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BUSINESS
& POLITICS IN THE WORLD GLOBAL
OPINION REPORT NO.759-760 Week: September 05 –September
18, 2022 Presentation: September 23,
2022 759-760-43-41/Commentary:
Americans Consume Violent Video Games More Often Than Germans Military
Reserves, Civil Defense Worry Taiwan As China Looms More
Than Half (55%) Japanese, Said They Support Hosting The Winter Games 7
Out Of Every 10 Turkish People Have A Credit Card 3
In 5 People In Karachi Do Not Read Newspaper Six
In 10 (59%) Ugandans Say The Government Is Doing A Poor Job Of Addressing
Climate Change Mauritians
Embrace Covid-19 Vaccination Despite Low Levels Of Trust In Vaccine Safety By
50% to 22% Britons are disappointed that Liz Truss will be the next PM 7
In 10 Britons Agree That The UK Is In Decline Londoners
Support Decriminalization Of Cannabis By 50% To 33% Three
Quarters Of Britons (76%) Say They Were Upset At The Passing Of Queen
Elizabeth II Three
In Five Britons Expect Charles III To Be A Good King For
The First Time, Britons Are More Likely To Think Ukraine Is Winning The War
Than Russia Overall
Consumer Confidence Is Negative For The First Time Since May 2020 Over
Two Thirds (70%) Of Irish Voters Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet 57%
Of French People Say They Have Already Experienced A Situation Of Poverty 6
Out Of 10 French People Now Consider That An Electric Vehicle Would Be
Adapted To Their Travels 68%
Of Children Would Like Their Ideal Parent To Have A Job That Allows Them To
Have Time For Family Russians
Began To Save More On Expensive Purchases And Less On Food Partisan
Differences Are Common In The Lessons Americans Take Away From Covid-19 Six-In-Ten
Adults Say A Pathway To Legal Status For Immigrants Should
Be An Important Goal Modeling
The Future Of Religion In America Poilievre
Running Away As Clear Favourite Among Conservative Party Supporters Canadians
Conflicted On Future Role Of Monarchy As Half (54%) Say Canada Should End
Ties To Monarchy Australian
Unemployment Increases To 9.2% In August As Workforce Swells To 14.8 Million
Australians ANZ-Roy
Morgan Consumer Confidence Up By 1.1pts To 86.1 – Highest For Three Months Since
Early June An
Increasing Majority Of Australians, 60% Believe Australia Should Remain A
Monarchy Americans
Consume Violent Video Games More Often Than Germans Citizens
Lukewarm On Leaders’ Cold War, Survey Across 9 Middle East And North African
Countries Majority
Across 34 Countries Describe Effects Of Climate Change In Their Community As
Severe Ninety-Seven
Percent Of People Globally Want To Take Action On Sustainability, In 32
Countries International
Views Of The UN In 16 Surveyed Nations Are Mostly Positive 62%
Of Finns And 40% Of Swedes Approve Of U S Leadership INTRODUCTORY NOTE
759-760-43-41/Commentary:
Americans
Consume Violent Video Games More Often Than Germans
Almost one in five Germans (18 percent) plays video
games most days of the week. In the U.S., this is said a little more, 22
percent. That they never play video games, say 47 percent in Germany, in the
USA 41 percent. The data therefore show that Americans are more likely to
play video games than Germans. On September 12, the U.S. celebrates its
annual National Video Games Day. On the occasion of this, YouGov conducted
surveys on the subject of video games in Germany as well as in the USA and
LINK in Switzerland and compared the results with each other.
Americans consume violent
video games more often than Germans In the US, three out of five respondents who play
video games at least once in a while say they have watched or played a video
game in which violence occurs (62 percent). In Germany, 56 percent of those
who play at least once in a while say so.
