than half of the citizens do not support the relaxation decisions on these issues.

There are differences of opinion among citizens about the use of masks in closed areas. While two out of three people state that they will continue to use masks indoors, the rest, except for a small group of people who have no idea about this, state that they will not wear masks indoors. The other day, I witnessed a small quarrel between two people in the supermarket about the use of masks, both people were very confident, but the principles regarding the use of masks in a closed environment are quite vague and the situations I witnessed seem to happen frequently.

(Ipsos Turkey)

15 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/cogunluk-kapali-alanlarda-maske-takmaya-devam-edecegim-diyor

732-734-43-05/Polls

More Than Half (52%) Of Celebrity-Influenced Buyers Prefer Making Purchases Over The Web Than In Physical Stores In Singapore

They’re all popular celebrities in Singapore and have served as brand ambassadors for various e-commerce platforms – including Shopee, Lazada and Qoo10.

But are endorsements by popular media personalities useful in encouraging Singapore consumers to online shop more?

Should e-commerce brands rope in celebrities to provide endorsements?

How should e-commerce brands target celebrity-influenced buyers?

Additionally, as of March 2022, one in two celebrity-influenced buyers (50%) say that social media advertisements are better at getting their engagement compared to regular webpage advertisements. In contrast, less than one in three consumers (30%) in Singapore as a whole say they are more likely to engage with ads on social media platforms than those on regular websites.

Further, celebrity-influenced buyers are more likely to agree that receiving electronic and printed marketing mailers from brands can influence their purchasing decisions. In the case of marketing emails, half of celebrity-influenced buyers (50%) say these can influence what they buy, compared to less than one third of Singapore consumers (31%) in general.

In the case of printed mailers, about two in five celebrity-influenced buyers (41%) say these can influence what they buy, compared to over one in five consumers (23%) in Singapore as a whole.

(YouGov Singapore)
March 15, 2022

Source: https://sg.yougov.com/en-sg/news/2022/03/15/celebrity-endorsements-online-shopping-impact-poll/

732-734-43-06/Polls

Singaporeans would like to sleep for at least seven hours but only a quarter have that routine

Singaporeans have been cited as being amongst the most sleep deprived globally. While the National Sleep Foundation recommends at least seven hours of sleep each night, YouGov’s latest survey reveals only one in four people in Singapore (27%) have an ideal sleep cycle (of 7 hours or more).

It is most common for Singaporeans to get six to seven hours of sleep a night (39%), followed by four to six hours (32%). Residents also generally sleep less than they would like – a substantial eight in ten (80%), wish they had seven or more hours of sleep on the daily, but only a quarter (27%) actually do.

Among these sleep-deprived adults, six in ten snooze their wake-up alarms in the morning (59%). Gen Zs and Millennials are significantly more likely to hit the snooze button (76% for Gen Zs, 74% for Millennials), while Baby Boomers are most likely to either not snooze their alarms (43%) or not have any alarms at all (23%), likely due to many in this group being retired.

As for how good or bad these hours of sleep are, fewer than one-fifth of all respondents say they sleep through the night (17%), as compared to one-quarter (23%) who said the same when a similar study was run by YouGov in 2018, which could point to a declining sleep quality. Those who wake up in the middle of the night are most likely to stir between one and three times (72%).

(YouGov Singapore)
March 18, 2022

Source: https://sg.yougov.com/en-sg/news/2022/03/18/singaporeans-would-sleep-least-seven-hours-only-qu/

MENA

732-734-43-07/Polls

A Majority Of KSA Residents Are Aware Of Cryptocurrencies, But Only A Few Invest In Them

Digitization has not just revolutionised banking but also facilitated the growth of digital currencies. Over the last few years, the cryptocurrency market has rapidly expanded. Data shows that in Saudi Arabia, cryptocurrency has as an asset class has generated a fair amount of awareness, and more than three-quarters of residents (77%) claim to be aware of it.

While awareness is high, only 18% currently trade in cryptocurrencies. Young adults between 25-34 years are more likely to say they are dealing in cryptocurrencies (at 25%), while older adults aged 45+ seem hesitant and don’t intend to deal with it (37%).

Popularity of cryptocurrencies is also higher among high-income households (earning SAR 30,000+), and they are more likely than others to trade in this asset class.

Despite the small number of active crypto investors in the country, the future of this digital asset looks promising as more than a third (34%) of surveyed respondents who are aware about cryptocurrencies said they intend to invest in them. The idea of investing in crypto is more appealing to men than women (36% vs 30%).

A quarter (25%) of those aware, do not intend to invest in cryptocurrency and almost as many (23%) are simply unaware of it.

Currently, the key motivation for most KSA residents who either invest or plan to invest in digital currencies is the easy accessibility of virtual coins for trading (49%).

High returns compared to other investments (43%) comes as the second biggest motivator, and this aspect has a higher appeal among 45+ adults as compared to the rest.

Many invest in crypto to diversify their portfolio (38%), because they consider this mode secure (27%), transparent (15%) or because they think it is a long-term investment option (20%). Few invest based on recommendations from friends and family (13%).

Crypto as a means of diversifying investment portfolio is considered to be more of a stimulating reason for high-income individuals earning 30,000+, while recommendations from friends and family is more important to those earning SAR 2000 to 15000 than others.

Although people are motivated to invest in cryptos, there are many who deter from investing in this asset. Almost two in five (37%) KSA residents who do not plan to invest in cryptocurrencies consider the volatility and instability of the virtual currency market as the key factor discouraging them from investing.

No past investment experience (36%) and lack of knowledge (31%) are also seen as top deterrents. Women are more likely than men to cite these reasons for not investing.

Religion beliefs (15%) and cybersecurity threats (13%) are some other reasons for not wanting to invest in them.

(YouGov MENA)
February 28, 2022

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2022/02/28/majority-ksa-residents-are-aware-cryptocurrencies-/

AFRICA

732-734-43-08/Polls

Over 3 In 10 Nigerians Have Experienced Bullying In Secondary School

Reports of bullying of students across secondary schools in Nigeria is now becoming the norm. Some of the victims suffer physical and mental trauma, while others lose their lives in the process. Very recently, 12-year-old, Sylvester Oromoni, a Junior Secondary School 2 (JSS2) student of Dowen College, in the Lekki axis of Lagos State, tragically died under controversial circumstances leading to a public outcry. The late Dowen student was reportedly said to have been bullied by the boys in his school who were quite older than him.[1]

Insights from the poll results further revealed that 82 percent of adult Nigerians interviewed believe that bullying in secondary schools in the country is prevalent. However, it is worrisome that out of the (34 percent) who have been bullied before, (70 percent) did not report the incident while (27 percent) said they reported the incident. Also, of the (27 percent) who mentioned that they reported, (41 percent) of them claimed that nothing was done to the perpetrators after they were reported. Opinions on causes of bullying revealed cultism as the main cause of bullying in secondary schools as stated by (27 percent) of the respondents interviewed. While this is followed by those who attributed it to poor upbring (19 percent), 17 percent ascribed it to lack of morals and fear of God.

With regards to the solution to this menace, 31 percent of the respondents recommended that CCTV cameras should be installed to monitor activities in secondary schools. Also, 14 percent advocated for a policy on bullying given that there are no specific anti-bullying laws and policies implemented in secondary schools. Given the current situation, there is an urgent need for extensive implementation of legislations that will define prohibited bullying behaviours, reporting requirements, investigation process, and method of sanctions. These are the key highlights from the Bullying Poll conducted in the week commencing February 14^th, 2022.

Survey Background

The word “Bullying” can be described as seeking to harm, intimidate or coerce someone or people perceived as vulnerable, whereas, bullying in schools refers to one or more perpetrators who have greater physical or social power than their victim and act aggressively towards their victims by verbal or physical means. Bullying comes in different forms i.e., Emotional, Verbal, Physical, Exploitation etc. Bullying in secondary schools in Nigeria has existed since time immemorial especially in the boarding system and usually centers on students in the lower cadre. Senior students tend to intimidate the junior students either for gratification, maintaining the superiority status or just simply for the fun of it. Some teachers or staff sometimes also pick on students for no just cause.

The effects of bullying are numerous and are mostly negative as they tend to affect the emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing of the victims. Emotional, verbal bullying and exploitation affects the victim’s self-esteem, mind-set and also instills fear and paranoia in the victim to the extent of losing concentration, focus and confidence in the classroom and also socially. Physical bullying leads to physical pain, ailments, fractures and sometimes death. An incident that occurred in Lagos State Nigeria, shocked the nation as Sylvester Oromoni, a 12-year-old student in a private boarding school was alleged to have been bullied by his school mates. He was claimed to have been beaten, assaulted and poisoned, an incidence that led to his death. The case is still a matter of jurisprudence. Exploitation leads the victims to starvation or malnutrition, mental disorientation because their provisions or pocket money have been seized. The most impactful side effect is the unending vicious cycle of bullying that lingers for years unending.

First step to mitigate against bullying is creating awareness on the ills and dangers of bullying and the negative effects it has on students’ who desire to acquire quality education in a conducive environment. School administrations should pay close and proper attention to the activities of the students during school hours and even after, fostering a harmonious student relationship. Guidance and Counselling centers should be established in secondary schools for easy access to address students’ academic, vocational, individual challenges and social adjustment needs. Parents and Guardians should also ensure they pay keen attention to their children’s or wards’ behavior in order to notice any changes either physical or emotional. Schools should treat each reported incident of bullying with utmost attention and quick resolution and most importantly adopt a Zero tolerance to bullying. These and many more will help rid the country of the ugly menace of bullying in schools. Against this backdrop, NOIPolls conducted a survey to gauge the pulse of Nigerians regarding bullying in secondary schools.

Survey findings

The first question sought the publics understanding of bullying in secondary school and the result revealed that most adult Nigerians (77 percent) understand it as intimidating or threatening of junior students by senior students in secondary schools.

With regards to prevalence, an overwhelming proportion of Nigerians (82 percent) believe that the issue of bullying in secondary schools in Nigeria is prevalent. The South East zone had more respondents (95 percent) who mentioned that it is prevalent in the region.

There are various ways and types of bullying however, when respondents were asked of the type of bullying they are aware of, (83 percent) of respondents mentioned physical bullying and this cuts across gender, geo-political zones and age-group with at least 77 percent representation. Other types of bullying mentioned includes extreme punishment (39 percent), verbal bullying (37 percent), emotional bullying (26 percent) and exploitation bullying (17 percent).

Furthermore, the survey result showed that 97 percent of the respondents interviewed disclosed they attended secondary school in Nigeria while a minor 3 percent stated otherwise.

Subsequently, 97 percent respondents who admitted that they attended secondary school in the country were further probed and the findings revealed that while (33 percent) were boarders, (67 percent) were day students.

Irrespective of whether the respondents were boarders or day students, 34 percent mentioned that they had experienced at least one form of bullying during their secondary school days. On the other hand, 66 percent stated that they did not experience any bullying during their days in secondary school.

Analysis by age-group showed that respondents aged 18 – 35 years accounted the highest proportion who experienced bullying in secondary school than other age category. This points to the fact that bullying in secondary school is becoming a growing concern.

Respondents were further probed, and the poll result revealed that majority of the respondents (65 percent) experienced physical bullying when they were in secondary school. This is followed by those who experienced extreme punishment (46 percent) and exploitation (24 percent) amongst others forms of bullying.

With regards to taking action, it is gratifying to note that (27 percent) of the respondents were courageous enough to report the incidence to the authorities. However, it is worrisome to note that majority of those that were bullied did not take any action.

Furthermore, findings revealed that (41 percent) of the respondents who reported the incidence claimed that no action was taken against perpetrators. However, (28 percent) stated that the perpetrators were cautioned while (13 percent) asserted that the parents of the perpetrators were invited to the school.

With regards to causes of bullying in secondary schools, cultism (27 percent), Poor upbringing (19 percent), Lack of morals and the fear of God (17 percent) were the top three causes responsible for bullying in secondary schools in the country amongst other causes mentioned.

In terms of proffering solutions, the top three solutions recommended by the respondents are installation of CCTV cameras to monitor activities in secondary schools (31 percent), schools should ensure strict rules on bullying (14 percent) and praying about the incidence (14 percent).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the poll has clearly revealed that, undoubtedly, there is a significant problem in the occurrence of bullying in secondary schools in Nigeria as 82 percent stated that it is prevalent. Also, 34 percent of the respondents interviewed disclosed that they had experienced one form of bullying during their days in secondary school. Age group analysis on personal experience of bullying also concurs that bullying is becoming an growing concern.

Finally, bullying should be seen as the responsibility of everyone including the government, educators, policymakers, police, parents, community organizations, religious organizations, and students themselves to see to it that bullying is reduced to the minimum or is eliminated permanently from secondary schools. As advocated by 14 percent of the respondent, it is important that a policy on bullying should be implemented given that there are no specific anti-bullying laws and policies in secondary schools. Therefore, there is the need for extensive implementation of legislations that will define prohibited bullying behaviors, reporting requirements, investigation process, and method of sanctions.

(NOI Polls)

March 3, 2022

Source: https://noi-polls.com/over-3-in-10-nigerians-have-experienced-bullying-in-secondary-school/

732-734-43-09/Polls

82% Nigerians See Discrimination Against Women

A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls has revealed that there is discrimination against women in Nigeria as stated by 82 percent of adult Nigerians.

Additionally, analysis by geographical locations indicates that the North-East zone had more respondents (89 percent) who made this assertion.

Similarly, there are more female (86 percent) than male (78 percent) respondents in this category.

This is not particularly surprising given that women have continued to fight for the protection of their rights in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill which seeks gender equality in the country recently suffered another setback at the National Assembly.

On March 1^st, 2022, despite extensive lobbying, sensitization, consultation, and advocacy, the 9^th National Assembly joined previous ones to legislate over and legitimize the discrimination of women.

The bill was to allow for the domestication and prohibition of all forms of discrimination against Women, with the aim to create gender parity and end negative gender stereotypes.

To mark the 2022 International Day of Women, NOIPolls goes to the street to ask what Nigerians think about gender inequality in support of an existing survey

It is remarkably worrisome that this happened on the first day of the International Women’s month, and on the Zero Discrimination Day when the world commemorates and celebrates the right of everyone to live a full and productive life, and live it with dignity, free from discrimination.

Subsequently, despite the rejection of this Bill by the 9^th National Assembly, the poll further revealed that most adult Nigerians believe that women, if given the opportunity as men, will do well in academics (95 percent), economy (93 percent), science & technology (90 percent), innovation (89 percent) as well as political leadership (84 percent).

With regards to challenges faced by women in Nigeria, the three top challenges singled out by adult Nigerians includes gender inequality (36 percent), gender-based violence (35 percent) and limited opportunity which affects women in the country.

Contrary to the rejection of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill by the 9^th National Assembly, 30 percent of adult Nigerians nationwide advocated for the execution of women’s right, 25 percent suggested that gender discrimination should be banned while 13 percent recommended that the Gender Equality Bill should be sponsored again.

Finally, it is imperative that the Ministry of Women affairs and Social Development, policy makers, civil society organizations and all relevant stakeholders synergize to address the issue raised in this survey to ultimately improve gender parity in the country. These are some of the key findings from the Gender Equality Poll conducted in the week commencing February 28th, 2022.

(NOI Polls)

March 8, 2022

Source: https://noi-polls.com/gender-inequality/

732-734-43-10/Polls

Three-Fourths (74%) Of Kenyans Say The Country Is Going In The Wrong Direction

After recording significant gains between 2014 and 2019, Kenyans’ assessments of the

country’s overall direction, the national economy, and their personal living conditions have

taken a nosedive, according to a new Afrobarometer survey.

Large majorities of citizens say the country is headed in the wrong direction and describe

their living conditions as bad. Majorities experienced shortages of basic necessities such as

food, water, and medical care during the year preceding the survey.

Citizens overwhelmingly give the government poor performance ratings on key economic

issues, including management of the economy, job creation, and poverty reduction.

Key findings

▪ Three-fourths (74%) of Kenyans say the country is going in “the wrong direction,” a 20-

percentage-point increase compared to 2019 (54%) (Figure 1).

▪ Almost nine out of 10 citizens (85%) describe the country’s economic condition as

“fairly bad” or “very bad,” a 30-point increase since 2016 (55%) (Figure 2).

▪ Only one in four Kenyans (25%) describe their personal living conditions as “fairly

good” or “very good,” a 16-point decline compared to 2019 (41%) (Figure 3).

▪ Substantial proportions of the population frequently (“many times” or “always”) went

without a cash income (47%), needed medical care (26%), enough clean water

(22%), enough food (18%), and enough cooking fuel (11%) during the previous year,

in addition to many who suffered these shortages “just once or twice” or “several

times” (Figure 4).

▪ Based on these reported deprivations, most Kenyans can be described as

experiencing moderate lived poverty (37%) or low lived poverty (36%). But more than

one in five (22%) fall into the high lived poverty category (Figure 5).

▪ Most citizens say the government is performing “fairly badly” or “very badly” on

managing the economy (83%), improving living standards of the poor (83%), creating

jobs (85%), narrowing income gaps (90%), and keeping prices stable (92%) (Figure 6).

▪ Despite these gloomy perceptions, four in 10 citizens (42%) expect the country’s

economic condition to improve over the next year (Figure 7).

(Afrobarometer)

2 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Kenya/news_release-kenyans_see_worsening_economic_conditions_cite_poor_government_performance-1march22.pdf

732-734-43-11/Polls

Majority Of Kenyans Say Competency-Based Curriculum Will Improve Quality Of Education

Two-thirds of Kenyans believe that the new competency-based curriculum or CBC

system will improve education in the country at least “a little bit,” a new Afrobarometer

survey shows.

A large majority of citizens also say that the country’s education services have improved

in the past five years.

But the latest survey findings also show a massive rise in the number of citizens who say

they find it difficult to obtain services they need from teachers or school officials.

Key findings

▪ More than half (52%) of Kenyans believe that the new competency-based curriculum

or CBC system will improve education in the country “somewhat” or “a lot,” in

addition to 13% who think it will help “a little bit.” Only one in four (26%) say the CBC

system will do nothing to improve education (Figure 1).

▪ Education ranks sixth among the most important problems that Kenyans want their

government to address, down from fourth place in 2019 (Figure 2).

▪ Seven in 10 Kenyans (69%) say that education services have improved over the past

five years (Figure 3).

o Urban residents are likely to report improved services than their rural counterparts,

74% vs. 66%.

▪ Among the 50% of Kenyans who say they had contact with a public school during

the year preceding the survey, almost three-fourths (73%) say it was “difficult” or “very

difficult” to obtain the services they needed (Figure 4).

o The proportion reporting problems obtaining school services more than doubled

from 2019 (32%).

(Afrobarometer)

09 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Kenya/news_release-majority_of_kenyans_think_cbc_will_improve_quality_of_education-9march22.pdf

732-734-43-12/Polls

Nearly Six In 10 Namibians (57%) Report That In Their Area, It Is Either Very Common (29%) Or Somewhat Common (28%) For Men To Use Violence Against Women

A majority of Namibians believe that violence against women and girls is common in their

homes and communities, the most recent Afrobarometer survey shows.

While more than half believe that men are never justified in physically disciplining their wives,

about four in 10 say this can be justified at least some of the time.

Most citizens believe that the police take reported cases of gender-based violence seriously,

but many report that community members will criticize or harass the complainant for seeking

help from the police.

And while most Namibians see gender-based violence as a criminal matter that requires the

involvement of law enforcement agencies to resolve, about one in four say it is a private

matter that needs to be handled within the family.

Key findings

▪Nearly six in 10 Namibians (57%) report that in their area, it is either “very common”

(29%) or “somewhat common” (28%) for men to use violence against women and

girls in the home or in the community. Only 16% say it is “not at all common” (Figure

1).

▪A majority (58%) of Namibians say it is never justified for a man to use physical

discipline on his wife. About one quarter (26%) believe that it is sometimes justified,

and 13% say that it is always justified (Figure 2).

▪An overwhelming majority (82%) of citizens say that it is either “very likely” (59%) or

“somewhat likely” (23%) that the police will take reported cases of gender-based

violence seriously. Fewer than one in five believe that it is unlikely (Figure 3).

▪But more than four in 10 respondents (42%) think it is likely that a woman will be

criticized, harassed, or shamed by others in the community if she reports an incident

of gender-based violence (Figure 4).

▪Overall, nearly three in four Namibians (73%) say that domestic violence is a criminal

matter that requires the involvement of law enforcement agencies to resolve. One

quarter (25%) see it as a private matter that needs to be handled within the family

(Figure 5).

(Afrobarometer)

7 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Namibia/nam_r9.news_release-gender-based_violence_7mar22.pdf

732-734-43-13/Polls

More Than Half Of Namibians (57%) Believe That It Is Either Always Justified (23%) Or Sometimes Justified (34%) For Parents To Discipline Their Children Using Physical Force

More than half of Namibians believe parents are justified in using physical force to discipline

their children, at least on some occasions, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates. Four in

10 say the practice is never justified.

Views are similarly divided on other aspects of child well-being, with four in 10 citizens

reporting that child abuse and neglect are widespread in their communities and half

saying school-age children are frequently not attending school.

But a majority of Namibians are confident that people in their communities can secure

help for abused, mistreated, or neglected children.

And they say that help and support are also available for children with physical

disabilities and for adults and children with mental health problems.

Key findings

▪ More than half of Namibians (57%) believe that it is either “always justified” (23%) or

“sometimes justified” (34%) for parents to discipline their children using physical force.

Four in 10 (41%) consider it “never justified” (Figure 1).

o The view that using physical force to discipline children is justified is slightly more

common in cities than in rural areas (59% vs. 55%).

▪ Almost half (47%) of citizens say physical disciplining of children is “very frequent”

(19%) or “somewhat frequent” (28%) in their communities (Figure 2).

o Urbanites are significantly more likely than rural residents to report that adults

frequently use physical force to discipline their children (52% vs. 39%).

▪ More than four in 10 Namibians (42%) report that child abuse and neglect occur

“very frequently” (15%) or “somewhat frequently” (27%) in their communities (Figure

3).

o Even more (49%) say that school-age children are often not in school.

o More urbanites than rural residents see both child abuse/neglect (47% vs. 37%)

and out-of-school children (52% vs. 45%) as frequent occurrences (Figure 4).

▪ Slim majorities say that help and support are available in their communities for

children who are abused or neglected (55%), children with physical disabilities (56%),

and children and adults with mental or emotional problems (53%) (Figure 5).

o Residents in urban areas report better access to support services than their rural

counterparts for children with physical disabilities (62% vs. 51%) and for children

and adults with mental or emotional problems (56% vs. 51%) (Figure 6).

(Afrobarometer)

10 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Namibia/nam_r9.new_release-child_welfare_10mar22.pdf

732-734-43-14/Polls

Three-Fourths (73%) Of Cabo Verdeans Are Optimistic That Things Will Be Better Or Much Better In 12 Months’ Time

Cabo Verdeans offered a fairly gloomy assessment of their country’s economic situation, but

most expected things to improve, according to an Afrobarometer survey.