In Deutschland sind es besonders die 18- bis
24-Jährigen, die nach eigenen Angaben schon einmal ein gewaltbeinhaltendes
Videospiel konsumiert haben (80 Prozent vs. 33 Prozent der Befragten ab 55
Jahren). Außerdem treffen Männer diese Aussage häufiger als Frauen (67
Prozent vs. 42 Prozent unter Frauen). Für Schweizer sind
Videospiele am ehesten Ursache für Gewalt Die Befragten aller drei Länder wurden außerdem
gebeten, verschiedene Aussagen zu Videospielen und ihren Effekten zu
bewerten. Am häufigsten sind Befragte in der Schweiz der Meinung (61
Prozent), dass Videospiele Ursache für Gewalt und Aggressionen in der realen
Welt sein können. In Deutschland sagen dies 57 Prozent. In den USA trifft nur
noch knapp jeder Zweite diese Aussage (48 Prozent). Amerikaner stimmen hingegen am häufigsten zu, dass
Videospiele hingegen ein nützliches Ventil für Frustrationen und Aggressionen
sein können (57 Prozent). In der Schweiz sagen dies 49 Prozent der Befragten,
in Deutschland nur knapp weniger, 46 Prozent.
These are the results of current YouGov surveys, for
which 2,062 people in Germany were surveyed between 27 and 29 June 2022 and
1,000 people in the USA between 7 and 10 June 2022. The results are
representative of the respective populations aged 18 and over. From 13 to 19
July 2022, link surveyed 1,208 language-assimilated people aged 15–79 living
in german, French and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The sample was quoted and
weighted representatively by age, gender and region. (YouGov Germany) September 9, 2022 Source: https://yougov.de/news/2022/09/09/amerikaner-haufiger-als-deutsche-zeugen-oder-spiel/ ASIA (Taiwan) Military Reserves, Civil
Defense Worry Taiwan As China Looms About 73 percent of
Taiwanese say they would be willing to fight for Taiwan if China were to
invade, according to surveys by Kuan-chen Lee at the Defense
Ministry-affiliated Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a
number that has remained consistent. Taiwan’s reserves are meant to back up
its 188,000-person military, which is 90 percent volunteers and 10 percent
men doing their four months of compulsory military service. On paper,
the 2.3 million reservists enable Taiwan to match China’s 2 million-strong
military. (Asahi Shimbun) September 5, 2022 (Japan) More Than Half (55%) Japanese,
Said They Support Hosting The Winter Games A majority of respondents
to a new nationwide survey support holding the 2030 Winter Olympics and
Paralympics in Sapporo. More than half, or 55 percent, said they support
hosting the Winter Games while 38 percent replied that they don’t, in the
survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun on Sept. 10 and 11. In addition,
about 70 percent of all the respondents in their 30s or younger support
holding the 2030 Games in Sapporo. (Asahi Shimbun) September 13, 2022 (Turkey) 7 Out Of Every 10 Turkish
People Have A Credit Card 61% of individuals have
their own credit card. 9% have an additional card they are using. In total,
the rate of individuals using credit cards is 70%. While the rate of
cardholders who say they pay the full amount of their periodic card debt is
46%, 21% say that they deposit a little less of the periodic debt. The rate
of those who pay the minimum amount is 26%.9 out of every 10 people use
credit profit on their purchases. The rate of individuals who use credit
cards in almost all purchases is 49%. (Ipsos Turkey) 7 September 2022 (Pakistan) 3 In 5 People In Karachi Do Not
Read Newspaper A representative sample of
adult men and women from Karachi was asked the following question, “Do you
read the newspaper?” In response to this question, 34% said ‘Yes’ while 66%
said ‘No.’ The number of people who said ‘Yes’ increased as the level of
education increased amongst the respondents with 67% Professionals/Doctors
answering ‘Yes’ compared to only 18% of illiterate people. (Gallup Pakistan) September 14, 2022 (Indonesia) Consumer Behavior
Characteristics And Preferences In Online Shopping; 78% Of Indonesian
Consumers Choose Shopee Online shopping trends are increasingly in
demand and growing, especially after the presence of the pandemic. Snapcart
conducted consumer research to find out more about 'Consumer Behavior
Characteristics and Preferences in Online
Shopping' for the past 3 months. This research was conducted
using an online method
which was attended by 1000 respondents from the age of 20–35 years, spread
across various regions in Indonesia. Among the 3 main players, data shows
that Shopee has been successfully selected as the most frequently used e-commerce platform. Where 78% of
consumers currently choose Shopee, followed by Tokopedia (20%) and Lazada
(2%). (Snapcart) September 8, 2022 AFRICA (Nigeria) More Than 7 In 10 Adult
Nigerians Are Not Registered To Any Political Party Ahead Of The 2023 General
Elections A new public opinion poll
conducted by NOIPolls has revealed that 74 percent of adult Nigerians
interviewed disclosed that they are not registered to any political party in
the country. This assertion cuts across gender, geographical locations, and
age-group. On the flipside, 20 percent of adult Nigerians admitted that they
are registered members of different political parties, and have membership
cards whereas, 6 percent are registered members but do not have a membership
card. (NOI Polls) September 6, 2022 (Uganda) Six In 10 (59%) Ugandans Say
The Government Is Doing A Poor Job Of Addressing Climate Change Almost six in 10 Ugandans
(57%) say droughts have become more severe over the past 10 years; only half
as many (28%) say the same about floods. More than half (56%) of Ugandans
have heard of climate change. Among those who are aware of climate change:
More than eight in 10 (84%) say it is making life in Uganda worse. More than
three-fourths (78%) believe that ordinary citizens can help curb climate
change (71%). Eight in 10 (80%) want the government to take immediate action
to limit climate change, even if it is expensive, causes job losses, or takes
a toll on the economy. (Afrobarometer) 6 September 2022 (Mauritius) Mauritians Embrace Covid-19
Vaccination Despite Low Levels Of Trust In Vaccine Safety Effects of the COVID-19
pandemic: o More than half (53%) of Mauritians say they or a member of their
household became ill with COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus. About
one-fourth (27%) say someone in their household lost a job, business, or
primary source of income due to the pandemic. Attitudes toward vaccines: o
More than nine in 10 Mauritians (95%) say they have been vaccinated against
COVID-19. Among those who have not been vaccinated, almost two-thirds say
they are “very unlikely” (41%) or “somewhat unlikely” (23%) to try to get
vaccinated. (Afrobarometer) 13 September 2022 WEST EUROPE (UK) By 50% to 22% Britons are
disappointed that Liz Truss will be the next PM Asked in the immediate
aftermath of the result, 50% of Britons say they are disappointed that she is
to be the next prime minister, including a third (33%) who are ‘very
disappointed’. This is considerably more than the 22% who say they are very
or fairly pleased. Four in ten Conservative voters (41%) say they are
pleased with Liz Truss’s impending promotion, but a third (34%) report being
disappointed. (YouGov UK) September 05, 2022 7 In 10 Britons Agree That The
UK Is In Decline New research by Ipsos,
taken 19th-22nd August, shows 7 in 10 Britons agree that the UK is currently
in decline (69%) while only around 1 in 10 (12%) disagree. This
reflects a similar sentiment found in December 2020 where almost 2 in 3
Britons aged 18-75 said the same (65%). Those who voted Labour in the 2019
General Election are significantly more likely to believe the UK is in
decline than those who voted Conservative: 80% vs. 60% respectively.