The survey, in late 2019, found that few citizens thought economic conditions had improved

over the previous year, and only a minority described their personal living conditions as good.

A majority said the country was going in “the wrong direction.”

Most Cabo Verdeans gave their government poor marks on key economic issues, including

job creation and poverty reduction. But a majority expressed optimism that economic

conditions would improve over the next 12 months.

Key findings

▪ Fewer than half (47%) of Cabo Verdeans describe the country’s economic condition

as “fairly good” or “very good,” unchanged from 2014 (Figure 1).

▪ The proportion of Cabo Verdeans who describe their personal living conditions as

“fairly good” or “very good” has increased slightly compared to 2014, from 16% to 23%

(Figure 2).

▪ Even though only 29% of Cabo Verdeans say the country’s economic condition has

improved over the past 12 months, almost three-fourths (73%) are optimistic that things

will be “better” or “much better” in 12 months’ time (Figure 3).

▪ The share of citizens who say the country is going in the wrong direction increased by

10 percentage points since 2014, from 46% to 56% (Figure 4).

▪ A majority of citizens say the government is performing “fairly badly” or “very badly”

on creating jobs (84%), narrowing income gaps (77%), improving the living standards

of the poor (76%), and managing the economy (64%) (Figure 5).

(Afrobarometer)

9 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Cape%20Verde/news_release-cabo_verdeans_gloomy_on_the_economy_but_optimistic_about_the_future-afrobarometer-4march22.pdf

732-734-43-15/Polls

More Than Three-Fourths (78%) Of Moroccans Say The Media Should Constantly Investigate And Report On Government Mistakes And Corruption

Most Moroccans want a media that helps them hold the government accountable, the latest

Afrobarometer survey shows.

But a majority also believe that the government should be able to prevent the media from

publishing things it disapproves of.

Moroccans see social media as having both positive and negative effects on society, helping

create better-informed and more effective citizens but also making people more likely to

believe false news. Despite their mixed feelings, Moroccans say unrestricted access to the

Internet and social media should be protected.

The 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranks Morocco’s media among the least free in the

world (136th out of 180 countries). Similarly, Freedom House (2021) rates Morocco only “partly

free” in terms of Internet freedom.

Key findings

▪ More than three-fourths (78%) of Moroccans say the media should “constantly

investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption” (Figure 1).

▪ But fewer than half (45%) insist on media freedom, while 55% endorse the

government’s right to prevent the publication of things it disapproves of (Figure 2).

▪ Among Moroccans who have heard of social media, majorities say it makes people

more informed about current events (96%) and helps them have more impact on

political processes (64%), but also makes them more likely to believe false news (85%)

(Figure 3).

▪ A majority (57%) of Moroccans say unrestricted access to the Internet and social

media should be protected (Figure 4).

(Afrobarometer)

14 March 2022

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/press-release/Morocco/news_release-moroccans_support_medias_watchdog_function-afrobarometer-14march22.pdf

WEST EUROPE

732-734-43-16/Polls

7 In 10 Are Already Seeing An Increase To Their Typical Household Grocery Bill

Around 4 in 10 (39%) shoppers are finding it difficult to afford the increase in their grocery bills in 2022 compared to 2021.
More than 8 in 10 (85%) UK shoppers are changing how they shop to reduce grocery bills in 2022.
18% of shoppers have changed their regular supermarket to cover the increase of their grocery shop as ALDI becomes the most popular destination for those looking to cut costs.

New research by Ipsos reveals three in four (76%) UK supermarket shoppers are expecting a rise in their grocery bills over the next three months, as a similar proportion (73%) are already seeing an increase to their typical household grocery bill in 2022 compared to last year.

In the next 3 months, do you expect the cost of your typical household grocery shopping to increase, decrease or the stay the same as it is now? Ipsos

Among shoppers who have seen an increase in the costs of their groceries, 4 in 10 (39%) have found this difficult. As prices continue to soar, so do the worries of shoppers with half of those expecting an increase (46%) saying they will find it difficult to afford.

With surging supermarket prices, shoppers are being pushed to change where and how they buy groceries as 37% move to cheaper brands, 1 in 3 (34%) have stopped buying non-essential groceries and 32% are buying ‘yellow sticker’ discounted items approaching their use-by date to save money.

Where are cash-strapped Britons doing their weekly shops now?

With almost a fifth (18%) changing where they shop, research by Ipsos shows that 30% currently do their main grocery shop at Tesco and 15% at ALDI. Of those planning to switch, almost one in four (23%) say they plan to switch to ALDI for most of their grocery shopping, with one in five (19%) plumping for Lidl and one in ten (10%) favouring Asda.

Are shoppers getting more savvy?

Smarter shopping appears to be one way forward as 28% wait to buy items until they are on promotion, 28% shop at several supermarkets to find better deals, whilst 26% of bargain hunters bulk buy to manage the price increase. However, sacrifices are still being made with 18% revealing they have cut other household expenses to afford their weekly shop and 10% forgo getting their online grocery deliveries.

Kelly Beaver, CEO of Ipsos, UK commented:

Within a turbulent climate affecting government, oil prices and employment, basic amenities like food and household goods are being hit heavily by inflation in the UK. Our data shows three in four UK shoppers expect prices of cornerstone items that families need on a weekly basis to increase over the next three months. We’re seeing a year-on-year increase in the cost of living that’s resulting in shopper sacrifices with 18% confessing to forgoing non-essential items as well as changing where they shop. As disposable income comes under growing pressure, we expect to see shoppers becoming savvier and shopping cheaper, so households can afford the price increase in their weekly shop.

(Ipsos MORI)

2 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/half-uk-shoppers-worried-about-household-grocery-bills-rising-inflation-hits-30-year-high

732-734-43-17/Polls

9 In 10 Brits Are Following The News Closely, And Concerned About The Impact On The UK Economy And Security On Ukrainian Civilians

A chart showing support and opposition for sanctions against Russia over time

Two thirds (66%) of people support humanitarian interventions by Britain, up by 26 percentage points since February and less than 1 in 10 think we shouldn’t get involved, down from 2 in 10. While support for military interventions remains lower than humanitarian, diplomatic and economic action, it has also risen slightly, by 8 percentage points, to 28%.

Chart showing support for different kinds of intervention in Ukraine Concern for Ukraine and Britons

Most Britons (87%) are keeping a close eye on reports on the situation in Ukraine, more so than last week, and with 9 in 10 (91%) concerned about civilians in Ukraine (75% very concerned). 83% of people surveyed are concerned about the potential economic impact and 77% of people are concerned about the potential impact on the UK’s national safety and security. Six in 10 (62%) are concerned about the impact on themselves personally.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the highest levels of support for his handling of the situation.

Three quarters (76%) of those surveyed said that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is doing a good job of handling the situation. Only 6% of people think he is doing a bad job.

The European Union are seen to be doing a good job by 45% of Britons. Whilst 39% of people think the same about the UK Government, this is up 13 percentage points since February, and 37% think Boris Johnson is doing a good job, up 11 percentage points. Three in 10 (29%) think Joe Biden is doing a good job, up 6 percentage points.

Chart showing approval of handling of the Ukrainian situation
Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, Kelly Beaver said:

As the conflict in Ukraine continues with no sign of abating, the British public are watching the story unfold closely, and they clearly have a lot of sympathy for Ukraine. This is translating through to the growing support for Britain playing a greater role in providing humanitarian assistance for the Ukrainian people as well as sanctions against Russia. And while many are concerned about the potential impact on the UK’s economy and security, this seems to be making less of a difference to support for action, and support for the job done by the Prime Minister and UK Government has now become more positive even if still some way from being unanimous.

(Ipsos MORI)

3 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/polling-ukraine-support-for-sanctions-and-governments-handling-grows

732-734-43-18/Polls

A Quarter (24%) Think That The Government Should Be Allowed To Make A British Person Entirely Stateless

The UK government is allowed to remove British citizenship from people if it is ‘conducive to the public good’ – in the interests of national security, for example, or if someone has committed serious crimes or an act of terrorism – or if someone ‘obtained their citizenship fraudulently’.

Citizenship issues have been in the news recently, with the new Nationality and Borders Bill, which is currently being considered by the House of Lords after passing the Commons on 8 December, allowing the government to strip citizenship from people without notifying them if the authorities do not have a ‘reasonably practical’ way to contact them.

The British government is not, in theory, allowed to deprive a British citizen of their citizenship if that is the only form of citizenship they have. Doing so would make them “stateless”, which is illegal under the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

But how much does that matter to Britons? A new YouGov survey finds that a sizeable minority could support the government making British citizens stateless in certain circumstances.

In what circumstances should the government be allowed to deprive a person of citizenship?

We asked Britons about taking citizenship away from people who posed a threat to the UK, or whose activities involve very high harm, for example, espionage, acts of terrorism, glorification of terrorism, war crimes and serious and organised crime – language and examples which the government uses in its own explanation of when deprivation of citizenship can be justified.

The public is more split on whether the government should be allowed to deprive someone of British citizenship if they are only citizens of the UK i.e. if doing so would leave them stateless.

Two in five (40%) say they should be allowed to take citizenship away from someone whose only citizenship is British, but who would be eligible for automatic citizenship of another country if they applied, with 37% saying this should not be allowed. Some countries grant automatic citizenship to people whose parents are citizens of that country, but this is fairly rare.

A third (35%) think that the government should be allowed to take citizenship away from people whose only citizenship is British but who have links to other countries, such as family members in a different country, with two in five (43%) saying they should not be allowed to.

Finally, a quarter (24%) think that the government should be allowed to make a British person entirely stateless - stripping someone of their British citizenship when they have no other citizenship and no links to other countries – with more than half (54%) saying this should not allowed.

In theory, but not in practice? The case of Shamima Begum

British-born Shamima Begum left the UK at the age of 15 to join the Islamic State in Syria. She held only British citizenship, which then-home secretary Sajid Javid revoked in 2019 on the grounds of national security.

The British government argued that while Begum was not a citizen of any other country besides the UK, she was automatically eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship because of her parents. Last year, the supreme court ruled that Begum would not be able to enter the UK to appeal for her citizenship to be restored.

Shamima Begum’s case caused controversy and anger on both sides of the political spectrum, after a Sky News interview in 2019 showed her saying she was “okay with beheadings” but that she “didn’t know what she was getting into” when she left the UK for Syria. Some see her as a victim of trafficking.

Begum was technically eligible for automatic citizenship of Bangladesh through her parents, although the Bangladeshi government greeted news of her citizenship revocation by saying that she would not be allowed to apply because of her terror links.

Despite the fact that in, principle, 37% of Britons oppose making someone stateless when they would be automatically eligible for citizenship elsewhere, in the Begum’s practical example that figure withers to just 20%. Two-thirds (68%) of Britons say the government should have been allowed to withdraw her citizenship.

(YouGov UK)

March 07, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/07/should-government-be-able-make-british-citizens-st

732-734-43-19/Polls

Nearly Six Out Of Ten Women (58%) Say Caring Responsibilities Have Stopped Them Applying For Promotion Or A New Job

Whilst 35% of all adults, and 44% per cent of working adults, have caring responsibilities, the research found that they are not spread equally. Women account for 85% of sole carers for children and 65% of sole carers for older adults. More people from ethnic minority backgrounds (42%) have caring responsibilities than from white backgrounds.

Ipsos and BITC interviewed a representative sample of 5,444 people across the UK to better understand contemporary attitudes and experiences around combining paid work and care. Although 94% agreed that caring responsibilities should be spread equally, 52% of women who are joint carers say they do more than their fair share—with only 30% of men admitting they do less.

Only 27% of people believe men and women are treated equally in the workplace and one in five men (20%) said caring had stopped them from applying for promotion or a new job, compared to the much higher percentage for women.

The impact of caring responsibilities on workplace progression is greatest on women, who are twice as likely than men to work part-time, and on lower-paid workers and shift workers, who find it more difficult to take time off during the day at short notice.

People from Black, Asian, Mixed Race or other ethnically diverse groups are disproportionately affected, with one in two (50%) who have caring responsibilities saying they had been unable to pursue certain jobs or promotions because of this. One in three (32%) have left or considered leaving a job due to a lack of flexibility, compared with around one in five (21%) white people.

Is flexible working a myth?

Despite the focus on more flexible working during the pandemic, more than 50% of people would not feel comfortable asking to work flexibly when applying for a job and 43% say there is still a stigma around the subject. More than one in three respondents (35%) believe flexible working blocks career progression, with fewer than one in five (17%) having asked their employer to work flexibly.

The research suggests that employers may not always share these attitudes - 80% of people who made formal flexible working requests had them accepted.

Is there a low pay trap?

Three out of four people (75%) earning £26,000 a year or more said they felt supported by their employer in managing caring responsibilities for children, but that dropped to 50% for those earning less. More than one in four (28%) of those working shifts said they did not feel supported by their employer, compared to 10% of those working regular office hours.

Is there a care divide?

Women make up over half of the lone carers for all groups, including 85% of lone carers for children, 54% of lone carers for working age adults, and 65% of lone carers for older adults. People who care for older adults (68%) are less likely to feel supported than those with childcare responsibilities (78%) or caring for working age adults (77%).

8% of carers identify themselves as ‘sandwich carers’, looking after both children and older adults at the same time.

Almost half (46%) of current workers have had childcare responsibilities come up ‘during the working day’ and 52% of women, compared to 42% of men, say their day job has been interrupted because of this. More than one in three women (37%) said other caring responsibilities had come up, compared to 31% of men.

What can employers do?

There is strong support for employers to take the lead and 70% of carers believe that business and government leaders need to increase their commitment to supporting gender equality in the workplace. Employers should do more to support flexible working by providing information on the type of options available – 67% said this was among the most convincing ways of demonstrating their commitment – and how their culture supports this.

But the focus should be on educating women and men about how they can balance work and caring responsibilities; at present, more men (22%) than women (15%) did not feel supported at work, and 57% agree that men are less likely to be supported at work with their childcare responsibilities. Among those who agreed that men are less likely to be supported with childcare, priorities for improvements included flexible working being promoted to men and women (70%), challenging the stigma around male care givers (46%), and offering longer paid time off for new fathers (36%).

What is the call to action?

The research project by Ipsos and BITC is one of the largest of its kind in recent years, combining extensive quantitative research with focus groups to gain more detailed insight.

BITC has launched a ‘Who Cares?’ campaign, calling on employers and policy makers to transform the way they think about combining paid work and care, including equal parental leave for birth and non-birth parents. Their four key recommendations for employers are:

Consider caring the norm, not the exception
Champion equitable access to care for all genders in your policies
Foster a culture that supports men to care
Target men for flexible working

Charlotte Woodworth, Gender Equality Campaign Director at BITC, said:

Employers and policy makers need to understand that caring, for children and others, is a routine part of many people’s lives, and adjust working cultures to better support this. Otherwise, we will continue to see working carers, particularly women and people from Black, Asian, mixed race and other ethnically diverse backgrounds, pushed down and in some cases out of the workforce.
Flexibility is key, thinking not just about where work is done, but also when. We need to move past old fashioned ideas about 5 days a week, 9 – 5, in one location and support everyone to craft a better work life balance, that doesn’t see some people penalised because they can’t work in a certain way.
But helping women do it all will only get us so far - we must also ensure men are given the opportunity to care. We need to overhaul out-of-date policies that presume only women want to take time out to look after the kids. The government should support employers to offer stand-alone, subsidised paternity leave, in keeping with most people’s beliefs that people of all genders should be supported to care.

Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos, UK and Ireland, said:

A record number of women are in paid work in the UK, and they make up nearly 50% of the workforce, but our research shows that many feel they are held back in their careers by caring responsibilities which are not shared evenly. The majority of those we surveyed believe that more of this responsibility should be shared equally, irrespective of gender, and that employers have a key role in making flexibility at work the rule not the exception.
This research is invaluable in helping employers and policy makers to respond to the increasing demand for a more flexible approach to working and I am proud that at Ipsos we are leading the way, for example all our UK employees are offered equal paid maternity and paternity leave, because we firmly believe that the responsibility of raising a child should not be determined by your gender.

(Ipsos MORI)

7 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/who-cares-business-community-ipsos-research-reveals-great-workplace-divide

732-734-43-20/Polls

Defence Surges To Third Most Important Issue Facing The UK

With all eyes turned east following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “defence and security” has shot up the rankings in for YouGov’s ‘top issues facing the country’ tracker.

Currently, 33% of Britons say defence is one of the top issues facing the country, about the same who say “health” (35%), although still a long way off from “the economy” (50%).

The shift took place last week, when concern surged to 32% from 12% the prior week. These figures are the highest that YouGov has recorded for defence since the London Bridge attack in June 2017, when 41% of people said defence and security was a top issue.

For Conservative voters, defence is the second highest issue facing the country, at 48%. This puts it behind the economy still at 57%, but ahead of not only health (30%) but also immigration (41%).

Among Labour voters, defence is only the sixth most important issue, at 21% (although this is still elevated compared to the 5% it was before the invasion). Labour voters are more concerned about the economy (47%), health (45%), the environment (38%), Britain leaving the EU (28%) and housing (24%).

Support for NATO membership and maintaining the nuclear deterrent also rise following Ukraine invasion

With Vladimir Putin having put his nuclear forces on a higher alert in a clear warning to the West, our tracker on attitudes to the Trident nuclear missile system shows increased support for replacing it with an equally powerful system. Since late 2019 between 32-36% of people were in favour of a like-for-like replacement for Trident; following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that figure has since risen to 45%. Fewer people now want to see Britain give up nuclear weapons (18%, from 23% in the previous poll in September 2021).

Support for Britain's membership of NATO has increased from 68% in September to 79% now, which includes an increase in "strongly support" from 33% to 50%. Likewise, belief that NATO membership is important for Britain's defence has risen from 67% to 80%.

Confidence that NATO members would come to our aid has risen from 48% to 67%, and willingness to go to the aid of other NATO members has risen from 63% to 74%.

(YouGov UK)
March 08, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/08/defence-surges-third-most-important-issue-facing-u

732-734-43-21/Polls

66% Of Women Say They Feel Unsafe Walking Home At Night At Least Sometimes

Women are most likely to say they feel unsafe walking alone home at night, including a quarter (26%) who say they “always” feel unsafe doing so. Overall, 66% of women say they feel unsafe walking home at night at least “sometimes”, and another 20% never do so in the first place, some of whom will be doing so for safety reasons.

Indeed, a separate question in the survey found that half of women (53%) regularly avoid being out at certain times in order to reduce the risk of encountering harassment or sexual assault. Only 16% of men say the same, and just 5% say they never walk alone at night.

More than two in five women (45%) say they feel unsafe at least sometimes when alone on public transport, including 14% who say they always feel unsafe.

Approaching four in ten women (38%) women feel unsafe sometimes or more frequently when travelling alone in a taxi or ride share.

These results are broadly the same as they were six months ago, when YouGov last polled this topic. In all cases, women are substantially more likely than men to say that they find themselves afraid in what should be innocuous everyday situations.

Younger women are more likely to feel afraid for their safety than older women

After accounting for the likelihood to be in certain situations, the results also show that younger women are consistently more likely to feel unsafe than their elders.

For instance, 74% of women aged 18-29 who ever use a taxi or ride share by themselves say they feel unsafe at least sometimes when doing so, compared to 59% of women in their 30s, 52% of women in their 40s, 47% of women in their 50s, and 32% of women aged 60 and over.

(YouGov UK)
March 08, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2022/03/08/how-often-do-british-women-feel-unsafe-doing-day-d

732-734-43-22/Polls

Should Unvaccinated Workers Get Less Sick Pay Than Those Vaccinated Against Covid-19

Several big-name retailers have announced they will slash sick pay for unvaccinated workers who are isolating after being exposed to COVID-19. This has prompted debate as to whether workers who are unvaccinated against the virus should receive the same amount of sick pay as vaccinated workers.

New YouGov research shows that by 46% to 37% Britons support businesses reducing the extra sick pay they give on top of statutory sick pay for those who are unvaccinated and have been instructed to isolate because they have COVID-19. However, people are split 41% support to 42% opposed on businesses reducing extra sick pay for unvaccinated workers who test negative for COVID-19 but still have to self-isolate.

Opinion is similarly split on reductions in statutory sick pay for the unvaccinated who have to isolate because they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, but test negative themselves (42% support and 41% oppose). However, people tend to oppose cutting statutory sick pay for unvaccinated employees who test positive for COVID-19 by 44% to 37%.

The young are more inclined to oppose cuts to statutory and extra sick pay. For example, 52% of 18-24 year olds oppose businesses reducing sick pay for unvaccinated employees who test positive for COVID-19 and have to isolate, versus 29% of those aged 65 and over.

Those who voted Labour in the 2019 general election are more likely to oppose reductions to both government statutory sick pay and extra sick pay. For instance, while half of Conservative voters (52%) would support reducing statutory sick pay for unvaccinated workers who test positive for COVID-19, only a third of Labour voters (34%) would support this, with 48% opposed.

The results also show that Britons tend to think businesses should have full autonomy over whether they pay extra sick pay to unvaccinated workers (40%), as opposed to the government mandating businesses to continue to pay unvaccinated employees extra sick pay (24%), or for all businesses to not provide any extra sick pay for unvaccinated workers (18%).

However, Labour voters are split between 36% who think it should be up to businesses to decide, and three in ten (31%) think the government should prevent firms from withholding extra sick pay based on vaccination status.

By comparison, Conservative voters are much more likely to think it should be up to businesses as to whether or not they continue to provide extra sick pay to unvaccinated employees (48%) – only 16% think it should be compulsory.

(YouGov UK)

March 09, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/economy/articles-reports/2022/03/09/should-unvaccinated-workers-get-less-sick-pay-thos

732-734-43-23/Polls

Four In Ten Britons (42%) Believe The UK Should Take In At Least “A Few Tens Of Thousands” Of Ukrainian Refugees

Since Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine almost two weeks ago, YouGov have tracked British public opinion on receiving Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and seeking asylum here.

When we first posed the question on 24-25 February, in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, we found that 63% of the public supported introducing a scheme to resettle some Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.

That figure quickly rose to around three-quarters (76%) of the public as soon as 2 March. Our latest data released today shows that figure remains effectively unchanged (75%).

What has shifted slightly is the number of refugees Britons are willing to accept. Today’s results show that a figure equivalent to more than four in ten Britons (42%)* believe the UK should take in at least “a few tens of thousands” of Ukrainian refugees, including one in five (19%) who say the figure should be “a few hundreds of thousands”. Those figures have risen from 36% and 15%, respectively, in our previous poll.

To date, however, only around 300 Ukrainians refugees have been admitted into the UK, according to Home Office data. This is a figure that will satisfy the mere 2% of the public who believe that ‘a few hundred’ is the right amount of Ukrainian refugees who should be allowed entry into the UK.

The public’s desire for a fresh scheme is at odds with current government policy, which still insists that Ukrainian refugees apply for visas through official consulates and embassies, and has so far only relaxed rules for refugees with family already in the UK. Under current rules, the UK is unlikely to see anywhere near the numbers of refugees they are happy to take any time soon.

YouGov data published in the Times this week suggested that, for now, the public are more likely to think that the government have done well in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than badly (41% vs 33%), and defence minister Ben Wallace has promised that the government ‘will do more’ to help Ukrainian refugees. But judgement on the handling of the crisis could change quite quickly if the government continues not to match public preferences on the topic of refugees.

* Only those who said that they would support setting up a resettlement scheme for Ukrainian refugees were asked how many refugees should be resettled. For simplicity of understanding, the results above have been recalculated to show them as a percentage of the entire population

(YouGov UK)
March 09, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/09/government-remains-far-behind-public-ukrainian-ref

732-734-43-24/Polls

Consumer Confidence Falls As Household Finance Measures Take A Historic Nosedive

Consumer confidence dips by -2.4 points in February 2022
Household finance measures for the previous month (-9.2) and the year ahead (-19.3) see the worst scores in the near-ten-year history of the index
House value metrics for the past 30 days (+3.7) and the next 12 months (+0.8) climb upwards for the third month in a row
Business activity sees a five-point jump for the past 30 days, but outlook deteriorates (-3.5) to lowest levels since April 2021

The cost of living crisis has had a devastating impact on consumer confidence, according to the latest analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

If last month saw the first whispers of discontent, this month the public are in much fuller voice: soaring energy bills have taken the overall index from 109.0 to 106.6 – a fall of -2.4 points, and one that can be significantly attributed to a catastrophic decline in household finance measures. While consumer confidence scores are still positive, they are propped up to an extent by stronger performance in the home value, job security, and retrospective business indices.

YouGov collects consumer confidence data every day, conducting over 6,000 interviews a month. Respondents answer questions about household finances, property prices, job security, and business activity, both over the past 30 days and looking ahead to the next 12 months.

Each month we ask Britons about whether their household finances have improved or worsened over the past 30 days, and whether they expect their household finances to improve or worsen over the next 12 months. With retrospective scores plummeting to 71.5 (-9.2), and outlook plunging to 59.7 (-19.3), both household finance measures saw the lowest scores in the near-decade-long history of the Consumer Confidence Index. As sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drive gas prices to record highs – and as April’s 54% increase to the energy price cap draws closer – these unprecedentedly negative attitudes could yet get worse.

But if households are more pessimistic about their finances than ever, homeowners are (for the fourth month in a row) feeling more buoyant. House price measures for the past month rose to 132.9 (+3.7), while outlook rose to 138.2 (+0.8). Among workers, retrospective (+1.2) and forward-looking (+2.2) perceptions of job security also trended upwards, reaching 94.5 and 118.6 respectively.

These employees may be feeling more secure in their positions thanks to a jump in business activity over the past 30 days: scores for this measure hit 113.9 – a five-point jump on the month before (+5.0), and one that follows two months of falling scores. But with outlook diminished to 123.6 (-3.5), they do not have the same levels of optimism when it comes to their employers’ prospects for the next 12 months.

Darren Yaxley, Head of Reputation Research at YouGov: “The cost of living crisis is having a serious impact on consumer confidence. Although the overall index remains positive, the dip in February is compounded by tumbling household finance measures with both retrospective and forward-looking scores at their lowest ever level since tracking began almost ten years ago. However, other measures give more cause for optimism – with both homeowner scores increasing for the fourth month in a row and job security metrics improving following two months of decline.”

Kay Neufeld, Head of Forecasting and Thought Leadership at Cebr: “February’s drop in the Consumer Confidence Index was mainly driven by precipitous declines in the measures tracking households’ financial situation. Against a backdrop of accelerating inflation and the upcoming increase in the energy price cap, households are understandably nervous about the outlook for their personal finances. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine is likely to further add to spiralling energy costs, based on the turbulence in oil and gas markets in recent days following the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia.

“Gains in the job security measures and the backward looking business activity score indicate that the UK economy has started the year on a strong footing as the impact of Omicron has faded. However, the decline in expected business activity over the coming 12 months suggests that the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine could have a considerable negative effects on UK economic output this year.”

(YouGov UK)

March 09, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/economy/articles-reports/2022/03/09/consumer-confidence-falls-household-finance-measur

732-734-43-25/Polls

Nuclear Fears Rise Among Extinction Worries Following Ukraine Invasion

But following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and renewed questions about the nuclear threat posed by Vladimir Putin, new data shows the British public have become far more likely to see nuclear war as a top probable cause of human extinction. Six in 10 Britons (61%) now think nuclear war is one of the most likely ways the human race will end, a rise of 18 points since our prior survey on 21-23 January. All other causes remain effectively unchanged, leaving climate change in a distant second at 41%.

Similarly, support for the government developing contingency plans to prepare for nuclear war as an existential threat has risen eight points (now up to 87%) – a rise that was not seen in any of the other contingency plans asked about in our survey.

(YouGov UK)

March 10, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/10/nuclear-fears-rise-among-extinction-worries-follow

732-734-43-26/Polls

Just 10% Of Britons Think The West Is Doing Enough To Stop Russia Winning In Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called upon NATO countries to impose a no-fly zone over his country to keep Russian aircraft away.

Now a new YouGov survey shows only 10% of Britons think that the economic actions the West is taking against Russia, and the military aid being sent to Ukraine, is enough to stop the Russians from winning.

Two thirds (67%) say that it is not enough, evenly split between the 34% who say it is “not quite enough” and the 33% who say it is “not nearly enough”.

This opinion is non-partisan, with Conservative and Labour voters sharing the same views.

None of this is to say that the British public is willing to take more concrete steps to help Ukraine in its struggle. A question on the same survey found that Britons oppose a no-fly zone by 38% to 29%. Likewise, only 24% back sending troops to Ukraine, and 27% support air strikes against Russian targets in the country.

Those who think the West is doing “not nearly enough” to help Ukraine are no more likely than those who think our efforts are more adequate to want to take stronger action in the country.

(YouGov UK)

March 10, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/10/just-10-britons-think-west-doing-enough-stop-russi

732-734-43-27/Polls

6 In 10 Across The UK Would Support A Law Giving Employees The Right To Ignore Work-Related Communications Outside Of Working Hours

6 in 10 support a law giving employees the right to disconnect

There is little difference in the views of workers and non-workers, nor between Conservative and Labour 2019 voters, although graduates are more in favour than non-graduates, and 16-24 year olds are also less strongly in support.

Currently, two-thirds of UK workers say they participate in work-related communications outside of their working hours (67%). Four in 10 (43%) check work-related communications while a similar proportion (40%) reply to them. A third (34%) proactively send work-related communications. Only 3 in 10 (30%) do not communicate with work outside of their official working hours.

4 in 5 with an income of £55,000+ perform work-related tasks outside of working hours

Those earning upwards of £55,000 a year are more likely to be checking, replying to and sending work-related communications outside of working hours, 82% say they do this compared with 65% of workers earning up to £54,999.

More than half of UK adults say it is not acceptable for employers to expect their employees to participate in work-related communications outside of official working/on-call hours. Fifty-five per cent say is is unacceptable for employers to expect their employees to check for work-related communications, while 58% say the same for responding to them and 57% for sending them. Younger people tend to be most likely to believe such expectations are acceptable – for example, 56% of 16-34 year olds believe it is acceptable for employers to expect their employees to check work-related communications out of hours, compared with 34% of 35-75 year olds.

Opinion is split as to whether priority should be given to the right to disconnect or flexible working. A third (32%) say it is more important to give employees the right to disconnect than it is to give them more flexibility around the time that they work. However, a quarter (24%) believe it’s more important to give employees a degree of choice over the times they work. But more, almost 4 in 10 (37%), say both are equally important.

1 in 3 UK adults believe it is more important to give employees the right to disconnect than to give them flexibility with working hours - Ipsos

Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive UK and Ireland, Ipsos, says:

The pandemic has had a huge impact on our working patterns, providing businesses and employees an opportunity to re-evaluate the way we work. For many, this has resulted in increased flexibility, but there is also the blurring of lines between work and homelife.
There is clearly support for legislation that protects the work/life balance, but will something as prescriptive as legislation actually impinge on the flexibility many have embraced over the last two years? Businesses should work with their employees to provide an environment that offers flexibility and a healthy work/life balance, so that we can all benefit from this new way of working.

(Ipsos MORI)

11 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/6-in-10-across-uk-would-support-right-to-disconnect-law

732-734-43-28/Polls

27% Of Britons Are Favourable Towards Boris Johnson (+7 Points From February) And 52% Are Unfavourable (-6 Points)

Johnson seen as more likely to be ‘good in a crisis’ than Starmer – little to choose between the two on who would make a ‘strong’ or ‘capable leader’.
However, Starmer seen as more ‘honest’, ‘detail orientated’ and ‘in touch’ than the Prime Minister.

The latest Ipsos UK Political Pulse survey, taken March 4th to March 7th, shows public favourability towards Boris Johnson recovering to pre partygate levels following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although almost twice as many Britons remain unfavourable – rather than favourable – towards the PM.

Favourability towards Johnson and Starmer

27% of Britons are favourable towards Boris Johnson (+7 points from February) and 52% are unfavourable (-6 points).
Figures today are comparable to those witnessed in November where 24% were favourable and 51% unfavourable. However, they are still weaker than May 2021 where 40% were favourable and 40% unfavourable.
27% are favourable towards Labour leader Keir Starmer (-5 points) and 39% are unfavourable (+1 pt).
Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak continues to have the strongest levels of favourability of the politicians included in the poll. 36% are favourable towards the Chancellor (+1 pts from Feb) and 33% are unfavourable (+1pt).
Priti Patel has the comparatively weakest scores, with 51% unfavourable (-2 pts from Feb) and just one in five favourable (20%, no change).

Favoribility towards leading politicians - Ipsos - March 2022

Leadership traits

This month’s Ipsos Political Pulse asked respondents whether a series of leadership or character traits applied to Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer.
Johnson’s recovery in favourability scores is reflected in some improvement in his scores for various personality traits too. Compared to February, Johnson achieves increases of four points or more on being ‘good in a crisis’ (+4pts), a ‘strong leader’ (+4pts), a ‘capable leader’ (+5pts), putting country first (+6pts), paying attention to detail (+4pts) and being a ‘Prime Minister I am proud of’(+4 pts).
When comparing Johnson to Starmer,

Johnson leads Starmer on having a lot of personality (+31pts) and being good in a crisis (+10pts).
Starmer leads Johnson on being honest (+23pts), paying attention to detail (+19pts) and being in touch with ordinary people (+9pts).
Otherwise, there is little to choose between the two on key leadership attributes such as being a strong leader (Starmer +1pt) or a capable leader (Starmer +3pts).

Image of party leaders: Boris Johnson vs. Keir Starmer - Ipsos Political Pulse - March 2022

Elsewhere in the poll

Roughly equal numbers of Britons are favourable towards the Labour Party (29%) and Conservative Party (27%), although more are unfavourable towards the Conservatives (44%) compared to Labour (39%).

The Conservative figures have trended up slightly from February with 27% favourable (+2pts) and 44% unfavourable (-6pts).
Labour’s figures have fallen back since February, with 29% favourable (-8 points) and 39% unfavourable (no change). However, numbers are similar to January where 30% were favourable and 42% unfavourable.

24% are favourable towards the Green and 31% are unfavourable.
18% are favourable towards the Lib Dems and 36% are unfavourable.
Thinking about the country in general, 29% think things are headed in the right direction (+3 pts from Jan) and 44% say wrong direction (-4pts).
Meanwhile, 44% think Brexit has had a negative impact on the country (-3pts from Jan) and 30% say positive (+4pts). One in five say it has made no difference (19%, -2pts) with the rest indicating they don’t know (6%).

Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos, UK said of the findings:

Having seen his personal poll ratings fall sharply amidst police investigations into Downing Street parties, the Prime Minister will be pleased to see his favourability ratings rebound somewhat this month. However, Johnson’s numbers on a host of leadership attributes remain worse than they were a year ago and Labour are still ahead in the polls. So Johnson still has work to do, if he is to restore his standing with the public to where it once was.

(Ipsos MORI)

11 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/ipsos-poll-shows-public-views-towards-boris-johnson-recovering-half-still-unfavourable

732-734-43-29/Polls

Two-Thirds Of The Public Say Brands Should Take A Stance On Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has met with vocal condemnations from world leaders – and escalating economic sanctions. But with chains such as McDonalds and Starbucks shutting down business in Russia, are the public content to leave punishing Vladimir Putin up to the government?

New YouGov data reveals that two in three Britons (68%) say it’s important that brands publicly take a stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict – with fewer than one in five (17%) in dissent.

More specifically, three-quarters of the public think companies should stop doing business in Russia entirely (76% vs. 6%), and the same proportion say they should donate money and supplies to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine (77% vs. 4%). A majority also want brands to offer this kind of support to the Ukrainian army (54% vs. 15%), and issue statements in support of Ukraine (61% vs. 11%).

There could be commercial incentives for businesses that are perceived to be doing the right thing when it comes to the conflict. Three in five Britons, for example, say they would have a better opinion of a brand that stopped doing business in Russia (62%) or offered humanitarian support to Ukraine (61%).

Taking this even further, half of the public say they are more likely to buy from a brand that pledges income to Ukraine (51%) or promises money and supplies to humanitarian efforts (50%). The same proportion would reward a business that stops operating in Russia (51%).

So brands like Shell, which recently announced that it would sell its Russian investments, may have had one eye on the perceived benefits of publicly rebuking the invaders. But just as there are PR incentives for taking an anti-Putin stance, there may be considerable drawbacks if you’re – for example – caught buying barrels of Russian crude oil at a discount price.

Two in five Britons (41%) say they have either already boycotted or would consider boycotting a brand that continues doing business in the invading country, while one in five (20%) say they would stop buying from a company that has not pledged any support for or made any public statements about Ukraine.

(YouGov UK)

March 14, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2022/03/14/two-thirds-public-say-brands-should-take-stance-uk

732-734-43-30/Polls

War In Ukraine Leads To Spiking Stress, Fear, And Sadness Among Britons

The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is being felt around the world, as Cold-War tensions between the superpowers of the East and West resurface. While those in Britain remain far from the frontlines, the war is nevertheless taking an emotional toll on the public.

The latest data from YouGov's "mood tracker" shows feelings of stress, fear, and sadness have all in recent days.

Another fifth report feeling scared in the last week (23%), a leap of 13pts versus 17^th February – and the highest since the previous peak of 36% in mid-March 2020. This rise has been steepest among the oldest Britons – many of whom will no doubt be drawing parallels between recent events and the nuclear tensions of the 60s. The number of those 65 and over feeling scared rose 16pts from 6% in mid-February to 22% now.

Coupled with this, the proportion of people feeling happy has also dropped 8pts (to 38%) compared to the middle of February – representing its lowest point since March 2021.

Finally, approaching half (47%) of Britons say they have felt stressed in the past week – up 7pts. The last time this many Britons reported feeling stressed was late-March 2020 – again, amidst the uncertainty of the first pandemic lockdown. Young people are particularly hard hit by stress, with two-thirds of those aged 18 to 24 (66%) feeling this way recently - double that of their elders. In comparison, 54% of those aged between 25-49 and 42% of 50- to 64-year-olds feel the same, as do 30% of those 65 and over.

(YouGov UK)

March 14, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2022/03/14/war-ukraine-leads-spiking-stress-fear-sadness-

732-734-43-31/Polls

Confidence In The Police Sinks In Two Years

Conservative voters are more likely to think the police are doing a good job (61%) than Labour voters (44%). The collapse of approval in the police has been particularly acute among Labour voters, falling 31pts from 75% in February 2020.

Britons are losing confidence in the police’s ability to deal with crime locally

As approval of the police declines, so does Britons’ confidence in the police’s ability to deal with crime in their local area. The proportion of Britons saying they have ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ of confidence in the police’s ability to tackle local crime now sits at 43%, and around half (47%) of the public now have ‘not very much confidence’ or ‘no confidence at all’ in the police.

Again, confidence in the police has fallen more dramatically among Labour voters than Conservative ones. Both groups had the same level of confidence in the police in February 2020 (56%), but while this has since fallen to 47% among Tories, it has sunk to just 35% among Labour voters.

Britons tend to think crime has gone up – but fewer think crime is on the rise in their local area

A consistently high proportion of Britons think that crime has gone up nationally – latest YouGov data shows that 61% of the public believe crime has risen over the last few years. One in six (17%) think the level of crime across Britain has remained constant, while just 4% think it has gone down and 17% are unsure.

When it comes to crime in their local area, Britons are much more split, although similarly few think that crime has gone down. One in three (37%) think crime has risen in their local area over the last few years, while 39% say it has stayed the same, 5% think it has gone down and 20% are unsure.

(YouGov UK)

March 15, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/15/confidence-police-sinks-two-years

732-734-43-32/Polls

8 In 10 Britons Are Concerned About The UK's Dependence On Foreign Countries For Its Energy Supply

More than four fifths are concerned about the UK’s reliance on energy imports and feel there is a chance that energy supplies to people’s homes could be affected These concerns are against a backdrop of already high levels of concern about energy prices. Nine in ten (88%) said they are concerned about the price that households in the UK have to pay for their home energy (electricity and/or gas) at the moment, with levels of concern highest amongst older participants. There is also a strong perception that the price that UK households pay for their home energy will increase in the next 6 months (70% think prices will increase a lot).

When considering how Britain should become less reliant on imported energy, the public are most likely to support investing more in renewable energy and reducing energy use through improving the energy efficiency of homes and businesses (both 77%). These levels of support did not drop substantially even if the change leads to increases in energy bills or taxes: when asked to consider how much they support investment in renewables or energy efficiency, over seven in ten UK adults still supported these initiatives to reduce the country’s reliance on imported energy.

Support for investment remains strong even if this leads to increases in energy bills or taxes - Ipsos

Levels of support were lower for investing in nuclear energy (53% support) or re-starting or increasing the UK’s own production of fossil fuels (51% support).

Bridget Williams, Research Director at Ipsos, says:

The current energy crisis and high cost of energy bills, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and discussions around reliance on Russian oil and gas imports, appear to have brought issues of energy security more top of mind to the British public recently. Many are concerned about energy bills now, and how these will change in the future. The public also see increasing chances that events may cause interruptions to energy supplies in the future.
While many solutions to reduce our future reliance on energy imports will take time to implement, it is encouraging to see strong support for policies which improve the UK’s energy security, even if it leads to short-term pain for households through higher bills and taxes.

(Ipsos MORI)

15 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/8-in-10-britons-are-concerned-about-uks-dependence-foreign-countries-for-its-energy-supply

732-734-43-33/Polls

7 In 10 Britons Support Assisted Dying In Latest Ipsos Poll

Conditions under which patients would be able to request this course of action were shown to survey respondents: the patient must be 18 or over and have made a voluntary decision to end their life (signed in front of witnesses) with time to consider other options, two doctors must agree the patient is of sound mind, terminally ill and believed to have six months or less to live, and the High Court confirms it is satisfied these conditions have been met.

A chart showing 69% support and 16% opposed to a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending their life by prescribing life ending medication

A chart showing 68% support and 18% oppose a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending their life by administering life ending medication

A majority of Britons (61%) also support doctors being able to prescribe life ending medication to patients who are not terminally ill but are physically suffering in a way that the patient finds unbearable and which cannot be cured or improved under existing medical science.

However, Britons are more divided over the same question if the patient is mentally suffering in a way they find unbearable with 39% supporting and 35% opposed.

A chart showing support and opposition for assisted dying in non-terminal cases

Gideon Skinner, Research Director at Ipsos said: “The issue of assisted dying has always been sensitive and, understandably, highly emotive – and public opinion is just one part of that argument. Even so, the results of Ipsos’ new polling shows that a majority of Britons support the legalisation of assisted dying under specific conditions, as has been seen in previous polls on this matter. Around one in six are against legalisation, although opposition increases in the case of non-terminal mental or emotional suffering, even if the patient finds it unbearable.”

(Ipsos MORI)

16 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/7-10-britons-support-assisted-dying-latest-ipsos-poll

732-734-43-34/Polls

85% Of Britons Say They Have Heard Of The Ukrainian Leader

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has won admirers across the world for rallying his country in the face of Russian aggression, and his decision to stay in Kyiv despite the proximity of Russian forces and covert hit squads in the capital looking to assassinate him.

By contrast, Russian president Vladimir Putin is near-universally reviled. Fully 92% of Britons have an unfavourable view of him, including 87% with a “very unfavourable” view. Just 2% say they have a favourable view.

The survey of attitudes to world leaders shows that the British public are divided on Joe Biden, with 40% thinking positively of him but 42% thinking negatively. Britons are, however, more likely to have a “very unfavourable” view of the US president (15%) than a “very favourable” one (4%).

Currently, a third of Britons (34%) have a negative view of Boris Johnson, versus 57% who have a positive one. This compares to 66% who had an unfavourable view of the prime minister a week prior to the invasion of Ukraine, and 27% who had a favourable one.

French president Emmanuel Macron is seem positively by 28% of Britons and negatively by 45%.

Finally, the new German chancellor – Olaf Scholz – remains largely unknown to the British public three months into his tenure. Half (52%) say they have not heard of him, while a further 21% have but don’t know what to make of him. Around one in six (16%) have a favourable view of the SPD politician, while 11% hold an unfavourable view.

By contrast, only 7% of Britons had not heard of Angela Merkel in July 2021. At the eve of her departure, 46% of Britons had a positive view of the then-chancellor vs 31% who had an negative one.

(YouGov UK)

March 17, 2022

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/17/what-do-britons-think-ukrainian-president-volodymy

732-734-43-35/Polls

Three In Four (76%) Expect The Economy To Get Worse Over The Next Twelve Months

76% think economy will get worse in the next 12 months. This matches the worst ever levels in 44 years of tracking (in 2008 and 1980).
Boris Johnson’s leader ratings recover to pre partygate levels, but 6 in 10 still dissatisfied.
Labour retains 4 point lead (down from 9 points in January)

Economic optimism

76% think the economy will worsen in the next 12 months (+20 points from January), 14% think it will improve (-13 points from January).
This gives an Ipsos Economic Optimism Index of -62, the worst score since July 2008. In January it was -29.
Economic optimism is weaker than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 69% expected the economy to worsen over the next year in March 2020. It is also weaker than October 1992 when it stood at 60%. The only times Ipsos has recorded similar levels of economic pessimism are January 1980 (74%) and July 2008 (75%).

EOI

Leader satisfaction

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s satisfaction ratings have improved from his record low last month.
31% are satisfied with the job Mr Johnson is doing as Prime Minister (+7 points from January) and 59% are dissatisfied (down 11 points). In November – before the partygate story broke – his scores were 34% satisfied and 61% dissatisfied.

Satisfaction

67% of Conservative supporters are satisfied with the job Mr Johnson is doing (+10 points from January) and 26% are dissatisfied (down 8 points).
Ratings for the government as a whole are identical. 31% are satisfied (+6 points) and 59% dissatisfied (- 8 points).
Meanwhile, 33% are satisfied with the job Keir Starmer is doing as Labour leader (unchanged from January) and 43% are dissatisfied (down 5 points).
Keir Starmer’s ratings amongst Labour supporters have improved this month. 58% are satisfied with the job he is doing (+3 points) and 26% are dissatisfied (- 8 points).
Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey remains something of an unknown with the British public as half (50%) say they don’t know whether they are satisfied with the job he is doing or not. 22% are satisfied and 28% dissatisfied.

Handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

46% are satisfied with how the government is handling the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with 38% dissatisfied.
This is slightly better than how the government were deemed to be handling the crisis in Libya in March 2011 (42% satisfied / 42% dissatisfied).
But 64% were satisfied with how the government were handling the situation in the Gulf in January 1991 and Mrs Thatcher’s government hit highs of 84% satisfied for its handling of the Falklands war in May and June 1982 (although 60% were satisfied when the war began in April 1982).

Voting intention

Labour are on 39% (down 1 point from January) and the Conservatives are on 35% (+4 points). The Lib Dems are on 10% (down 3 points) and the Greens are on 7% (down 2 points).

Gideon Skinner, Head of Politics at Ipsos in the UK, says of the findings:

Amidst public concerns about the rising cost of living and the impact of the war in Ukraine, economic optimism has dropped sharply amongst all groups (including Conservative supporters). It is now comparable with the worst scores we have ever recorded in over 40 years – worse than at the start of the pandemic and during Black Wednesday, and only matched by the very high levels of pessimism during the summer of 2008 and at the start of 1980. So although there is some good news for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives, who see some recovery from their own low scores at the start of the year, the amount Britons are worrying about the future means they still face challenges ahead.

(Ipsos MORI)

18 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/ipsos-poll-shows-economic-optimism-falls-lowest-2008-financial-crash

732-734-43-36/Polls

Two Out Of Three French People Have Already Practiced Skiing

“The 36% increase in 2022 compared to the 2019-2020 season in planned arrivals for Zone C, which concerns Paris and the Paris region in particular, confirms our results. underlines Yves Bardon, director of the Flair program , Ipsos Knowledge Centre.

2 out of 3 French people have already worn

But even if 34% of French people occasionally go to the mountains in winter, it is not always to go skiing.

14% of French people say they ski often , a figure that rises to 21% among CSP+, and 17% among men, more numerous than women (11%). 24% of French people claim to ski from time to time, and 28% practice this sport more rarely.

But skiing remains the prerogative of a minority of French people: 34% say they have never skied in their life. A figure that rises to 38% among retired or inactive French people.

For Yves Bardon. “The proportion of French people who spend their winter holidays in the mountains during the winter holidays has only increased by 3% since 2010; this is room for improvement to demonstrate that ski holidays are not immune to the democratization of most leisure activities, even if they may reflect geographical and financial disparities between territories and incomes! ".

French skiers, self-taught

Among these skiers, the majority (42%) claim to have started on the slopes between the ages of 10 and 19. For a third of French skiers, this initiation took place earlier, at less than 10 years old (34%).

What is the ski level of the French? Among the classification of ESF levels, the most achieved levels are 1st and 3rd star (9%). Very few French people have a higher level with only 2% who have obtained their gold star and 1% the professional level .

In their learning, the French have rather practiced alone: 4 out of 10 skiers (40%) have never taken ski lessons, and 12% have taken lessons, but without ever validating their level.

(Ipsos France)

March 1, 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/presidentielle-2022/deux-francais-sur-trois-ont-deja-pratique-le-ski

732-734-43-37/Polls

91% Of French People Have A Good Opinion Of Farmers

In the midst of a health crisis, farmers take 4th place among the favorite professions of the French (cited by 32% of those interviewed) , behind firefighters (60%), nurses (50%) and doctors (47%) but far ahead of police officers and teachers (22%) or even pharmacists (13%). Bankers bring up the rear of this ranking (2%).

9 out of 10 French people have a good opinion of farmers (91%). For their part, farmers are much less convinced that the French like them (only 59% are aware of this). The French, however, trust them massively to offer quality agricultural products (86%), to ensure a good level of health safety for their products (82%) or to pay more and more attention to the well-being of animals that they raise (78%). To a lesser extent, a majority of French people also have confidence in themselves to pay attention to the impacts of their activities on global warming (61%) or to use pesticides and phytosanitary products responsibly (59%).

The efforts undertaken in recent years are recognized by all. Farmers are perceived as having done more in recent years to offer quality products (68% of French people think so but also 83% of farmers), ensure health safety (64% of French people and 81% of farmers) but also to avoid as much as possible to pollute soil and water (54% of French people and 84% of farmers) and pay attention to the impacts of their activities on global warming (52% of French people and 75% of farmers).

But for the French and the farmers, French agriculture is in danger and this could have serious consequences.

Farmer: a profession that the French perceive as very devastated, much more than farmers who defend their quality of life even if all is not rosy. For the majority of French people, the situation of farmers is bad, whether it is the quality of life (67%), working time (77%) or the ability to go on vacation (81%). Moreover, only 1 out of 2 French people would advise their child to become a farmer. But farmers are less pessimistic, they claim their quality of life (78%) but are less satisfied with their working time (only 52% believe that the situation is good) and holidays (33%). On the other hand, the majority consider that their situation is deteriorating (56%).

The French and the farmers consider that French agriculture is today in danger and that it risks disappearing (respectively 85% and 93%) . The vast majority fear the consequences and in particular that France will end up being dependent on other countries to feed its population if the population of farmers continues to decline (76% of French people and 82% of farmers).

Moreover, the French are showing themselves to be more and more attentive to the origin of the agricultural products they consume and favor those of their local farmers.

Local products, a guarantee of satisfaction but also of pride . The French are now massively convinced that the food products offered by farmers in their region are tastier (80%), more respectful of health rules and the environment (76%) and even more original (54%). The French even say that the agricultural products of their region are part of their heritage (88%), that they are among the best in France (72%) and that some of them are found nowhere else (67% ). In short, they are proud of it (87%).

Local origin, a real criterion for choice and purchase. Moreover, when they go shopping, they say they pay attention to the fact that the product is made in France (88%), in their region (79%), but also choose according to the labels on the products (75% ) or take into account their method of selection in stores (70%). More than 8 out of 10 French people even say they prefer to pay a little more for my food products and be certain that they come from France or their region (83%).

For the French as for farmers: there is an urgent need to help French agriculture, in particular by making it less fragile in the face of competition from other countries.

For the vast majority of French people and farmers, it is urgent to take measures to help French farmers (respectively 64% and 81%).Among the most urgent measures to be taken, they would like, as a priority, to make farmers less fragile in the face of competition from other countries whose agricultures are less respectful of the environment and health standards (89% of farmers and 74% of French people consider it “urgent”). They also consider that it is urgent that we guarantee them a fixed income (57% of farmers and 67% of French people), that we allow them to take sick or maternity leave under good conditions when they need it ( 54% of farmers and 61% of French people) or that we help them to promote their activity to transmit their farm more easily when they retire (48% of farmers and 55% of French people).

Very strong expectations with regard to large retailers to help French farmers (97% of French people and 96% of farmers) . Moreover, the vast majority of people questioned even expect these brands to invest “much more” in supporting farmers: this is the case for 69% of French people and even 81% of farmers.

(Ipsos France)

March 4, 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/91-des-francais-ont-une-bonne-opinion-des-agriculteurs

732-734-43-38/Polls

76% Of French People Claim To Know The Difference Between Criminal Majority And Criminal Responsibility

Criminal responsibility is the age at which a minor can be found guilty of an offence. When the criminal majority is reached, the minor no longer benefits from a reduction in sentence.

76% of French people claim to know the difference between criminal majority and criminal responsibility, a figure drawn up by the inhabitants of the Paris region (82%). 27% of French people even say they know exactly the difference.

What age to be responsible?

If in France the criminal majority can be engaged from the age of 13, 56% of respondents think that it is between 14 and 16 years old.

- Criminal liability from the age of 13 :
43% of French people think this is a good thing vs 34% who believe that it should be reached after 13 years. The French with children observe a more nuanced opinion since they are 41% to think that it should be reached after 13 years.

- Penal majority fixed at 18 years in France:

Among the French who agree on the criminal majority before 18 years (44%), 50% of them think that it should be fixed at 16 years and 79% between 15 and 16 years.

18-24 year olds are more in favor of postponing it after 18 (23%).

Minors and prison

Today in France, children under 13 cannot go to prison. 43% of French people, however, think that this should be the case. On the question, we see a strong difference between Men and Women (50% vs 36%)

Nevertheless, from the age of 16, a minor can go to prison if he commits an offence. 56% of French people think that people under 16 should go to prison if they commit a crime. A figure pulled up by 65% of men who share the same opinion.

Military service for all

Nearly 7 out of 10 French people (68%) are in favor of military service for all. They seem to be even more so for minors who have committed offenses (79%).

(YouGov France)

March 8, 2022

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2022/03/08/positionnement-francais-delinquance-juvenile/

732-734-43-39/Polls

61% Of French People Have Never Heard Of The Concept Of Metaverse

But behind the "hype" aroused by this project supposed to tip the world into an ever more digitized future, what about the perception of the French? Are they familiar with the concept of metaverse and what activities in their daily life are they really ready to digitize?

61% of French people have never heard of the concept of metaverse

A metaverse is defined as a set of virtual worlds in which an Internet user creates his avatar and can interact with others, in augmented or virtual reality. These platforms are for entertainment. They originally came from the world of video games, but the idea is to be able to play there, attend concerts, go shopping there, etc.

Individuals who at least partially understand the concept of metaverse constitute 30% of the population. This figure rises to 48% among 18-24 year olds and drops to 19% among those over 55.

More than a quarter of French people are interested in shopping via a metaverse

Musical events and shopping are the two activities for which the French express the most interest vis-à-vis metavers, with 28% and 27% respectively. Interest in these two activities even reaches 42% and 50% among 18-24 year olds. Finally, one in five French people (21%) is interested in the possibility of working through a metaverse.

In addition, more than half of 18-24 year olds indicated that they were interested in attending shows on a set (show, debate, interview, etc.) via a metaverse (51%).

Nearly one in two young people between the ages of 18 and 24 say they are ready to visit a tourist destination or an amusement park through a metaverse

Tourist destinations and amusement parks are the places that 18-24 year olds most want to visit through a metaverse, with 47% and 46% curiosity respectively. In line with their interest in shopping seen in the previous graph, ready-to-wear stores come in 4th position with 26%.

Entertainment, leisure, travel: which actors have a card to play?

Top 5 brands for which French people aged 18 to 24 expressed the most purchase intention in 2021 in the Destination, Amusement Parks & Museums, Fashion Retail and TV & Video Services sectors

Disneyland Paris and H&M clearly stand out from their competitors in terms of Intention to Purchase among 18-24 year olds. In terms of destinations, Italy and Greece are the places most popular with young French people. Finally, in terms of TV & Video Services channels, Netflix (64%) is far ahead of linear television channels TF1 (33.2%) and M6 (29.3%).

(YouGov France)

March 8, 2022

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2022/03/08/marques-qui-gagneraient-a-miser-sur-le-metaverse/

732-734-43-40/Polls

37% Of French Women Consider That Prioritizing Their Family Life Is A Threat To Their Career

Having to choose between professional life and family responsibilities and facing discrimination at work when you are a woman are also a problem for 14% of French people , as are all the tasks they have to perform without pay.

From this point of view, France is well behind the world average: 32% of French people (34% of men and 30% of women) say they think that men and women are treated on the same level in their place work compared to 44% of those interviewed worldwide.

Women are also not equal to men when it comes to the impact of family responsibilities on their careers

More than one in three people globally believe that having a family penalizes women (35%, including 26% of men and 43% of women) and 3 in 10 women also say their careers would have been different without these responsibilities. That said, the perception of the French is less negative, with 18% sharing the idea that having a family penalizes women, even if the perception diverges between men (12%) and women (23%, almost twice more).

The balance between personal and professional life is a difficult exercise which also complicates the prospects for development because they deprive of two advantages: socialization and availability.

Not being able to share moments with colleagues outside of strict working hours because you have to take care of your family harms your career more or less directly for 21% of women in the world, compared to 13% of men ( 22% of women vs 12% of men in France).

Not being reachable outside contractual time is also perceived as a risk for 28% of women (vs. 15% of men) – 29% of women vs. 15% of men in France.

In this context, even talking about your family can seem detrimental to 22% of women (13% of men) – a result that is fortunately more nuanced in France with 12% of men and 18% of women.

We will therefore not be surprised that putting your family life before your professional life threatens a priori the career of women for 36% of them (vs. 19% of men), 37% of women vs. 22% of men in France .

Despite these differences, men's and women's expectations of work flexibility are comparable globally: 39% of women and 37% of men would like to choose when they start and end their work , 31% would be happy to choose place of work (32% / 30%) and a quarter (in equal proportions regardless of gender) would like to work fewer hours per week or concentrate their hours to work fewer days in the week and free up time for self, the issue no. 1.

(Ipsos France)

March 9, 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/37-des-francaises-considerent-que-privilegier-leur-vie-de-famille-est-une-menace-pour-leur-carriere

732-734-43-41/Polls

Despite An Increasing Amount Of Time Spent On Screens, Young People Still Read As Much

13-19 year olds have an average of 3 personal screens, compared to 1.6 on average for 7-12 year olds. The smartphone is the fetish terminal of teenagers (90% of equipment).

The Internet has become their No. 1 medium, for watching videos, chatting with loved ones, listening to music, or playing video games:

6 hours per week for children under 6 years old
9 hours per week for 7-12 year olds
Nearly 18 hours per week for ages 13 and up

In a context of media diversification, the press is consolidating its audience:

74% of 1-6 year olds have read at least one youth press title
71% of 7-12 year olds have read at least one youth press title
32% of over 13s have read at least one youth press title

Youth remains one of the periods of life during which we read the most.

91% of 1-6 year olds have read a book in the last 3 months
80% of 7-12s have read a book in the past 3 months
61% of over 13s have read a book in the last 3 months

More and more equipped “adol-screens”

The computer is the second screen favored by those over 13: they are nearly 7 out of 10 (69%) to have one. However, there remains a secondary device for 7-12 year olds (19% equipment). The game console remains a popular terminal, since 58% of 7-12 year olds and 63% of over 13 year olds have a personal console. If this rate is in slight erosion, this does not mean that young people play less, on the contrary: part of their practice has now migrated from the console to the computer, and especially to the smartphone.

A multiplication of digital uses

If the equipment of the under 20s evolves and differs according to age, screen time is increasing for all the children questioned, mainly to the benefit of the internet.

How is this time consumed? Mainly to watch videos on streaming platforms, replay channels and SVOD platforms: Netflix in the lead (70% of over 13s), followed by Amazon PrimeVideo and Disney. The uses then diverge according to age: those under 12 also use the Internet to watch live television and tutorials, while those over 13 favor above all social use: social networks carried by video (Youtube, Snapshat, Instagram, TikTok) and video games (Fortnite, Discord, Twitch), and instant messaging. Listening to music is also one of the most popular uses, on YouTube, Spotify and Deezer.

Children under 12 still addicted to reading and the youth press

Despite this appetite for the screens, those under 20 remain faithful to reading the press, especially the youth press. This practice is still significant among children under 12: more than 7 out of 10 (71%) consult it regularly (+1 point since 2018). Same trend among 1-6 year olds, who are 74% read (+4 points since 2018).

This appetite does not decline among " screen addicts ", showing that the practice of screens does not slow down the reading of young people: 35% of adolescents read the youth press, and this rate remains at 32% among the biggest consumers of screens.

Among young people's favorite press titles are Petit Ours Brun, Popi and J'aime Lire, published by Bayard; Picsou and Le Journal de Mickey, from the publisher UHM. What arouses attachment to magazines? A moment of sharing and exchange for the youngest, a desire to relax and have fun for the elders. Like what, among young people too, reading remains synonymous with leisure and escape!

(Ipsos France)

March 18, 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/malgre-un-temps-croissant-passe-sur-les-ecrans-les-jeunes-lisent-toujours-autant

732-734-43-42/Polls

The Majority Of Germans Do Not Know The Minimum Holding Period When Buying E-Cars

In order to achieve the climate goals that have been set and the desired turnaround in traffic, switching to an electric car must also be financially attractive for consumers. Therefore, the German state is currently promoting the purchase of an e-car with a bonus of up to 9,000 euros, which is paid out after registration. However, car buyers must take into account a minimum holding period of six months. This means that the subsidy must be repaid by the consumer if the vehicle is sold again before six months have elapsed. Only slightly more than every fourth German is aware of this fact (27 percent), men more often than women (35 percent vs. 19 percent). However, 60 percent of all respondents were not aware of this fact before the survey.

One in four could imagine buying an e-car under the current minimum holding period regulations

Under the current framework conditions, i.e. the minimum holding period of 6 months in order not to have to pay back the state subsidy, one in four Germans (26 percent) can imagine buying an electric car within the next two years, two thirds (66 percent) on the other hand not. There is a significant difference between the sexes: 30 percent of men can imagine buying an electric car, given the current minimum holding period of six months, compared to 23 percent of women. A look at the age groups shows that the 25 to 34 year olds in particular can imagine buying an electric car with the current minimum holding period regulation (38 percent). Among those aged 55 and over, only 19 percent do so.

(YouGov Germany)

March 15, 2022

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2022/03/15/mehrheit-der-deutschen-kennt-mindesthaltedauer-bei/

732-734-43-43/Polls

Energy Supply Is The Most Important Issue For Germans, Ahead Of Environmental Protection

This is the result of a current survey by the Data & Analytics Group YouGov, for which 1,841 eligible respondents were surveyed between March 9th, 2022 and March 13th, 2022 using standardized online interviews.

Satisfaction with the federal government has increased since the Ukraine crisis

At the beginning of February, more than half of those surveyed (58 percent) stated that they were (rather) dissatisfied with the work of the traffic light government so far, almost a third was (rather) satisfied with their work (32 percent). A more positive picture is currently emerging: 41 percent of Germans say they are satisfied with the work of the federal government, the proportion of those who are not satisfied with the government has fallen by 10 percentage points compared to early February to 48 percent. This increasing approval of the basic work of the federal government coincides with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the associated decisions and measures by Chancellor Scholz and his government.

Satisfaction levels for Annalena Baerbock and Christian Lindner are increasing

Before the war broke out in Ukraine at the beginning of February, every third German voter (34 percent) said that Annalena Baerbock was doing a good job as foreign minister. Since the beginning of the war, the figure has risen to 48 percent. At the same time, the figure for those who are dissatisfied with their work has fallen from 50 percent to 38 percent. The values for Finance Minister Christian Lindner are also positive: 43 percent of Germans currently believe that Lindner is doing a good job, while 36 percent say he is doing a bad job.

The voting intentions of the Germans – SPD and Union are getting closer

26 percent of German voters currently state that they will vote for the CDU/CSU if the general election is next Sunday. The SPD would currently choose 25 percent. Accordingly, the SPD gains further percentage points and the lead of the Union shrinks to 1 percentage point. The Greens currently have 17 percent of the votes, the values for the FDP fall slightly to 7 percent (9 percent in the previous week). The left can unite an unchanged 6 percent, and the AfD also remains unchanged at 11 percent in the voting intention of German voters.

(YouGov Germany)

March 16, 2022

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2022/03/16/energieversorgung-wichtigste-thema-fur-die-deutsch/

NORTH AMERICA

732-734-43-44/Polls

Most In The U S Say Young Adults Today Face More Challenges Than Their Parents’ Generation In Some Key Areas

There’s less consensus when it comes to assessing labor market outcomes for young people today compared with their parents’ generation. Similar shares say finding a job is easier (40%) as say it is harder (39%) for young adults today. A smaller share of U.S. adults (21%) say it’s about the same.

When it comes to finding a spouse or partner, Americans are more than twice as likely to say younger adults today have it harder than their parents’ generation (46%) than to say they have it easier (21%). Around a third (32%) say it’s about the same.

On some other measures, Americans are more positive in their assessments of young adults’ circumstances. A significant majority of U.S. adults (74%) say it is easier for younger generations today to stay in touch with family and friends. Only 14% say this is harder for young adults compared with their parents’ generation. A plurality (41%) says getting into college is easier for young adults today compared with their parents’ generation; 33% say it’s harder for young adults today and 26% say it’s about the same.

There are notable age differences when it comes to assessing the circumstances of young adults today.

While majorities across all age groups say young adults have it harder when it comes to buying a home, saving for the future and paying for college, Americans ages 18 to 29 are more likely than older age groups to say this. More than eight-in-ten adults younger than 30 (84%) say buying a home is harder for young adults today, while 80% say the same about saving for the future and paying for college. Among those ages 30 to 49, 72% say buying a home and paying for college is harder for young adults today, and 74% say this about saving for the future. Those 50 and older are the least likely to say these measures are harder for younger generations to reach, with 63% saying this about buying a home, 67% saying this about saving for the future, and 66% saying this about paying for college.

When it comes to finding a job, younger Americans are again the most likely to say this is harder for young adults today. Overall, 55% of 18- to 29-year-olds say finding a job is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. About four-in-ten or less of those ages 30 to 49 and those 50 and older say this about young adults (39% and 33%, respectively). There are also double-digit differences between the views of adults younger than 30 and those ages 50 or older when it comes to finding a spouse or partner (52% of 18- to 29-year-olds say this is harder for young adults today vs. 42% in the older group) and getting into college (45% vs. 27%, respectively). In fact, a plurality of adults 50 and older say getting into college is easier today (44%). There are no large differences by age on the measure of staying in touch with family and friends.

Generally, these views differ only modestly by gender, with one exception. On finding a spouse or partner, about half of women (51%) – compared with 40% of men – say this is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. This gap is only present among those ages 30 and older; roughly equal shares of women (53%) and men (52%) younger than 30 say this is harder for young adults today. Notably, women in older age groups give similar answers as younger women, while older men are less likely than their younger counterparts to say finding a spouse or partner is harder for young adults today (42% of men 30 to 49 and 34% of men 50 and older say this).

Finally, on most of these measures, there are no significant differences between adults who are parents of children ages 18 to 29 and those who are not. On a few items where such differences exist, they tend to disappear when looking at adults 50 and older. The only item where such differences persist among older adults is on assessments of finding a job. Interestingly, those 50 and older who are parents of adult children ages 18 to 29 are more likely than those in the same age group who do not have young adult children to say young adults today have it easier when it comes to finding a job (47% vs. 42%, respectively).

(PEW)

FEBRUARY 28, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/28/most-in-the-u-s-say-young-adults-today-face-more-challenges-than-their-parents-generation-in-some-key-areas/

732-734-43-45/Polls

The Changing Political Geography Of Covid-19 Over The Last Two Years

Over the past two years, the official count of coronavirus deaths in the United States has risen and is now approaching 1 million lives. Large majorities of Americans say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died of the coronavirus, and it has impacted – in varying degrees – nearly every aspect of life.

Chart shows two years of coronavirus deaths in the United States

A timeline of the shifting geography of the pandemic

Monthly reported coronavirus deaths per 100,000 residents by county

Source: Pew Research Center analysis of COVID-19 data collected by The New York Times as of Feb. 28, 2022. See methodology for details.
“The Changing Political Geography of COVID-19 Over the Last Two Years”

The pandemic has rolled across the U.S. unevenly and in waves. Today, the death toll of the pandemic looks very different from how it looked in the early part of 2020. The first wave (roughly the first 125,000 deaths from March 2020 through June 2020) was largely geographically concentrated in the Northeast and in particular the New York City region. During the summer of 2020, the largest share of the roughly 80,000 deaths that occurred during the pandemic’s second wave were in the southern parts of the country.

The fall and winter months of 2020 and early 2021 were the deadliest of the pandemic to date. More than 370,000 Americans died of COVID-19 between October 2020 and April 2021; the geographic distinctions that characterized the earlier waves became much less pronounced.

Chart shows COVID-19 initially ravaged the most densely populated parts of the U.S., but that pattern has changed substantially over the past two years

By the spring and summer of 2021, the nationwide death rate had slowed significantly, and vaccines were widely available to all adults who wanted them. But starting at the end of the summer, the fourth and fifth waves (marked by new variants of the virus, delta and then omicron) came in quick succession and claimed more than 300,000 lives.

In many cases, the characteristics of communities that were associated with higher death rates at the beginning of the pandemic are now associated with lower death rates (and vice versa). Early in the pandemic, urban areas were disproportionately impacted. During the first wave, the coronavirus death rate in the 10% of the country that lives in the most densely populated counties was more than nine times that of the death rate among the 10% of the population living in the least densely populated counties. In each subsequent wave, however, the nation’s least dense counties have registered higher death rates than the most densely populated places.

Despite the staggering death toll in densely populated urban areas during the first months of the pandemic (an average 36 monthly deaths per 100,000 residents), the overall death rate over the course of the pandemic is slightly higher in the least populated parts of the country (an average monthly 15 deaths per 100,000 among the 10% living in the least densely populated counties vs. 13 per 100,000 among the 10% in the most densely populated counties).

Chart shows initially, deaths from COVID-19 were concentrated in Democratic-leaning areas; the highest overall death toll is now in the 20% of the country that is most GOP-leaning

As the relationship between population density and coronavirus death rates has changed over the course of the pandemic, so too has the relationship between counties’ voting patterns and their death rates from COVID-19.

In the spring of 2020, the areas recording the greatest numbers of deaths were much more likely to vote Democratic than Republican. But by the third wave of the pandemic, which began in fall 2020, the pattern had reversed: Counties that voted for Donald Trump over Joe Biden were suffering substantially more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic than those that voted for Biden over Trump. This reversal is likely a result of several factors including differences in mitigation efforts and vaccine uptake, demographic differences, and other differences that are correlated with partisanship at the county level.

Chart shows in early phase of pandemic, far more COVID-19 deaths in counties that Biden would go on to win; since then, there have been many more deaths in pro-Trump counties

During this third wave – which continued into early 2021 – the coronavirus death rate among the 20% of Americans living in counties that supported Trump by the highest margins in 2020 was about 170% of the death rate among the one-in-five Americans living in counties that supported Biden by the largest margins.

As vaccines became more widely available, this discrepancy between “blue” and “red” counties became even larger as the virulent delta strain of the pandemic spread across the country during the summer and fall of 2021, even as the total number of deaths fell somewhat from its third wave peak.

Photo shows a testing site at Dayton General Hospital in Dayton, Washington, in October 2021. A testing site at Dayton General Hospital in Dayton, Washington, in October 2021. (Nick Otto for The Washington Post)

During the fourth wave of the pandemic, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were about four times what they were in the most pro-Biden counties. When the highly transmissible omicron variant began to spread in the U.S. in late 2021, these differences narrowed substantially. However, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were still about 180% of what they were in the most pro-Biden counties throughout late 2021 and early 2022.

The cumulative impact of these divergent death rates is a wide difference in total deaths from COVID-19 between the most pro-Trump and most pro-Biden parts of the country. Since the pandemic began, counties representing the 20% of the population where Trump ran up his highest margins in 2020 have experienced nearly 70,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than have the counties representing the 20% of population where Biden performed best. Overall, the COVID-19 death rate in all counties Trump won in 2020 is substantially higher than it is in counties Biden won (as of the end of February 2022, 326 per 100,000 in Trump counties and 258 per 100,000 in Biden counties).

Partisan divide in COVID-19 deaths widened as more vaccines became available

Partisan differences in COVID-19 death rates expanded dramatically after the availability of vaccines increased. Unvaccinated people are at far higher risk of death and hospitalization from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and vaccination decisions are strongly associated with partisanship. Among the large majority of counties for which reliable vaccination data exists, counties that supported Trump at higher margins have substantially lower vaccination rates than those that supported Biden at higher margins.

Photo shows an Army soldier preparing to immunize a woman for COVID-19 at a state-run vaccination site at Miami Dade College North Campus in North Miami, Florida, in March 2021. An Army soldier prepares to immunize a woman for COVID-19 at a state-run vaccination site at Miami Dade College North Campus in North Miami, Florida, in March 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Counties with lower rates of vaccination registered substantially greater death rates during each wave in which vaccines were widely available.

Chart shows counties that Biden won in 2020 have higher vaccination rates than counties Trump won

During the fall of 2021 (roughly corresponding to the delta wave), about 10% of Americans lived in counties with adult vaccination rates lower than 40% as of July 2021. Death rates in these low-vaccination counties were about six times as high as death rates in counties where 70% or more of the adult population was vaccinated.

More Americans were vaccinated heading into the winter of 2021 and 2022 (roughly corresponding to the omicron wave), but nearly 10% of the country lived in areas where less than half of the adult population was vaccinated as of November 2021. Death rates in these low-vaccination counties were roughly twice what they were in counties that had 80% or more of their population vaccinated. (Note: The statistics here reflect the death rates in the county as a whole, not rates for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, though individual-level data finds that death rates among unvaccinated people are far higher than among vaccinated people.)

(PEW)

MARCH 03, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/03/03/the-changing-political-geography-of-covid-19-over-the-last-two-years/

732-734-43-46/Polls

With Legislative Redistricting At A Crucial Stage, Most Americans Don’t Feel Strongly About It

Just 14% of U.S. adults say they have heard a lot about the redistricting process in their state, according to a mid-January Pew Research Center survey. Overall, more than eight-in-ten Americans (85%) say they have heard a little or nothing at all about legislative redistricting in their state.

While somewhat more Americans are dissatisfied (24%) than satisfied (19%) with how redistricting is being handled, 55% say they are not sure.

Over the past several months, state legislatures and independent commissions have been busy drafting new legislative maps. As in the past, the process has turned contentious in many states – and has resulted in scores of lawsuits.

Every state has begun the redistricting process and most have approved their maps. Redistricting got off to a slow start with the delayed release of 2020 census data due to pandemic complications.

There are only modest partisan differences in views of redistricting: Democrats and Democratic leaners are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to have an opinion about the process in their state (48% vs. 39%), and Democrats on balance are more negative in their views of the process compared with Republicans.

Even among those who are generally attentive to political matters – the 32% of Americans who say they follow what is going on in government and politics most of the time – only 28% say they have read or heard a lot about the redistricting process.

For the minority of Americans who have some view – positive or negative – about the redistricting process, their attitudes vary by which party is in control of their state’s government.

Republicans living in states with unified Republican control of their states’ governments are substantially more positive about the process than those living in states controlled by Democrats or where power is split between the two parties. Still, the majority of Republicans, regardless of who is in control of their states’ governments, are indifferent about the process.

A similar dynamic is seen among Democrats. While the greatest share of Democrats have no opinion either way, those living in states with unified Democratic control are more positive on balance toward the process than those living in states with unified Republican control.

(PEW)

MARCH 4, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/04/with-legislative-redistricting-at-a-crucial-stage-most-americans-dont-feel-strongly-about-it/

732-734-43-47/Polls

Three-Quarters Of Americans Support The United States Participating In International Efforts To Help Reduce The Effects Of Climate Change

Three-quarters of Americans support the United States participating in international efforts to help reduce the effects of climate change, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

The survey was conducted shortly before the release of a United Nations report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that issued a dire warning of the global consequences ahead, unless there are dramatic increases in climate adaptation efforts.

Nearly all Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (92%) support a U.S. role in international efforts to reduce climate change impacts, as do 53% of Republicans and GOP leaners. Within the Republican Party, 57% of conservative Republicans oppose U.S. participation in international efforts while 42% support it. Most moderate or liberal Republicans favor U.S. involvement (75%).

But the public generally rejects the idea that the U.S. has a responsibility to help countries with developing economies build their capacity for renewable energy as part of international efforts to reduce the effects of global climate change.

About four-in-ten Americans (39%) say the U.S. has a responsibility to provide financial assistance to developing countries to help them expand renewable energy sources. A majority of Americans (59%) say that the U.S. does not have this responsibility.

The question of aiding developing countries as they transition to renewable energy sources was among the more contentious issues at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland, last November.

Americans are divided along partisan and ideological lines over the country’s responsibility to help developing nations. Seven-in ten liberal Democrats say the U.S. has a responsibility to provide aid for this purpose. In contrast, just 11% of conservative Republicans say this, while 88% of them say the U.S. does not have such a responsibility. Those with more moderate views in either party fall in between.

Americans are somewhat pessimistic that countries around the world, including the U.S., will do enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Fewer than half (36%) say that collective efforts will avoid the worst climate effects, while 53% say this will not happen.

That gloomy outlook is shared by about half or more of Republicans (56%) and Democrats (51%).

One-in-ten U.S. adults (and two-in-ten Republicans) do not consider climate change impacts to be a problem.

A 2021 Center survey of publics in 17 advanced economies found an overall median of 46% expressing confidence that actions taken by the international community would significantly reduce the effects of global climate change. A larger share – 52% – were not confident this would happen. The U.S. was near the median on this measure, while those in South Korea (68%) and Singapore (66%) were particularly optimistic that international efforts to address climate change would significantly reduce the effects of global climate change. France stood out for more pessimistic views on this matter, with 65% of its public saying they were not confident this would happen.

(PEW)
MARCH 9, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/americans-largely-support-u-s-joining-international-efforts-to-address-climate-change/

732-734-43-48/Polls

Rising Share Of Americans See Women Raising Children On Their Own, Cohabitation As Bad For Society

(PEW)
MARCH 11, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/11/rising-share-of-americans-see-women-raising-children-on-their-own-cohabitation-as-bad-for-society/

732-734-43-49/Polls

Black Catholics In America

A recent Pew Research Center study designed to capture the diversity of Black American religious life offers new insights into Black Catholics’ religious habits and experiences, finding that their experiences at parishes and at Mass are often distinctive from those of other U.S. Catholics. It also shows that their religious beliefs and practices differ from those of Black Protestants.

One way the religious experience of Black Catholics stands out is that they are a lot less likely than White or Hispanic Catholics – who together make up the vast majority of U.S. Catholics – to worship in parishes where most people share their race or ethnicity.

Just 25% of Black Catholics who attend Mass at least a few times a year report that they typically go to a Mass where most other attendees are Black. That compares with 80% of White Catholic churchgoers who worship where most attendees are White and 67% of Hispanic Catholic church attenders who worship where most attendees are Hispanic.

In this way, Black Catholics also tend to have very different experiences than Black Protestants, who make up the majority of Black Christians in the U.S. About two-thirds of Black Protestants who attend church at least a few times a year (68%) say they routinely worship where most other attendees are Black. Many Black Protestants belong to historically Black Protestant denominations, such as the National Baptist Convention and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which were formed during the 19th century when Black Americans could not freely worship elsewhere. Others attend nondenominational Black congregations or Black congregations in majority White denominations.

While relatively few Black Catholics attend predominantly Black parishes, Black Catholics express some distinctive preferences and expectations about their congregations. For example, they are more likely than White or Hispanic Catholics to say they think it is essential that churches offer a sense of racial affirmation, as well as to say it is essential that churches assist people who need help with bills, housing or food. And Black (40%) and Hispanic Catholics (42%) are more likely than White Catholics (18%) to say it is essential that churches teach practical job and life skills, and that they offer sermons that address political topics such as immigration and race relations.

In addition, the majority of Black Catholics say that opposing racism is important to how they think about being Christian. About three-quarters of Black Catholics (77%) say opposition to racism is essential to what being Christian means to them. Most Black Catholics also say opposition to sexism (75%) and believing in God (73%) are essential to what being Christian means to them, while much smaller shares say attending religious services regularly (26%), opposing abortion (22%) and avoiding sex before marriage (16%) are essential to their Christian faith.

Black Catholics are a little more likely than White or Hispanic Catholics to say that opposing racism and sexism are essential to what being a faithful Christian means to them. They are about as likely as Black Protestants to say that opposing discrimination is essential to their faith, but they are somewhat less likely than Black Protestants to view regular church attendance, belief in God and avoiding sex before marriage as essential to their religious identity.

Movement into and out of Catholicism

The survey finds that 16% of Black Catholics are converts to the faith – people who identify as Catholic now, though they were raised in another religious tradition or as religiously unaffiliated. The share of Black Catholics who are converts to Catholicism is higher than the share of White or Hispanic Catholics who are converts.

That said, the share of Black Americans who were raised as Catholics and remain Catholics is lower than the corresponding shares of Hispanic and White Catholics. Roughly half of Black adults who were raised Catholic still identify as Catholic (54%), compared with 61% of White adults and 68% of Hispanic adults who were raised as Catholics and still identify with the faith.

Furthermore, the survey shows that among Black adults, there are more people who have left Catholicism than have come to the faith. Overall, 4% of Black Americans say they were raised Catholic and no longer identify as such, while 1% of Black adults are converts to Catholicism.

A similar pattern prevails among U.S. Catholics as a whole. The Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study found that 13% of all U.S. adults are former Catholics – people who left Catholicism after having been raised in the church – while 2% of U.S. adults have become Catholic after being raised in another religion (or no religion). The same study found that Catholicism had experienced the greatest net losses due to religious switching of any Christian religious tradition in the U.S. as of 2014.

These are among the key findings of a new Pew Research Center analysis of the characteristics of Black Catholics. The analysis draws largely on a survey conducted Nov. 19, 2019-June 3, 2020, among a nationally representative sample of 13,234 adults, including 8,660 Black Americans. The survey was designed to capture the diversity of Black religious life in the U.S., allowing for a detailed look at the religious views and experiences of Black subgroups. A broad overview of the survey’s findings is available in the 2021 report “Faith Among Black Americans.” While this new analysis focuses specifically on Black Catholics, it also incorporates data on White and Hispanic Catholics, as well as on Black Protestants, for comparison purposes.

While Protestantism historically has dominated the Black religious landscape in the U.S., Catholicism has long had a significant presence among Black Americans. For example, Pierre Toussaint, a leader in New York City charities in the 1800s, was the first lay Catholic buried in the crypt of that city’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The Black Catholic population grew in the early and mid-20th century when Black Americans migrated from the rural South to cities across the country with large preexisting Catholic populations and, in many cases, strong parochial school systems. In more recent years, immigration from Africa and the Caribbean further boosted the Black Catholic population.1

Attendance and experiences at Mass for Black Catholics

The Center’s new analysis finds that Black Catholics are about as likely as other Catholics to attend Mass at least once a week: Roughly a quarter of Black and Hispanic Catholics say they attend Mass at least weekly, as do 31% of White Catholics. And Black Catholics are less likely than White Catholics to say they seldom or never attend Mass.

While the share of Black Catholics who attend Mass weekly is similar to that of other Catholics, the survey suggests that their experiences while at Mass differ from those of White and Hispanic Catholics in certain ways.

Black Catholics who attend Mass at least a few times a year are more likely than their White counterparts to say they attend services where other attendees often or sometimes call out “amen” or other expressions of praise (66% vs. 33%). They are also more likely than White Catholic churchgoers to say their experiences at least sometimes include two practices often associated with a charismatic style of worship: speaking or praying in tongues (29% vs. 9%) and jumping, shouting and dancing spontaneously during the service (24% vs. 2%). At the same time, among churchgoers, Black Catholics are somewhat less likely than Hispanic Catholics to experience people calling out “amen” and speaking in tongues at Mass, and they are much less likely than Black Protestants to say these things are typically present at their worship services.

Black Catholics also travel farther to get to their services – 41% of Black Catholic attenders report traveling more than 15 minutes to get to their parish, compared with smaller shares among White (26%) and Hispanic (30%) Catholics.

And the services attended by Black Catholics tend to be longer than those attended by White Catholics. Roughly a third of Black Catholic attenders (36%) say the services at their parish typically last at least 1.5 hours, as do 31% of Hispanic Catholics. By contrast, just 9% of White Catholics say the Masses they attend generally last 90 minutes or longer. Majorities in all three groups say their services are an hour or less, though Black (62%) and Hispanic (68%) Catholics are less likely than White Catholics (91%) to say this.

At the same time, Black Catholics tend to have shorter services than Black Protestants. The vast majority of Black Protestant churchgoers (80%) say the services they attend typically last 90 minutes or more.

What Black Catholics report hearing from the pulpit differs in many cases from what other Catholics say they hear in sermons. For example, Black Catholics are more likely than White and Hispanic Catholics to say they heard a sermon, lecture or group discussion in the past year about race relations or criminal justice reform. Roughly four-in-ten Black Catholics report having heard a discussion at church about race relations or racial inequity during the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with 29% of Hispanic Catholics and 18% of White Catholics.

At the same time, Black Catholics are less likely to say they heard sermons on abortion than are White and Hispanic Catholics. Roughly a third of Black Catholics (35%) say they heard a sermon, lecture or discussion about abortion in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with half of White (50%) and Hispanic (51%) Catholics.

Black Catholics are less likely than Hispanic Catholics, but more likely than White Catholics, to have heard sermons or discussion about immigration at church.

If they had to find a new church, nearly all Black Catholics say finding a “welcoming” congregation would be either very important (76%) or somewhat important (16%) to their choice. A similar share say it would be very (75%) or somewhat (20%) important for the parish to offer sermons that are inspiring.

By comparison, only about a third of Black Catholics say that having most of the other attendees share their race would be at least somewhat important (32%) to their choice of a new church, while two-thirds say it would be “not too” (30%) or “not at all” important (36%). Black Catholics give similar priority to finding a congregation where most of the clergy share their race.

Personal devotion

While Black Catholics attend Mass at rates similar to White and Hispanic Catholics, the survey finds higher levels of individual religious practice among Black Catholics by some measures.

About six-in-ten Black Catholics (59%) say they pray at least once a day, while roughly half (49%) say that religion is very important in their lives. Black Catholics are somewhat more likely than White and Hispanic Catholics to say they pray every day, and somewhat more likely than White Catholics to say religion is very important to them.

Black Catholics also are more likely than other Catholics to rely “a lot” on prayer for guidance in major life decisions. Nearly half of Black Catholics (48%) say they do this, compared with around four-in-ten Hispanic Catholics (37%) and about a third of White Catholics (32%).

There are additional differences by race and ethnicity when it comes to reading scripture outside of religious services. Three-in-ten Black Catholics say they do this at least once a week, compared with 16% of White Catholics and 18% of Hispanic Catholics. Black Catholics also are more likely than White Catholics to say the Bible should be taken literally (28% vs. 12%).

While Black Catholics tend to be more religious than White Catholics on these measures, they tend to be less religious than Black Protestants, who are much more likely to pray at least daily (73%), to say religion is very important in their lives (73%) and to read scripture at least once a week (51%).

Social and political views

While the Roman Catholic Church opposes abortion, most Black Catholics (71%) say it should be legal in all or most cases. This is a higher level of support for legal abortion than is seen among U.S. Catholics who are Hispanic (60%) or White (56%).

Black Catholics also are more likely than White Catholics to say they believe that immigrants strengthen society. More than eight-in-ten Black (86%) and Hispanic (87%) Catholics say that immigrants “strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents,” compared with 56% of White Catholics who say this.

Asked whether homosexuality should be accepted by society, Black Catholics (78%) are about as likely as White (76%) and Hispanic (84%) Catholics to say that it should. Black Catholics are much more likely than Black Protestants (57%) to take this position.

Age, U.S. region and country of origin

Demographically, the Black Catholic population falls in the middle of the White Catholic and Hispanic Catholic populations when it comes to age: Black Catholics are older than Hispanic Catholics but younger than White Catholics. For example, about half of Black Catholic adults are under age 50 (52%), compared with 71% of Hispanic Catholics and 30% of White Catholics.

Looking at the Black Catholic population regionally within the U.S., there are more Black Catholics in the South than in any other region. Overall, 45% of Black Catholics in the U.S. live in the South, while roughly three-in-ten (29%) live in the Northeast. An additional 15% live in the West, and 11% live in the Midwest.

Around two-thirds of Black Catholics (68%) were born in the U.S., versus 40% of Hispanic Catholics and 94% of White Catholics. The most common regions of origin for Black Catholic immigrants are sub-Saharan Africa (where 12% of all Black Catholics in the U.S. were born), the Caribbean (11%) and other parts of the Americas (5%).

The survey also shows that Catholicism has a greater presence among Black immigrants than among U.S.-born Black adults. One-in-five Black immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa say they are Catholic, as do 15% of Black immigrants from the Caribbean. By comparison, just 5% of U.S.-born Black adults identify as Catholic.

(PEW)
MARCH 15, 2022

Source: https://www.pewforum.org/2022/03/15/black-catholics-in-america/

732-734-43-50/Polls

35% Public Favor U S Military Action Even If It Risks Nuclear Conflict With Russia

Roughly a third of Americans (32%) say that the United States is providing about the right amount of support to Ukraine as it fights to hold off the Russian invasion. A larger share – 42% – say the U.S. should be providing more support to Ukraine, while just 7% say it is providing too much support. About one-in-five (19%) say they are not sure.

The new Pew Research Center survey, conducted March 7-13, 2022, among 10,441 U.S. adults on the Center’s American Trends Panel, finds wide partisan differences in views of the administration’s handling of the crisis and the level of support the U.S. has provided to Ukraine.

However, virtually identical shares in both parties – 51% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents and 50% of Democrats and Democratic leaners – regard the Russian invasion as a “major threat” to U.S. interests.

Moreover, there are several aspects of U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine that draw bipartisan support. While Republicans have previously expressed skepticism about the extent to which the U.S. should work with its allies, nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) say that working closely with allies to respond to the Russian invasion is the right approach. An even larger share of Democrats (85%) say the same.

Americans also are largely united in their support for strict economic sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. An overwhelming majority of the public (85%) – including similar shares of Republicans (85%) and Democrats (88%) – favors maintaining strict economic sanctions. About six-in-ten Americans (63%) strongly favor strict sanctions.

Large majorities also favor keeping large numbers of U.S. military forces in NATO countries near Ukraine in response to the conflict (77%), a position shared by 75% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats.

However, most Americans (62%) say they would oppose the U.S. “taking military action even if it risks a nuclear conflict with Russia.” About a third (35%) of Americans say they would favor military action in this scenario. Comparable shares in both parties (36% of Republicans, 35% of Democrats) say they would favor military action even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia.

And while nearly seven-in-ten Americans (69%) favor admitting thousands of Ukrainian refugees into the U.S., including majorities of those in both parties, Democrats are substantially more likely than Republicans to say this (80% vs. 57%).

The new survey also finds:

Broad public attention to Russian invasion. About seven-in-ten adults (69%) now report having read or heard a lot about the Russian invasion, compared with 23% who said they had read or heard a lot about Russia’s military buildup on its border with Ukraine in a January survey.

Today, nearly identical shares of Republicans (70%) and Democrats (71%) say they have heard or read a lot about the invasion.

Biden job approval largely unchanged from January. Currently, 43% of Americans approve of how Joe Biden is handling his job as president, while 55% disapprove. That is little changed since January, when 41% approved of Biden’s job performance.

Nearly half approve of Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion; more say U.S. is doing too little than right amount for Ukraine

Overall, more Americans approve (47%) than disapprove (39%) of the Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while 13% say they are not sure.

For the most part, the patterns of opinion on the administration’s handling of the Russian invasion are similar to those in views of Biden’s overall job performance.

Democrats and Democratic leaners largely approve of the administration’s response to the Russian invasion (69% approve), while Republicans and Republican leaners mostly disapprove (67% disapprove).

Among demographic groups, Black adults are particularly likely to approve of the administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 57% approve, 20% disapprove. Hispanic and Asian adults are more likely to approve than disapprove of the Biden administration’s response, while White adults are divided (45% approve, 44% disapprove).

There also are educational differences in views of the Biden administration’s response to the Russian invasion. Nearly six-in-ten (57%) of those with at least a four-year college degree approve of the administration’s response, compared with 42% of those who have not completed college.

There is a correlation between Biden’s overall job rating and views of his administration’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among those who disapprove of Biden’s job performance, most (63%) disapprove of the administration’s Ukraine response; still, 22% approve and 14% are not sure. Among the 43% of the public who approves of Biden’s overall job performance, very few (just 9%) disapprove of the administration’s response to the invasion, while 11% are unsure and 79% approve.

U.S. support for Ukraine

About a third of Americans overall say the U.S. is providing about the right amount of support for Ukraine, while a larger share (42%) say it is not providing enough support; just 7% say it is providing too much support, while 19% are not sure.

While there are deep partisan divides in views of the administration’s response to the crisis, views on U.S. support to Ukraine are less divided. Nearly half of Republicans (49%) say the U.S. is providing too little support; 23% say it is providing about the right amount and 9% think the U.S. is giving Ukraine too much support.

Among Democrats, comparable shares say the U.S. is providing Ukraine about the right amount of support (39%) and too little backing (38%). Just 5% of Democrats say the U.S. is giving Ukraine too much support – roughly half the share of Republicans who say the same.

There are modest ideological differences within both parties in views of support for Ukraine: A 54% majority of conservative Republicans (54%) say the U.S. is not doing enough for Ukraine, compared with 41% of moderate and liberal Republicans. Among Democrats, liberals (43%) are more likely than moderates and conservatives (34%) to say the U.S. is not providing enough support.

Among those who disapprove of the Biden administration’s response to the invasion, a majority (54%) says the U.S. is not providing enough support to Ukraine, compared with 18% who say it is providing about the right amount of support and just 13% who say it is providing too much support.

About half of those who approve of the administration’s response (48%) say the U.S. is providing about the right amount of support to Ukraine, while four-in-ten favor increasing the amount of support and hardly any (2%) say the U.S. is providing too much support.

Half of adults say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a ‘major threat’ to U.S. interests

Half of Americans say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major threat to U.S. interests, while another 28% say it is a minor threat; just 6% say the invasion is not a threat to U.S. interests, while 16% are not sure. This marks a substantial change since before the Russian invasion; in January, just 26% said “Russia’s military buildup near its border with Ukraine” posed a major threat to U.S. interests.

Republicans and Democrats express virtually identical views of the threat from Russia’s invasion; 51% of Republicans and 50% of Democrats say it is a major threat to U.S. interests. In January, about a quarter in each party viewed Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine as a major threat.

Bipartisan backing for keeping strict sanctions against Russia, keeping large numbers of U.S. forces in Ukraine’s NATO neighbors

More than eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic leaners (88%) and Republicans and Republican leaners (85%) favor keeping strict economic sanctions on Russia. And at least six-in-ten in each party strongly favor maintaining strict sanctions (68% of Democrats, 61% of Republicans).

Similar shares of Republicans (75%) and Democrats (81%) favor keeping a large military presence in NATO countries located near Ukraine. And there is limited support among both Republicans and Democrats for taking military action, even if it risks a nuclear conflict with Russia: About a third of the public (35%) and nearly identical shares of Democrats (35%) and Republicans (36%) favor this.

However, Democrats are substantially more likely than Republicans to favor admitting thousands of Ukrainian refugees into the U.S.

Eight-in-ten Democrats say they favor admitting thousands of Ukrainian refugees, compared with a narrower majority of Republicans (57%).

And Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to strongly favor admitting thousands of Ukrainian refugees into the U.S.: 42% of Democrats strongly favor this, compared with 20% of Republicans.

Little change in views of Biden’s job performance

The public’s views of Joe Biden’s job performance have changed little since January. Today, 43% of Americans say they approve of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president; 41% gave Biden a positive job rating in January. Biden’s job ratings have remained fairly stable over the past six months, after declining sharply last summer.

While Republicans overwhelmingly disapprove of Biden’s job performance (91% disapprove), a smaller majority of Democrats (72%) approve of the way he is handling his job as president.

(PEW)
MARCH 15, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/03/15/public-expresses-mixed-views-of-u-s-response-to-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/

732-734-43-51/Polls

46% Of U S Adults Think Use Of Facial Recognition Technology By Police Would Be A Good Idea For Society

Developments in artificial intelligence and human enhancement technologies have the potential to remake American society in the coming decades. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that Americans see promise in the ways these technologies could improve daily life and human abilities. Yet public views are also defined by the context of how these technologies would be used, what constraints would be in place and who would stand to benefit – or lose – if these advances become widespread.

Fundamentally, caution runs through public views of artificial intelligence (AI) and human enhancement applications, often centered around concerns about autonomy, unintended consequences and the amount of change these developments might mean for humans and society. People think economic disparities might worsen as some advances emerge and that technologies, like facial recognition software, could lead to more surveillance of Black or Hispanic Americans.

The other three, often described as types of human enhancements, revolve around developments tied to the convergence of AI, biotechnology, nanotechnology and other fields. They raise the possibility of dramatic changes to human abilities in the future: computer chip implants in the brain to advance people’s cognitive skills, gene editing to greatly reduce a baby’s risk of developing serious diseases or health conditions, and robotic exoskeletons with a built-in AI system to greatly increase strength for lifting in manual labor jobs.

The current report builds on previous Pew Research Center analyses of attitudes about emerging scientific and technological developments and their implications for society, including opinion about animal genetic engineering and the potential to “enhance” human abilities through biomedical interventions, as well as views about automation and computer algorithms.

As Americans make judgments about the potential impact of AI and human enhancement applications, their views are varied and, for portions of the public, infused with uncertainty.

Americans are far more positive than negative about the widespread use of facial recognition technology by police to monitor crowds and look for people who may have committed a crime: 46% of U.S. adults think this would be a good idea for society, while 27% think this would be a bad idea and another 27% are unsure.

By narrower margins, more describe the use of computer algorithms by social media companies to find false information on their sites as a good rather than bad idea for society (38% vs. 31%), and the pattern is similar for the use of robotic exoskeletons with a built-in AI system to increase strength for manual labor jobs (33% vs. 24%).

By contrast, the public is much more cautious about a future with widespread use of computer chip implants in the brain to allow people to far more quickly and accurately process information: 56% say this would be a bad idea for society, while just 13% think this would be a good idea. And when it comes to the much-discussed possibility of a future with autonomous passenger vehicles in widespread use, more Americans say this would be a bad idea (44%) than a good idea (26%).

Still, uncertainty is among the themes seen in emerging public views of AI and human enhancement applications. For instance, 42% are not sure how the widespread use of robotic exoskeletons in manual labor jobs would impact society. Similarly, 39% say they are not sure about the potential implications for society if gene editing is widely used to change the DNA of embryos to greatly reduce a baby’s risk of developing serious diseases or health conditions over their lifetime.

Ambivalence is another theme in the survey data: 45% say they are equally excited and concerned about the increased use of AI programs in daily life, compared with 37% who say they are more concerned than excited and 18% who say they are more excited than concerned.

A survey respondent summed up his excitement about the increased use of artificial intelligence in an open-ended question by saying:

“AI can help slingshot us into the future. It gives us the ability to focus on more complex issues and use the computing power of AI to solve world issues faster. AI should be used to help improve society as a whole if used correctly. This only works if we use it for the greater good and not for greed and power. AI is a tool, but it all depends on how this tool will be used.” – Man, 30s

Another respondent explained her ethical concerns about the increased use of AI this way:

“It’s just not normal. It’s removing the human race from doing the things that we should be doing. It’s scary because I’ve read from scientists that in the near future, robots can end up making decisions that we have no control over. I don’t like it at all.” – Woman, 60s

It is important to note that views on these specific applications do not constitute the full scope of opinions about the growing number of uses of AI and the proliferating possible advances being contemplated to boost human abilities.

The survey was built around six vignettes, to root opinion in a specific context and allow for a deeper exploration of views. Thus, our questions about public attitudes about facial recognition technology are not intended to cover all possible uses but, instead, to measure opinions about its use by police. Similarly, we concentrated our exploration of brain chip implants on their potential to allow people to far more efficiently process information rather than on the use of brain implants to address therapeutic needs, such as helping people with spinal cord injuries restore movement.

The survey findings underscore how public opinion is often contingent on the goals and circumstances around the uses of AI and human enhancement technologies. For example, in addition to exploring views about the use of facial recognition by police in depth, the survey also sought opinions about several other possible uses of facial recognition technology. It shows that more U.S. adults oppose than favor the idea of social media sites using facial recognition to automatically identify people in photos (57% vs. 19%) and more oppose than favor the idea that companies might use facial recognition to automatically track the attendance of their employees (48% vs. 30%).

Some of the key themes in the survey of 10,260 U.S. adults, conducted in early November 2021:

A new era is emerging that Americans believe should have higher standards for assessing the safety of emerging technologies. The survey sought public views about how to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the four technologies still in development and not widely used today. Across the set, there is strong support for the idea that higher standards should be applied, rather than the standards that are currently the norm. For instance, 87% of Americans say that higher standards for testing driverless cars should be in place, rather than using existing standards for passenger cars. And 83% believe the testing of brain chip implants should meet a higher standard than is currently in use to test medical devices. Eight-in-ten Americans say that the testing regime for gene editing to greatly reduce a baby’s risk of serious diseases should be higher than that currently applied to testing medical treatments; 72% think the testing of robotic exoskeletons for manual labor should use higher standards than those currently applied to workplace equipment.

Sharp partisan divisions anchor people’s views about possible government regulation of these new and developing technologies. As people think about possible government regulation of these six scientific and technological developments, which prospect gives them more concern: that government will go too far or not far enough in regulating their use?

Majorities of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party say they are more concerned about government overreach, while majorities of Democrats and Democratic leaners worry more that there will be too little oversight.

For example, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say their greater concern is that the government will go too far regulating of the use of robotic exoskeletons for manual labor (67% vs. 33%). Conversely, Democrats are more likely than Republicans say their concern is that government regulation will not go far enough.

People are relatively open to the idea that a variety of actors – in addition to the federal government – should have a role in setting the standards for how these technologies should be regulated. Across all six applications, majorities believe that federal government agencies, the creators of the different AI systems and human enhancement technologies and end users should play at least a minor role in setting standards.

Less than half of the public believes these technologies would improve things over the current situation. One factor tied to public views of human enhancement is whether people think these developments would make life better than it is now, or whether reliance on AI would improve on human judgment or performance. On these questions, less than half of the public is convinced improvements would result.

For example, 32% of Americans think that robotic exoskeletons with built-in AI systems to increase strength for manual labor would generally lead to improved working conditions. However, 36% think their use would not make much difference and 31% say they would make working conditions worse.

In thinking about a future with widespread use of driverless cars, 39% believe the number of people killed or injured in such accidents would go down. But 27% think the number killed or injured would go up; 31% say there would be little effect on traffic fatalities or injuries.

Similarly, 34% think the widespread use of facial recognition by police would make policing more fair; 40% think that it would not make much difference, and 25% think it would make policing less fair.

Another concern for Americans ties to the potential impact of these emerging technologies on social equity. People are far more likely to say the widespread use of several of these technologies would increase rather than decrease the gap between higher- and lower-income Americans. For instance, 57% say the widespread use of brain chips for enhanced cognitive function would increase the gap between higher- and lower-income Americans; just 10% say it would decrease the gap. There are similar patterns in views about the widespread use of driverless cars and gene editing for babies to greatly reduce the risk of serious disease during their lifetime.

Even for far-reaching applications, such as the widespread use of driverless cars and brain chip implants, there are mitigating steps people say would make them more acceptable. A desire to retain the ability to shape their own destinies is a theme seen in public views across AI and human enhancement technologies. For even the most advanced technologies, there are mitigating steps – some of which address the issue of autonomy – that Americans say would make the use of these technologies more acceptable.

Seven-in-ten Americans say they would find driverless cars more acceptable if there was a requirement that such cars were labeled as driverless so they could be easily identified on the road, and 67% would find driverless cars more acceptable if these cars were required to travel in dedicated lanes. In addition, 57% say their use would be more acceptable if a licensed driver was required to be in the vehicle.

Similarly, about six-in-ten Americans think the use of computer chip implants in the brain would be more acceptable if people could turn on and off the effects, and 53% would find the brain implants more acceptable if the computer chips could be put in place without surgery.

About half or more also see mitigating steps that would make the use of robotic exoskeletons, facial recognition technology by police and gene editing in babies to greatly reduce the risk of serious disease during their lifetime more acceptable.

(PEW)

MARCH 17, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/ai-and-human-enhancement-americans-openness-is-tempered-by-a-range-of-concerns/

732-734-43-52/Polls

Majority (55%) Disagrees That Canada Cannot Afford To Help Ukraine, But Fewer Than Half (47%) Are Willing To Pay More For Gas Because Of Sanctions Against Russia

While half of Canadians (48%) believe that Canada’s level of support to Ukraine thus far has been about right, on balance the scales tip towards doing more to help: 39% believe Canada has not done enough to support Ukraine and needs to do more. Conversely, just 13% believe that Canada has done too much to support Ukraine and should scale back it support.

Assessing various measures that Canada’s leaders might be considering, a consensus has formed around some, but other ideas are more contentious:

Eight in ten (81%) support (39% strongly/42% somewhat) the belief that Canada should put additional economic sanctions in place against Russia, while just two in ten oppose (7% strongly/12% somewhat).
Three in four (72%) support (31% strongly/41% somewhat) providing weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian military, while one in four (28%) oppose (11% strongly/28% somewhat).
Two in three (69%) support (24% strongly/44% somewhat) sending Canadian Forces troops to neighbouring countries to deter Russia, while one in three (31%) oppose (12% strongly/20% somewhat) with this tactic.
Two in three (67%) also support (19% strongly/48% somewhat) the notion that Canada should provide funding to the Ukrainian military, while one in three (33%) oppose (11% strongly/22% somewhat).
Four in ten (39%) support (9% strongly/30% somewhat) Canada getting involved militarily in this conflict, while a majority (61%) opposes (20% strongly/42% somewhat) a direct military confrontation with Russia.
One in three (33%) support (6% strongly/27% somewhat) Canada continuing its diplomatic ties with Russia, leaving two in three to oppose (28% strongly/39% somewhat), meaning that they believe that Canada should cut diplomatic ties.

Canadians not only want to offer support to Ukraine in its armed conflict, but also to the people of Ukraine, millions of whom have fled their country as refugees over the last two weeks. Specifically, most (84%) support (32% strongly/52% somewhat) the idea that Canada should send aid to neighbouring countries in the region that are welcoming refugees from Ukraine, while relatively few (16%) disagree (6% strongly/10% somewhat). Moreover, four in five (81%) Canadians support (35% strongly/46% somewhat) Canada doing whatever it can to take in Ukrainian refugees itself, while just one in five (19%) oppose (6% strongly/12% somewhat) Canada opening its borders to Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

Canadians Paying Attention, Concerned about Conflict’s Impact on Canada

The data reveal that three quarters are paying attention to the conflict (29% very closely/45% fairly closely), while just one quarter aren’t following it (5% not at all/21% not very closely). Interestingly, Albertans (81%) are most likely to be following the news about Ukraine, while Quebecers (66%) are the least likely.

Given the severity of the situation, it’s perhaps not surprising that most Canadians are concerned about its impact on the Canadian economy, Canadian security, and indeed their own family:

More than eight in ten (85%) are concerned (41% strongly/44% somewhat) about the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Canadian economy.
Three quarters (73%) are concerned (28% strongly/45% somewhat) about its impact on Canada’s national security and safety.
Two in three (64%) are concerned (23% strongly/41% somewhat) about the impact of the conflict on themselves and their own family. Atlantic Canadians (85%) are most likely to express concern, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (69%), Ontario (66%), Alberta (63%), Quebec (60%) and British Columbia (54%). Concern is also higher among women (67%) than men (61%), and among those aged 35-54 (69%) and 18-34 (66%) than those aged 55+ (58%).

With high inflation already a worry among many Canadians, it’s perhaps not surprising that Canadians are split on whether they are personally willing to bear the costs of some of the economic sanctions that are in place against Russia. Slightly less than half (47%) agree (13% strongly/34% somewhat) that they’re prepared to pay more for gas because of Canada’s sanctions against Russia, while a slim majority (53%) disagree (27% strongly/25% somewhat) that they are prepared to pay more. Those under the age of 55 are most likely to say they’re not fine paying more (60%), while those over the age of 55 are less likely (39%) to be opposed to paying more.

Moreover, nearly half (45%) of Canadians agree (14% strongly/32% somewhat) that given the current economic crisis, Canada cannot afford to give financial support to Ukraine – the proportion of which rises to 55% among those aged 18-34, and 52% among those aged 35-54. Only 32% of Canadians aged 55+ see this as a reason not to support Ukraine.

Despite not being happy about the costs inflicted on average Canadians as a result of higher gas prices, for example, a majority of Canadians see the need for sanctions: six in ten (59%) agree (11% strongly/47% somewhat) that the economic sanctions we have placed on Russia are the most effective way for Canada to stop this invasion, and seven in ten (73%) agree that if Canada does nothing to help Ukraine it will encourage Russia to take further military action elsewhere. So while Canadians aren’t happy with the hit to their pocketbook, they appear to accept that it is a necessary consequence of providing support to Ukraine.

There is a relatively small contingent of Canadians, however, which believes that Canada has no business getting involved in this conflict whatsoever. One quarter (25%) agrees (9% strongly/16% somewhat) that Canada should stay out of Ukraine’s problems because Ukraine is not a NATO country and we have no treaty obligation to them. Three quarters (75%) disagree (31% strongly/44% somewhat) with this premise. Similarly, one in five (20%) agree (7% strongly/13% somewhat) that the problems of Ukraine are none of our business, while most (80%) disagree (44% strongly/36% somewhat) with this argument.

Canadians Approve of Response of Political Leaders and Alliances to Ukraine Crisis

Canadians have given strong assessments of the performance of various political leaders in response to the crisis in Ukraine, with top marks going to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself.

Person/Entity	% Approve (strongly/somewhat)	% disapprove (strongly/somewhat)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy	85% (53%/32%)	15% (7%/8%)
European Union	70% (16%/54%)	30% (8%/22%)
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau	66% (17%/49%)	34% (16%/18%)
US President Joe Biden	65% (14%/52%)	35% (16%/19%)
NATO	64% (15%/50%)	36% (11%/24%)

Focusing on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, approval of his response is significantly higher among those aged 55+ (73%) and 35-54 (66%) than those aged 18-34 (56%). Approval is also higher in Quebec (72%) British Columbia (71%) and Atlantic Canada (69%) than it is in Ontario (64%), Alberta (61%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (54%).

(Ipsos Canada)

11 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadians-support-increased-sanctions-to-deter-russia

732-734-43-53/Polls

Meeting Energy Needs: More Than Half Of Quebecers (52%) Agree To Developing Own Oil Resources Instead Of Importing All Its Oil

Economic Uncertainty and Meeting Energy Needs

The increase in inflation, interest rates and the price of gas seems to have contributed to a rise in anxiety over the fluctuations of the energy sector: three quarters of Quebecers (73%) think that taxes and duties on gasoline are already too high and shouldn’t be increased any further. Moreover, more than half (51%) say they strongly agree, while only 15% disagree. Those aged 55 and over are more likely to agree (79% vs 70%: 35-54 et 68%: 18-34), which is also the case for the residents of the greater Montreal region (9% vs. 6% for the Quebec region and 5% for other regions).

Elsewhere, half of Quebecers (50%) think that the actions taken by some environmental groups are preventing too many job-creation projects from moving forward – which represents a 9-point increase compared to August 2021. A third (33%) of Quebecers disagree while 18% remain undecided.

In the same vein, less than half of Quebecers (47%, 23% ‘completely’; 25% ‘somewhat’) believe it is more important for them to create jobs in their region than to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 0.06% by reaching the target set by the Quebec government for 2030. Inversely, 41% disagree (21% ‘a little’; 20% ‘strongly’). Men are more likely to agree than women by a 7-percentage point difference.

Governmental Management of the Energy Sector

When it comes to the management of green energy sector by the government of Quebec, more than half (55%, 22% ‘completely’; 33 ‘somewhat’) of Quebecers believe that the government should promote competition around the production of green hydrogen, rather than maintaining its monopoly. 19% disagree and more than a quarter (26%) don’t know. Similarly, more than half (54%, 21% ‘completely’; 33% ‘somewhat’) believe that Quebec should follow the European Union’s example and designate natural gas as a source of green energy; 22% disagree and 24% remain undecided. For these two propositions, men are more likely to agree than women by an 11-point and 8-point difference respectively.

Concerning the recent proposal by the government of Quebec to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of the province’s oil and gas potential, 45% of Quebecers agree with this proposition, while a third disagree. If this idea were implemented, more than half (51%) believe that the companies that hold licenses should be compensated according to the market value of their license.

(Ipsos Canada)

17 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/More-than-Half-Quebecers-Agree-Developing-Oil-Resources-Instead-Importing

AUSTRALIA

732-734-43-54/Polls

Mobile Banking Apps And The Internet Are More Satisfying For Customers Than Branch Visits Or Phone Banking

There was little to split their three competitors with ANZ coming in second overall with 89.2% (mobile), 86.6% (internet), 83.2% (branch) and 76.6% (phone). Westpac followed with 87.9% (mobile), 86.1% (internet), 82.1% (branch) and the highest of the big four for phone banking (79.4%). NAB rounded out the big four with 89.8% (mobile), 86.5% (internet), 81.5% (branch) and 77.3% (phone).

This new data comes from Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s most comprehensive consumer survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over 60,000 Australians each year.

Mobile banking (via a mobile or tablet app) proved to be the banking channel with the highest customer satisfaction, with an average rating among the big four banks of 89.4%. Internet banking, which is visiting a bank’s website received the second highest average satisfaction rating with 86.8%. Branch banking followed with 82.6%, and phone banking, which involves calling the bank directly, came in fourth with 77.4%.

Customer satisfaction ratings of bank service channels – December 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, July - December 2021, n= 33,302. Base: Australians 14+.
1. Using an app on a mobile phone or tablet. 2. Using an institution’s website.

Mobile banking has now overtaken internet banking as the most used banking service channel

The high customer satisfaction for mobile banking is good news for the big four banks as it is increasingly the preferred way for customers to access their banking accounts – overtaking usage of internet banking for the first time during 2021.

Nearly two-thirds of Australians, 63.6%, now use mobile banking apps on a mobile phone or tablet to access their bank accounts, up 7% points on a year ago.

Internet banking, which is conducting banking through an institution’s website, remains as the second most used channel with a bare majority of 50.3% using this service, but down 9.1% points on a year ago.

Visiting a branch is clearly the third preferred service channel used by 47.4% of people, down 6.2% points on a year ago while phone banking is used by only 22.8% of people, virtually unchanged on a year ago.

Service channels used in the last 12 months – December 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, July - December 2021, n= 33,302. Base: Australians 14+.
1. Using an app on a mobile phone or tablet. 2. Using an institution’s website.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says mobile banking apps continue to grow in popularity and the good news for the banks is that customer satisfaction is over 2.5% points higher for mobile banking apps than any other service channel:

“If we consider the four main banking channels available to customers it is clear mobile banking apps are increasingly the preferred channel customers are using to conduct their banking and financial transactions – especially at the expense of internet banking and visiting a branch.

“The ease of using a mobile app to check on one’s account balance and transactions means it is no surprise this is not only the most used banking service channel, but also that with the highest customer satisfaction – at an average of 89.4% for customers of the big four banks.

“For the first time in 2021 more Australians used a mobile banking app: 63.6% (up 7% points on 2020) than internet banking: 50.3% (down 9.1% points), to conduct their banking – a swing of 16.1% points on a year earlier. The rise of mobile banking apps is also coming at the expense of visiting a branch – which fell 6.2% points to 47.4%.

“The good news for the big four banks is that customer satisfaction with mobile banking apps is higher for customers of the big four banks (89.4%) than the industry average for all banks (89.0%) – the only banking service channel the big four banks have an advantage.

“Leading the way is the CBA with a customer satisfaction rating of 90.8% for its mobile banking app, just ahead of its peers including NAB (89.8%), ANZ (89.2%) and Westpac (87.9%) – with less than 3% points separating all four banks.

“The CBA also performs well when it comes to internet banking with a market leading customer satisfaction of 87.8%, and customer satisfaction with visiting a branch at 83.5%. Westpac is the best performer in terms of phone banking with a customer satisfaction rating of 79.4%.

“The higher customer satisfaction ratings of the automated banking channels give an extra incentive to banks and other financial services firms to increasingly move as many of their services online as possible.

“An added benefit for the banks of moving customers online is the reduced labour costs associated with these frictionless banking channels and it’s easy to see why the trends of recent years are set to continue with even greater technological integration and less face-to-face interaction with staff in an increasingly connected world.”

(Roy Morgan)

February 28 2022

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8909-banking-channels-services-december-2021-202202280410

732-734-43-55/Polls

Australian Unemployment Up To 8.5% In February As Omicron Variant Slowly Recedes Around Australia And Restrictions Ease

In better news there was a significant drop in Australian under-employment with 1.13 million Australians (7.8% of the workforce) now under-employed, down 96,000 (down 0.6% points) on January.

Workforce dropped 137,000 in February as the Omicron variant continued to disrupt the workforce:

The workforce in February was 14,443,000 (down 137,000 from January – a second straight monthly decline) – comprised of 13,216,000 employed Australians (down 163,000, also a second straight monthly decline) and 1,227,000 unemployed Australians looking for work (up 26,000);

Employment was down for a second straight month driven by a fall in part-time employment:

Australian employment fell by 163,000 to 13,216,000 in February driven by a fall in part-time employment, down by 191,000 to 4,423,000. However, full-time employment increased by 28,000 to 8,793,000;

Unemployment increased slightly in February but is still well down on a year ago:

1,227,000 Australians were unemployed (8.5% of the workforce), an increase of 26,000 from January with more people looking for part-time work (up 27,000 to 764,000). The number of Australians looking for full-time work was virtually unchanged at 463,000.

Under-employment dropped in February to its lowest for a year:

In addition to the unemployed, 1.13 million Australians (7.8% of the workforce) were under-employed – working part-time but looking for more work, a decrease of 96,000 (down 0.6% points) from January.

In total 2.36 million Australians (16.3% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in February, a decrease of 70,000 on January and the lowest combined unemployed and under-employed in the Australian labour force since pre-pandemic in November 2019 – 2.23 million (16.1%).

Compared to early March 2020, before the nation-wide lockdown, in February 2022 there were almost 200,000 more Australians either unemployed or under-employed (+0.7% points) even though overall employment (13,216,000) is over 300,000 higher than it was pre-COVID-19 (12,872,000).

Roy Morgan’s unemployment figure of 8.5% for February is over 4% points higher than the ABS estimate for January 2022 of 4.2%. However, the ABS figure for January counts as employed an additional 214,400 Australians who were working zero hours for ‘economic reasons’ or ‘other reasons’ – such as being forced into isolation for being a close contact of a confirmed case. In addition, the ABS notes 449,900 workers worked zero hours due to illness, injury or sick leave in January – nearly five times higher than the average for January from 2016-2021 of 92,880 – a difference of 357,020.

If these 571,400 non-workers are added back the ABS unemployment estimate for January increases to 1,152,000 (8.3% of the workforce) – in line with Roy Morgan’s unemployment estimate of 8.5%. The ABS also claims there are an additional 933,000 Australians (6.7% of the workforce) under-employed for a total of 2.1 million unemployed or under-employed (15.1% of the workforce).

Roy Morgan Unemployment & Under-employment (2019-2022)

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – February 2022. Average monthly interviews 5,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan, says the impact of the Omicron variant on Australia’s employment markets continued into February with a second straight monthly decline in both the workforce and the total number of employed Australians:

“The latest Roy Morgan employment estimates for February show unemployment up 0.3% points to 8.5% and returning to its level in December 2021. There was better news for under-employment which fell 0.6% points to 7.8%. Overall unemployment and under-employment have now dropped to their lowest since the pandemic began in mid-March 2020 – nearly two years ago.

“Although total unemployment and under-employment is at its lowest since the pandemic began the lingering impact of the Omicron variant continued to disrupt the Australian employment market in February. Overall employment fell 163,000 to 13,216,000, a second straight monthly decline.

“The good news is that the high number of cases associated with the Omicron variant are now behind us, except for Western Australia which just re-opened its borders, and we have moved onto other pressing worries. During February mask wearing mandates and restrictions on movement around the country and internationally have now been relaxed as we finally enter a period of ‘COVID-normal’.

“However, the dissipation of COVID-19 doesn’t mean we are able to return to calmer economic times just yet. There were big challenges that emerged towards the end of February with devastating flooding in Queensland and New South Wales leaving tens of thousands of Australians homeless and on the international stage Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing huge disruption to global markets.

“Although the direct impact of the conflict on Australia is likely to be small, the sanctions imposed on Russia and its energy exports are set to increase inflation worldwide and lead to a surge in demand for key Australian export goods – particularly gas and coal but potentially other metals as well.

“The increases in the price of oil seen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is set to have the biggest immediate impact on the Australian economy. The increasing price of oil will likely see petrol prices in Australia exceed $2 per litre for the first time ever in the next few weeks.

“This presents a huge problem for the Federal Government as it seeks re-election in mid-May. Soaring petrol prices will feed into higher inflation – the latest Roy Morgan figures show Inflation Expectations at 4.9% in January – an equal seven year high. High and rising inflation increases the pressure on the RBA to raise interest rates earlier than forecast and will clearly cause a slowdown in economic growth which will in turn have a negative impact on Australia’s recovering employment markets.”

Roy Morgan Unemployed and ‘Under-employed’* Estimates

Unemployed or ‘Under-employed’*		Unemployed		Unemployed looking for		‘Under-employed’*
Unemployed or ‘Under-employed’*		Unemployed		Full-time	Part-time	‘Under-employed’*
2021	‘000	%	‘000	%	‘000	‘000	‘000	%
Jan-Mar 2021	2,971	20.6	1,750	12.1	717	1,033	1,222	8.5
Apr-Jun 2021	2,688	18.3	1,398	9.5	574	824	1,290	8.8
Jul-Sep 2021	2,573	17.7	1,350	9.3	547	803	1,224	8.4
Oct-Dec 2021	2,586	17.8	1,301	9.0	537	764	1,286	8.9
Months
January 2021	3,118	21.7	1,680	11.7	692	988	1,438	10.0
February 2021	3,068	21.0	1,930	13.2	790	1,140	1,138	7.8
March 2021	2,728	19.0	1,639	11.4	668	971	1,089	7.6
April 2021	2,664	18.3	1,307	9.0	593	714	1,357	9.3
May 2021	2,749	18.9	1,493	10.3	558	935	1,256	8.6
June 2021	2,651	17.9	1,394	9.4	570	824	1,257	8.5
July 2021	2,756	18.8	1,422	9.7	619	803	1,334	9.1
August 2021	2,537	17.7	1,362	9.5	492	870	1,175	8.2
September 2021	2,428	16.7	1,265	8.7	530	735	1,163	8.0
October 2021	2,547	17.8	1,320	9.2	471	849	1,227	8.6
November 2021	2,536	17.5	1,330	9.2	583	748	1,206	8.3
December 2021	2,676	18.2	1,252	8.5	557	695	1,424	9.7
January 2022	2,427	16.6	1,201	8.2	464	737	1,226	8.4
February 2022	2,357	16.3	1,227	8.5	463	764	1,130	7.8

*Workforce includes those employed and those looking for work – the unemployed.

This Roy Morgan survey on Australia’s unemployment and ‘under-employed’* is based on weekly interviews of 814,217 Australians aged 14 and over between January 2007 and February 2022 and includes 6,090 telephone and online interviews in February 2022. *The ‘under-employed’ are those people who are in part-time work or freelancers who are looking for more work.

Contact Roy Morgan to learn more about Australia’s unemployed and under-employed; who and where they are, and the challenges they face as they search for employment opportunities.

Visit the Roy Morgan Online Store to purchase employment profiles, including for Australians who are employed, unemployed, under-employed, employed part-time, employed full-time, retired, studying and many more.

Roy Morgan Research cf. ABS Unemployment Estimates

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source October 2006 – February 2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000.

Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2000 – February 2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source April 1995 – February 2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

(Roy Morgan)

March 07 2022

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8924-australian-unemployment-estimates-february-2022-202203070529

732-734-43-56/Polls

Inflation Expectations Up 0.2% Points To 5.1% In February; Highest For Nearly Eight Years Since June 2014

Inflation Expectations are now 0.4% points above the long-term average of 4.7% and a large 1.4% points higher than a year ago in February 2021 (3.7%).

Inflation Expectations have increased the most for Australians who rent

A look at Inflation Expectations by home ownership status in February 2022 shows renters have clearly the highest Inflation Expectations at 5.9%, up a large 2.3% points since the low point of August 2020.

People who are currently paying off their homes have the lowest Inflation Expectations at only 4.5% (up 1.5% points since August 2020) while those who own their own home now have Inflation Expectations of 4.8% (up 1.7% points).

During this same time period the Inflation Expectations of all Australians have increased by 1.9% points to 5.1%. The changes in Inflation Expectations since mid-2020 when they hit a record low show that clearly the most rapid increase has been for renters who represent just under 30% of all Australians.

Inflation Expectations by Home Ownership Status: August 2020 (record low) cf. February 2022

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source: August 2020, n=6,119, February 2022, n=6,104. Base: Australians 14+.

Inflation Expectations continue to be higher in Country Areas (5.2%) than Capital Cities (5.0%)

Inflation Expectations have been consistently higher in Country Areas than Capital Cities since bottoming in mid-2020 during the early stages of the pandemic and that trend continues in the early months of 2022.

On a State-based level Inflation Expectations were highest in Queensland at 5.5%, a State with a significant regional-based population. Inflation Expectations were also higher than the national average at 5.4% in both Western Australia and South Australia.

Inflation Expectations were slightly below the national average in Tasmania (5.0%) and the two largest States of Victoria (4.9%) and New South Wales (4.8%).

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

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source: Interviewing an average of 4,600 Australians aged 14+ per month (April 2010-Feb. 2022).

See below for a comprehensive list of RBA interest rate changes during the time-period charted above.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Inflation Expectations increased 0.2% points to 5.1% in February, reaching its highest level in nearly eight years largely before the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to rapidly increasing energy prices:

“Inflation Expectations increased 0.2% points to 5.1% in February 2022, the highest the measure has been at for almost eight years since June 2014 (5.3%). The increase in Inflation Expectations came largely before the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began in the last few days of the month.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on Thursday February 24, has caused a round of heavy sanctions against Russian exports and led to a surge in the price of key commodities including oil, gas, coal, wheat and other foodstuffs.

“The price of a barrel of oil has now exceeded $150 AUD since the war began and the upward pressure has already seen petrol prices increase beyond $2 per litre in many parts of Australia. If the war continues, petrol prices could well go far higher over the next few months.

“Although the latest ABS quarterly Consumer Price Index showed Australian inflation rising by only 3.5% over the 12 months to December 2021, this figure is set to rise during 2022 – and especially now with the increasing geo-political tensions in Europe and the heavy sanctioning of Russia.

“The biggest concern for the Federal Government as it faces re-election is that wage growth is not keeping up with inflation. The latest ABS Quarterly Wage Price Index shows an annual increase of 2.3% for wages over the 12 months to December 2021 – more than 1% points below the inflation rate.

“The rising level of inflation in the economy is hitting some people far harder than others and this disparity is clear when examining Australians by home ownership status. Australians who are renting have easily the highest Inflation Expectations at 5.9% - up a stunning 2.3% points since August 2020 when the measure hit a record low.

“In comparison, people who own their home outright have Inflation Expectations of 4.8% (up 1.7% points) and people who are paying off their home have the lowest of all at only 4.5% (up 1.5%). Although Inflation Expectations for renters are generally higher, they have increased far more rapidly for renters over the last 18 months than for homeowners and those paying off their home.

“The risk of a spike in inflation in the next few months increases the likelihood the RBA will raise interest rates earlier than initially forecast. Although the RBA has consistently stated that it has no plans to raise interest rates until wage growth in Australia is ‘sustainably above an annual rate of 3%’ the new economic disruptions caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will cause a reassessment if they mean prices persist at a higher-than-expected level over the next few months.

“However, although the rising inflation will cause a political headache in the run-up to the Federal Election due in mid-May they are likely to avoid the prospect of the RBA raising interest rates during the middle of an election campaign which may be of small comfort.

“The latest Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention taken in the week following the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows the ALP 56.5% continuing to hold a commanding two-party preferred lead over the L-NP 43.5% in early March 2022.”

The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source which has interviewed an average of 4,600 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade from April 2010 – February 2022 and includes interviews with 6,104 Australians aged 14+ in February 2022.

The questions used to calculate the Monthly Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index.

1) Prices: “During the next 2 years, do you think that prices in general will go up, or go down, or stay where they are now?”

2a) If stay where they are now: “Do you mean that prices will go up at the same rate as now or that prices in general will not go up during the next 2 years?

2b) If go up or go down: “By about what per cent per year do you expect prices to (go up/ go down) on average during the next 2 years?”

3) “Would that be (x%) per year, or is that the total for prices over the next 2 years?”

The Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index is a forward-looking indicator unlike the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and is based on continuous (weekly) measurement, and monthly reporting. The Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index is current and relevant.

Monthly Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index (2010 – 2022)
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly Average
2010	n/a	n/a	n/a	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.7
2011	6.6	6.4	6.4	6.2	6.1	6.2	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.5	5.5	6.0
2012	5.4	5.5	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.4	5.8
2013	5.2	5.1	5.3	4.9	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.0	4.8	4.9	4.8	5.0	5.0
2014	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.0	4.8	5.0	4.8	4.9	4.4	5.0
2015	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.4	4.5	4.5
2016	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.9	4.1	4.1	3.9	4.2	4.1
2017	4.5	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.4
2018	4.5	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.2	4.4
2019	4.2	4.0	4.0	3.7	4.1	3.8	4.1	3.9	4.0	4.1	3.9	4.0	4.0
2020	3.9	4.0	4.0	3.6	3.3	3.2	3.4	3.2	3.3	3.5	3.4	3.6	3.5
2021	3.6	3.7	3.8	3.7	3.7	4.0	4.1	4.3	4.5	4.8	4.9	4.8	4.2
2022	4.9	5.1											5.0
Monthly Average	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.7
Overall Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Average: 4.7

RBA interest rates changes during the time-period measured: 2010-2020.

(Roy Morgan)

March 15 2022

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8921-australian-inflation-expectations-february-2022-202203150148

732-734-43-57/Polls

2.9 Million New Zealanders Read Newspapers And Nearly 1.8 Million Read Magazines In 2021

These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,514 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2021.

A majority of the top ten newspapers grew their total cross-platform audience in 2021

The leading performer during the pandemic has been New Zealand’s most widely read publication the New Zealand Herald with a total cross-platform audience of 1,844,000 in the 12 months to December 2021.

Stuff.co.nz retains the position as New Zealand’s leading news website for those on the lookout for the latest news bringing together leading newspapers the Dominion Post, The Press and Sunday Star-Times, and magazines such as the TV Guide and NZ Gardener. The total digital audience for Stuff in an average 7 days is over 1.75 million New Zealanders, up nearly 40,000 on a year ago and over 200,000 ahead of main rival NZHerald.co.nz on 1.55 million.

A majority of six of the top ten titles grew their total cross-platform audiences during 2021 led by the Otago Daily Times, which was up an impressive 50,000 (+20%) to an audience of 304,000, the Northern Advocate, up 35,000 (+33%) to an audience of 142,000 and the Taranaki Daily News, up 31,000 (+29.7%) to an audience of 137,000.

Other newspapers to increase their total cross-platform audiences during 2021 included Hawke’s Bay Today, up 19,000 (+12.4%) to 173,000, Bay of Plenty Times, up 4,000 (+3%) to 149,000, Waikato Times, up 2,000 (+0.9%) to 195,000.

Filling out the top ten are the Dominion Post in second place with an audience of 408,000 readers ahead of The Press in fourth place on 272,000 followed by the Sunday Star-Times on 216,000.

Despite the challenges of the last two years a majority of Stuff’s newspapers have grown their total cross-platform audiences during 2021 led by the Waikato Times, Taranaki Daily News, Southland Times, Nelson Mail, Sunday News and Timaru Herald.

Top 10 Newspapers – Total 7 Day Cross-Platform Audience (Print & Online)

Publication	Print		Digital (web or app)		*Total 7 Day Cross-Platform Audience (print, web or app)**
	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	% Change
	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	%
New Zealand Herald	595	559	1,637	1,585	1,883	1,844	-2.1%
Dominion Post	211	205	278	271	416	408	-1.9%
Otago Daily Times	98	107	200	238	254	304	20.0%
The Press	160	145	181	189	288	272	-5.3%
Sunday Star-Times	172	167	59	60	220	216	-2.0%
Waikato Times	82	86	128	134	193	195	0.9%
Hawke’s Bay Today	72	80	101	109	154	173	12.4%
Bay of Plenty Times	67	57	102	104	145	149	3.0%
Northern Advocate	52	72	62	95	107	142	33.0%
Taranaki Daily News	60	56	69	103	106	137	29.7%

Full Newspaper Readership Results available to view here.

*Cross-Platform Audience is the number of New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual newspaper content via print or online. Print is net readership in an average 7 days. Online is net readership online in an average 7 days.

New Zealand Listener and AA Directions increase their print readership during 2021

The weekly New Zealand Listener was temporarily suspended from publication during 2020 as the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop in advertising revenue early. Later in the year New Zealand Listener was relaunched and has experienced impressive growth in the year to December 2021, up by 36,000 to an average issue readership of 221,000.

However, despite the improvement for the second-placed New Zealand Listener, New Zealand’s most widely read magazine is easily the driving magazine AA Directions which had an average issue readership of 374,000 during the year to December 2021, up 9,000 on a year ago.

There were also strong results for NZ House & Garden which increased its readership by 18,000 to 110,000, Habitat which grew its readership by 10,000 to 100,000 and Dish, up 3,000 to 92,000.

Other widely read magazines included TV Guide with a readership of 157,000, NZ Woman’s Day on 146,000, Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition) on 141,000, NZ Woman’s Weekly unchanged on 105,000 and NZ Gardener on 93,000.

Women’s Lifestyle and Fashion magazines were among the big improvers in 2021 with Mindfood, up 2,000 to 80,000, Simply You Living, up 26,000 to 50,000, NZ Fashion Quarterly, up 20,000 to 50,000 and Fashion, up 20,000 to 50,000.

Other magazines to grow their readership during 2021 included Heritage NZ, up 27,000 to 76,000, Home NZ, up 25,000 to 60,000, New Zealand’s Best Dining Guide, up 37,000 to 55,000, Your Home & Garden, up 3,000 to 54,000, Kiwi Gardener, up 21,000 to 51,000, Good, up 32,000 to 49,000, New Idea, up 1,000 to 47,000, Metro, up 18,000 to 43,000 and NZ Fishing News, up 17,000 to 40,000.

Several Are Media magazines including New Zealand Listener, Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition), NZ Woman’s Day and NZ Woman’s Weekly were temporarily suspended from publication in the June and September 2020 quarters due to the New Zealand lockdown. The figures for these magazines show average readership for the available quarters.

New Zealand’s Top 10 Magazines by Average Issue Print Readership

Publication	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	% Reach Change
	‘000s	‘000s	%
AA Directions*	365	374	0.0%
**New Zealand Listener*	185	221	0.7%
TV Guide*	166	157	-0.3%
**NZ Woman’s Day*	152	146	-0.3%
*Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition)	180	141	-1.0%
NZ House & Garden*	92	110	0.3%
**NZ Woman’s Weekly*	105	105	-0.1%
Habitat*	90	100	0.2%
NZ Gardener*	101	93	-0.3%
Dish	89	92	0.0%

Full Readership Results for over 60 New Zealand Magazines available to view here.

*Roy Morgan has measured additional readership for this magazine via Cross-Platform Audiences – see next section. **Note: Are Media magazines were temporarily suspended during the June and September 2020 quarters. Results for these magazines have been suppressed for the impacted quarters, average issue readership is allocated instead.

AA Directions and New Zealand Listener lead cross-platform* audience growth in 2021

Of the top ten magazines by cross-platform audience there were five which experienced growth during 2021 – led by the two most widely read AA Directions and New Zealand Listener.

AA Directions is still easily New Zealand’s most widely read magazine with a market-leading total cross-platform audience of 455,000 – nearly 200,000 ahead of any other magazine – and an increase of 14,000 (+3.3%) on a year ago.

The ‘re-booted’ New Zealand Listener had amongst the largest cross-platform audience growth during 2021, up by 48,000 (+22.8%) to 257,000 in the 12 months to December 2021.

There was also strong cross-platform audience growth for Dish, up 32,000 (+21.6%) to 177,000, NZ House & Garden, up 45,000 (+35.7%) to 174,000 and Mindfood, up 27,000 (+19.7%) to 165,000.

Other leading magazines with strong cross-platform audiences include NZ Woman’s Day on 204,000, Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition) on 188,000, TV Guide on 184,000, NZ Woman’s Weekly on 172,000 and North & South on 145,000.

A majority of eight out of the top ten magazines grew their digital audience over the past year during the pandemic including AA Directions, up 23,000 to 171,000, Dish, up 37,000 to 116,000, Mindfood, up 33,000 to 109,000, NZ House & Garden, up 37,000 to 91,000, North & South, up 6,000 to 90,000, New Zealand Listener, up 18,000 to 74,000, Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition), up 6,000 to 65,000 and TV Guide, up 8.000 to 58,000.

Top 10 Magazines – Total Cross-Platform Audience (Print & Online)

Publication	Print		Digital (web or app)		Total Cross-Platform Audience* (print, web or app)
	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	% Change
	‘000	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	‘000s	%
AA Directions	365	374	148	171	441	455	3.3%
**New Zealand Listener	185	221	56	74	209	257	22.8%
**NZ Woman’s Day/ Now to Love	152	146	88	86	207	204	-1.7%
**Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition)	180	141	59	65	218	188	-13.7%
TV Guide	166	157	50	58	194	184	-5.0%
Dish	89	92	79	116	145	177	21.6%
NZ House & Garden	92	110	54	91	129	174	35.7%
**NZ Woman’s Weekly/ Now to Love	105	105	88	86	172	172	0.0%
Mindfood	78	80	76	109	138	165	19.7%
**North & South	100	72	84	90	165	145	-12.2%

Full Newspaper Readership Results available to view here.

*Cross-platform audience is the number of New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual magazine content via print or online. Print is average issue readership. Digital is average website visitation and app usage (if available) in last 7 days for weekly titles (National Business Review, New Idea, NZ Listener, NZ Woman's Day, NZ Woman's Weekly, Property Press, That's Life, Time, TV Guide) and last 4 weeks for all other non-weekly titles.

**Note: Are Media magazines were temporarily suspended during the June and September 2020 quarters. Results for some of these magazines have been suppressed for the latest quarter, average issue readership is allocated instead.

Five Newspaper Inserted Magazines grew their readership during 2021 – led by Canvas and Viva

The Weekend New Zealand Herald newspaper inserted magazine Canvas (North Island) is clearly the most widely read with an average issue readership of 272,000, up 41,000 on a year ago. There was also a strong increase in readership for the second most widely read Viva (North Island) with an increase of 29,000 on a year ago to a readership of 176,000.

Other newspaper inserted magazines to increase their readership during 2021 were the third most widely read Sunday Magazine, up 8,000 to an average issue readership of 172,000, Bite (North Island) with a readership of 158,000 (up 28,000) and Your Weekend with a readership of 136,000 (up 6,000).

Behind the four market leaders is Weekend (North Island) with an average issue readership of 153,000.

New Zealand’s Leading Newspaper Inserted Magazines by Print Readership

Publication	Dec 2020	Dec 2021	% Reach Change
	‘000s	‘000s	%
Canvas (North Island)	231	272	0.8%
Viva (North Island)	147	176	0.6%
Sunday Magazine	164	172	0.1%
Bite (North Island)	130	158	0.6%
Weekend (North Island)	175	153	-0.6%
Your Weekend	130	136	0.1%

Full Readership Results for over 60 New Zealand Magazines available to view here.

Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan, says:

“The latest Roy Morgan readership figures for New Zealand covering the year to December 2021 show 2.9 million New Zealanders (69.5% of the population aged 14+) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app). The leading newspaper is again the New Zealand Herald with a total cross-platform audience of over 1.84 million. The Herald is read by over four times as many people as any other newspaper.

“There was widespread growth in cross-platform audiences over the last year for the country’s leading newspapers with six out of the top ten growing their audiences in 2021. Leading newspapers to significantly grow their cross-platform audiences include the Otago Daily Times, up 20% to 304,000, Northern Advocate, up 33% to 142,000 and Taranaki Daily News, up 29.7% to 137,000.

“In the purely digital realm Stuff holds a clear advantage. Over 1.75 million New Zealanders access the Stuff platform in an average 7 days, an increase of nearly 40,000 on a year ago. The Stuff group of newspapers brings together ten of the country’s leading newspapers such as the Dominion Post, The Press, and the Sunday Star-Times through their news portal Stuff.co.nz.

“New Zealand’s magazines have faced a challenging period over the last two years with several magazines forced to suspend their publishing during the early stages of the pandemic, especially in the period from April 2020 to September 2020.

“Despite these challenges the audiences for New Zealand’s magazines are holding steady and in the year to December 2021 nearly 1.8 million New Zealanders (42.5% of the population aged 14+) read magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app.

“There have been many magazines to grow both their print readership and their cross-platform audiences during 2021 led by some of the most widely read such as AA Directions, the relaunched New Zealand Listener, Dish and NZ House & Garden.

“Women’s Fashion and Lifestyle magazines were also big winners during 2021 with several growing their print readerships led by Mindfood, Simply You Living, NZ Fashion Quarterly, Fashion and the Mass Women’s magazine New Idea as they recovered strongly from the significant disruptions of the early stages of the pandemic.”

(Roy Morgan)

March 16 2022

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8926-new-zealand-roy-morgan-readership-results-newspapers-and-magazines-december-2021-202203160342

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

732-734-43-58/Polls

Every Third Person Has Shopped Via Social Media In The Nordic Countries, Survey In 4 Countries

33% of the population in the Nordic countries have tried social shopping, and 22% shop regularly via social media.

64% of the population in the Nordic countries have not tried social shopping; however, 24% can imagine doing so. In Norway, we see the highest proportion of consumers who have not shopped via social media and can not imagine it (45%). Denmark has the second largest proportion of consumers who do not have or want to shop via social media (41%). In Sweden and Finland, this second is somewhat lower (32%).

People aged 18-39 are the most active social shoppers

AGE

A general assumption is that the youngest generation is the most active when it comes to social shopping. However, the 30-39 year olds shop just as much via social media. Among the 40-49 year olds, 37% have tried social shopping, while 28% of consumers aged 50+ have tried it.

What motivates consumers to shop via social media?

Moti

The need for a product motivates most consumers to shop via social media (47%). Other main reasons are special discount promotions (28%) and the exclusivity of a product (27%). It is perhaps surprising that recommendations and advertisements from influencers and celebrities play only a minor role (only 6% mention this as a motivation to act via social media).

The biggest regional difference in what motivates consumers in the Nordic countries is discount campaigns. Finns are most motivated by discount campaigns (40% mention this as a reason to shop via social media), while only 20% of Norwegians are motivated by this.

(YouGov Denmark)

March 3, 2022

Source: https://yougov.dk/news/2022/03/03/hver-tredje-har-shoppet-sociale-medier-i-norden/

732-734-43-59/Polls

A Global Country Average Of 55% Disagree With The Idea That Gender Inequality Doesn’t Really Exist, Result Of 30-Country Survey

One in five Britons also think feminism does more harm than good, while three in 10 feel traditional masculinity is under threat today – the highest among eight western European nations surveyed.
One in five men think sending unrequested online comments or compliments on someone’s physical appearance is acceptable.
Three in 10 people think it’s mainly men’s fault that online abuse is a problem today – with men themselves actually most likely to agree.

While most Britons (57%) do believe gender inequality exists, the new global research, by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, reveals that notable minorities of the British public are not only failing to accept the reality of inequality between women and men, but are even seeing efforts to address it as causing harm, as well as feeling that traditional masculinity is under threat.

The findings – which are based on a survey of over 20,000 people in 30 countries – also highlight British and international attitudes to online harassment and violence or abuse of women, with some considerable differences in how women and men see these issues.

One in five Britons – higher among men – question the benefits of feminism

In Great Britain

One in five (21%) Britons think feminism does more harm than good, rising to three in 10 among men (29%) – compared with around one in eight women (13%).
And one in six (16%) think men have lost out in terms of economic and political power or socially as a result of feminism, with men (24%) three times as likely as women (8%) to feel this way.
Three in 10 (29%) think traditional masculinity is under threat today – the highest of the eight western European countries included in the survey. Four in 10 men in Britain (40%) hold this view, while two in 10 women (19%) feel the same.

Internationally

A global country average of 55% disagree with the idea that gender inequality doesn’t really exist. Men (21%) are more likely to agree that this is the case than women (14%), and in several countries, the proportion of men who agree is double that for women – including Australia (30% vs 14%), Romania (27% vs 13%) and Russia (30% vs 12%).

Across the countries surveyed, a third of men think feminism does more harm than good (32%) and that traditional masculinity is under threat (33%), while a fifth of men (23%) think that feminism has resulted in men losing out in terms of economic or political power or socially – similar to the proportions of British men holding these views.

Most Britons think online harassment and abuse are unacceptable and agree that women should not have to put up with it, but one in 10 have encountered misogynistic statements online

In Great Britain

Three in 10 Britons (29%) have experienced online harm or abuse. One in 10 have experienced generally abusive language directed at them (11%), viewed comments or images suggesting men are superior to women (10%), or viewed comments or images which suggest that women cause many of men’s problems (9%).
One in six (17%) Britons think sending someone unrequested comments or compliments on their physical appearance is acceptable, with men (21%) more likely than women (14%) to feel this way.

And there are notable gender differences in views on online abuse and how to deal with it:

Three in 10 Britons (30%) think it’s mainly men’s fault that online abuse is a problem today – and men themselves (35%) are actually more likely than women (26%) to hold this view.
One in five (22%) think many women overreact to the things people send them or say to them online, with 28% of men thinking this is the case, compared with 16% of women.
A quarter (26%) think the best way for women to deal with online abuse is to just ignore it. Men (31%) are more likely than women (21%) to agree with this.

Overall, however, despite these minority views, 84% of Britons agree women should not have to put up with online abuse – not far behind Sweden (89%), which comes top for this belief.

Internationally

Nearly half – a global country average of 45% – say they have experienced online abuse or seen sexist content in the past two years, with one in six having viewed comments or images suggesting men are superior to women (16%) or suggesting that women cause many of the problems faced by men (16%).

The majority agree that women should not have to put up with online abuse (78% global country average). Agreement is lower among men (74%) than women (82%), and younger generations (75% of under 50s) than older ones (85% of over 50s).

A minority of Britons hold victim-blaming attitudes when it comes to violence against women

In Great Britain

Britons are far more likely to disagree than agree with statements that attempt to justify or downplay violence or coercion against women, but there are some small minorities who say they hold these views:

The majority of Britons – 58% – disagree that women who say they were abused often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape, but one in 10 (10%) agree with this statement, with men (13%) nearly twice as likely as women (7%) to feel this way.
Just 7% say they believe violence against women is often provoked by victim, with 72% disagreeing with this view.
And while 6% think it’s a woman’s obligation to have sex with her boyfriend or husband even if she doesn’t feel like it, 83% disagree.

Internationally

Around one in six (15%) agree that women who say they were abused often make up or exaggerate these claims, with men (20%) twice as likely as women (10%) to hold this view.

Concerningly, younger people are more likely to agree with victim-blaming statements. For example, around one in five Gen Z (18%) and Millennials (19%) agree that violence against women is often provoked by the victim, compared with 14% of Gen X and 11% of Baby Boomers. A global country average of 15% agree with this statement.

Kelly Beaver, chief executive of Ipsos UK, said:

We often hear about online abuse, and the disproportionate impact of that abuse on women in particular is well known and understood. It’s encouraging therefore that the vast majority of Britons reject this sort of abuse. But it is deeply worrying that a minority continue to believe it’s acceptable to act in abusive or harassing ways towards women, as well as the minority that blame women for the abuse they face.

Professor Rosie Campbell, director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said:

An overwhelming majority of the population share feminist values but there is also a persistent minority who believe gender equality has gone too far or caused more harm than good. A vocal minority can have a disproportionate impact and we have a lot of work to do to guarantee gender equality and ensure women’s safety both on and offline.

(Ipsos MORI)

4 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/inequality-between-women-and-men-doesnt-really-exist-say-one-seven-britons

732-734-43-60/Polls

One In Three Men Says Feminism Does More Harm Than Good; A Study In 30 Countries

Key findings

Only two in 10 deny that there is gender inequality, but public opinion is split on the benefits of feminism.

Concerns about online abuse remain, with one in 10 men saying it's acceptable to send explicit images without the other party's request.

Four out of 10 people say they've been abused or exposed to sexist content online, but one in three say women overreact.

In the countries where the research was conducted, it is seen that a minority blame the victim.

More men question the existence of gender inequality and the benefits of feminism

The majority of people globally do not agree that gender inequality really does not exist. (55%). On the other hand, despite the evidence that gender inequality has risen globally since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, only 18% agreed.

Men seem more skeptical about the benefits of our femininity and the existence of gender inequality:

One-third of men (32%) say feminism does more harm than good, and traditional masculinity is in danger (33%)

Women agree less on this. Only a fifth (20%) believe that feminism will do harm.

Again, one-fifth (19%); She states that feminism arose as a result of men's loss of economic or political or social power.

Victim blaming attitude towards violence against women is present in a minority group, but only half of the participants state that they do not fully agree with the statements blaming the victim.

55% do not agree with the statement that violence against women is often provoked by the victim, and 53% do not agree with the statement that abused women often make it up or exaggerate it. Only a minority have worrisome views on violence against women:

About one in seven (15%) state that violence against women is often provoked by women, and 13% of women agree on this issue. Again, a similar proportion of women, who stated that they were abused, stated that they either made it up or exaggerated it. (15% general rate, 20% men, 10% women agree on this issue)

Although 76% do not agree with the statement that a woman must have sexual intercourse with her partner or spouse, although she does not want to, 9% agree with it.

(Ipsos Turkey)

4 March 2022

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/one-three-men-believe-feminism-does-more-harm-good

732-734-43-61/Polls

March 8: Women's Rights Around The World, Survey In 13 Countries

Italians are most likely to say that women's rights have not progressed far enough in their country (62%), followed by similar numbers for Spaniards (60%), Hungarians (57%) and Swedes (56%). In countries like Poland, France, Canada, Australia and Greece, about half of people think their nation could go further in women's rights (50-53%).

Lower percentages of people in Germany (48%), Britain (48%), Denmark (46%) and the United States (43%) think their countries have not gone far enough in promoting women's rights. About three in ten (between 34% and 29%) in each of these nations say that "women's rights have reached the point where they should be" - with generally fewer than one in ten thinking that women's rights have gone too far.

(YouGov Italy)

March 7, 2022

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/03/07/8-marzo-i-diritti-delle-donne-nel-mondo/

732-734-43-62/Polls

Equal Opportunities And Rights: A Global Picture From 39 Countries

HEADLINES

Achievements in Gender Equality

When considering different environments where to measure the level of gender equality, home is still the place where equal rights are perceived the most, just like in previous years. In 2021, 70% of the global population believes gender equality has been achieved at home, however, there is also a slight but constant decrease when comparing the last three years (from 72% to 71% to 70%)^[1].

Globally, 60% of the population believes gender equality has been achieved in workplaces, but it is indeed the political sphere once again the most difficult environment for men and women to be considered equal: half of the population thinks gender equality has been achieved in politics, a share that slightly decreases compared to last year results (from 48% in 2019 to 51% in 2020 and 50% in 2021).

The countries where the highest net indexes in gender equity have been obtained are Vietman (69 points), Finland (75 points) and the Philippines (74 points), for work, politics and home, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest net indexes are obtained by Italy in work (-22 points), Japan in politics (-51) and Kenya at home (-22 points).

Job opportunities and career

Having established that 60% of the population believes gender equality has been achieved at work, the survey deep dives for the first time this year into some more specifical questions about equal job opportunities and careers. On a total level, 37% of the population believes that women have the same opportunities than men when it comes to jobs and career achievements, a share that is interestingly a bit lower among females themselves (32%). Most of the population, both on a total level and within females, believes women have less opportunities than men (total: 45%; among women: 55%). There is also a minor share of the respondents (14% of the total population, 10% among females) who believes women have more opportunities.

Europe and Americas seem to be the most critical regions in the world, as 55% and 52% of the respondents respectively believe women have less opportunities than men at jobs; women having the same opportunities is, on the other hand, an opinion widely shared in APAC, where 48% of the population believes it, +11% than global average.

Violence

At a global level, results about women experiencing physical or psychological violence are unfortunately stable compared to previous years: 16% in 2021, 17% in 2020, 16% in 2019. However, when analyzing data by regions, some small improvements can be found: in Africa, MENA, APAC and Americas the net index about women experiencing violence in the past year decreases by -7, -5, -2 and -1 respectively.

Young women aged 18 to 24 experience the highest incidence of physical and psychological violence (22%) although the share decreases by two points compared to last year. Likewise, women who have reached only full primary school are more likely to say they experienced violence (20%), and the same goes for female students among other occupational groups (20%).

Regarding the results by country, women in Ecuador report a sharp increase in the levels of violence (from 14% to 24%); the same happens in Mexico (from 32% to 36%) and Brazil from 24% to 28%. Greece also shows a high level of violence against women (32%).

Sexual harassment

The trend about women who experienced sexual harassment is also almost stable: 9% of women interviewed worldwide suffered sexual harassment in the last year, compared to 8% of the previous year.

Young women from 18 to 24 years are the ones who have suffered the most from sexual harassment compared to other age groups, even one point more than the previous year (19% in 2021 and 18% in 2020).

On a brightest note, Africa seems to have reduced the share of women who experienced sexual harassment, with a share that decreases by 4 percentage points (from 8% to 4%). However, in the Americas, victims of sexual harassment keep being 16% just like last year.

The countries where women report the highest percentages of sexual harassment in 2021 are Mexico (26%), Ecuador (24%) and Chile (22%). While the Philippines (1%), China (1%) and Croatia (1%) are the countries with the lowest percentages. Ecuador has suffered a sharp increase in sexual harassment (from 15% to 24%) also Chile (from 18% to 22%) and Argentina (from 11% to 15%). India surprises with a reduction from 29% to 16% and Hong Kong from 13% to 9%.

(WIN)

8 Mar 2022

Source: https://winmr.com/equal-opportunities-and-rights-a-global-picture/

732-734-43-63/Polls

Gap Between Men And Women In Attitudes On Gender Issues In A Survey In 34 Countries

Most Indians support gender equality, but a new Pew Research Center survey finds that traditional gender norms still hold sway for many people in the country. And even though traditional norms tend to give men, rather than women, more prominent roles in several aspects of family and public life, women do not differ substantially from men in their opinions on these issues.

One example is how Indians view interactions between husbands and wives. Asked if they agree with the statement that “a wife must always obey her husband,” women in India (86%) are only slightly less likely than Indian men (89%) to say they either completely or mostly agree.

This phenomenon, where women are either as likely as or only modestly less likely than men to express traditional attitudes about gender, is not unique to India. In a different survey of 34 countries conducted by Pew Research Center in the spring and summer of 2019, only 11 countries had statistically significant differences between men and women in the shares who say that if jobs are scarce, men should have more rights to employment than women. This included India, where Indian women (76%) were only somewhat less likely than Indian men (81%) to hold this view. In other words, in most of the countries surveyed, women were about as likely as men to favor job preferences for men in times of high unemployment.

Another question on the same 34-country survey asked respondents how important it is for women to have the same rights as men in their country. In most countries surveyed, women are more likely than men to voice support for gender equality, but this pattern is far from universal. In 14 countries, including Brazil and Poland, roughly the same shares of men and women say equal rights for women are very important, and in an additional seven countries, gender gaps on this question are 10 percentage points or less. In India, women (75%) are only modestly more likely than men (70%) to support equal rights for both genders.

Gender differences also are muted when it comes to Indians’ views about relationships between children and their parents. In Indian society, sons historically have been the primary caregivers for aging parents and the main beneficiaries of inheritance. In line with these and other traditions, families have tended to place higher value on – and provide more support to – their sons than their daughters, a set of attitudes and practices known as “son preference.”

Today, while most Indian adults believe that sons and daughters should have equal responsibility to care for parents as they age, women (37%) are almost as likely as men (40%) to say it is sons who should have the primary responsibility for this. And when asked whether sons or daughters should be primarily responsible for a parent’s last rites or burial rituals, women (62%) are nearly as likely as men (64%) to say it should be sons. In addition, most Indians say sons and daughters should have equal rights to inheritance from their parents, but about a third of both women (33%) and men (34%) say that sons should have greater inheritance rights than daughters.

Against the backdrop of violence against women in India that has attracted both national and international attention, three-quarters of Indian men and women say violence against women is a “very big problem” in their country. The survey also asked respondents whether, to improve the safety of women in their community, it is more important to teach boys to respect all women or to teach girls to behave appropriately.

Around half of the Indian population – including 53% of women and 48% of men – says teaching boys to respect women is more important. But women (24%) are almost as likely as men (27%) to put the onus on women’s own behavior, saying that teaching girls to behave appropriately is the better way to improve women’s safety. Roughly a quarter of both men and women don’t take a clear position on the issue, with some saying both approaches are important, that women are already safe, or that the issue is one of law and order rather than gender norms.

(PEW)

MARCH 15, 2022

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/15/in-india-and-many-other-countries-there-is-little-gap-between-men-and-women-in-attitudes-on-gender-issues/

732-734-43-64/Polls

NATO: Has Europeans' Perception Changed Since The Invasion Of Ukraine, Survey In 7 Countries

In France, the number of people in favor of the country's presence in NATO rose by 8 points (from 39% to 47%) , while the opposition remained stable (15-16%).

In Sweden, where NATO membership has long been debated but remains outside the alliance for the time being, support for membership fell from 36% in 2019 to 44% in early March. At the same time, the opposition fell from 27% to 22%.

Are citizens ready to engage in collective defence?

The NATO alliance is based on a mechanism called "Article 5", which states that an attack on one NATO member will be considered an attack on all members. This article has been invoked only once in history, by the United States after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Article 5 obliges NATO members to help each other, and the majority of respondents in each country (58-81%) support maintaining this commitment.

But are they ready to implement it if necessary?

Europeans would be particularly willing to come to the aid of France if the country were attacked by Russia (51-71%). Germany comes in second place (48-66%).

At the bottom of the list is Turkey, itself a member of NATO. Less than half of respondents in each country would be willing to use their national army to protect Turkey from Russian attacks (22-40%).

Europeans are even more numerous to consider that NATO is important for the defense of the West

The most significant change is seen in non-member Sweden, where two-thirds of residents (66%) are aware of the important role played by NATO, compared to 50% in 2019. A similar change is seen in Germany ( from 53% to 66%), while a majority of French people are also convinced of this (54%, compared to 42% in 2019).

Who would win in a war between NATO and Russia?

If NATO and Russia were to come into conflict, the citizens interviewed are convinced that NATO would emerge victorious. We note that the French are the least confident: 45% of them think that NATO would win the victory, against 63% of the Swedes and 78% of the Poles.

(YouGov France)

March 16, 2022

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2022/03/16/OTAN-evolution-perception-des-europeens/