Similarly, 82% of those who voted Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum believe
the country is in decline while 64% of those who voted Leave say the
same. (Ipsos MORI) 7 September 2022 Londoners Support Decriminalization Of Cannabis
By 50% To 33% New YouGov data finds that
Londoners support decriminalising cannabis within the boundaries of the
capital by 50% to 33%. However opinion is divided across party lines, with
64% of the capital’s Labour voters supporting such a move compared to only
34% of Conservative voters. Younger Londoners are also notably more likely to
support a change in the law, with 52% of 18-24s and 56% of 25–49-year-olds
supporting decriminalisation, versus 45% of 50-64 year olds and 34% of those
aged 65 and over. (YouGov UK) September 07, 2022 Three Quarters Of Britons (76%)
Say They Were Upset At The Passing Of Queen Elizabeth II With Queen Elizabeth II
passing away on Thursday at the age of 96, after 70 years on the throne, a
new YouGov/Times survey takes the first look at how it has affected Britons,
and how they rate her reign now that it has come to an end. Three quarters of
Britons (76%) say they were upset at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II,
including half who said they were “very” (22%) or “fairly” (25%) upset. One
in five (22%) say they weren’t upset at all. A separate YouGov survey found that 44% of Britons say they
cried, became teary or welled up at the news Her Majesty had died. (YouGov UK) September 13, 2022 Three In Five Britons Expect Charles III To Be A
Good King Asked how they anticipate
his reign, 63% say they think Charles will do a good job as king, with only
15% thinking he will do a bad one. This is a marked improvement for the new
monarch: in a survey in May Britons were split 32% to 32% on
whether or not the-then Prince Charles would make a good king. One of King
Charles’s first acts as monarch was to address the nation about the passing
of his mother. Three in five Britons say they saw or heard the King’s speech,
with almost universal approval – 94% of those say it was a good speech. (YouGov UK) September 13, 2022 For The First Time, Britons Are
More Likely To Think Ukraine Is Winning The War Than Russia In recent days Ukrainian
forces have made significant gains in retaking large areas in
the east of the country from Russian forces. Although British headlines
have been dominated by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it appears that this
news from Ukraine has cut through: new YouGov political data tracking Britons’ response to
the war in Ukraine, has seen a significant shift in opinion when it comes to
who is ‘winning’. For the first time since the conflict began in February,
Britons are more likely to think that Ukraine has the advantage (31%) than
Russia (14%). (YouGov UK) September 16, 2022 Overall Consumer Confidence Is
Negative For The First Time Since May 2020 August saw confidence
among UK consumers become negative for the first time since June 2020,
according to new analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and
Business Research (Cebr). With UK energy bills set to continue increasing and
inflation rising all over the world, the overall index fell by 4.2 points in
August: the largest decline since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. (YouGov UK) September 16, 2022 (Ireland) Over Two Thirds (70%) Of Irish Voters Are
Struggling To Make Ends Meet The importance of the
rising cost of living to voters, and how it is dealt with by the government,
is laid bare in today’s poll. Over two thirds (70%) of all voters now suggest
they are struggling to make ends meet. This is before we move into
winter with the associated higher impact of increased energy costs, and
before increased interest rates have delivered further hikes in repayments
for those on variable rates. (RedC) September 12, 2022 (France) 57% Of French People Say They
Have Already Experienced A Situation Of Poverty Today, poverty is not a
distant dimension but a reality observed by a majority of French
people. 65% of them know at least one person facing poverty in their
family or friendly environment, an increase of 10 points in one year. 57% of
French people even say they have already experienced a situation of poverty
at some point in their lives and 85% fear that future generations will have
to live more situations of poverty than themselves, a record level. The
French are therefore fully aware of this reality and are openly worried about
it. (Ipsos France) September 7, 2022 Out Of 10 French People Now
Consider That An Electric Vehicle Would Be Adapted To Their Travels 6 out of 10 French people
now consider that an electric vehicle would be adapted to their travels. More
than half of French people (53%) project themselves behind the wheel of an
electric vehicle within 5 years. 91% of electric vehicle drivers say they are
satisfied with their choice. In the current context of inflation and rising
fuel prices, and while sales of new electric vehicles have increased by 30%*
over the first 8 months of 2022, the electric car is increasingly emerging as
a relevant solution for the French. (Ipsos France) September 16, 2022 (Italy) 68% Of Children Would Like
Their Ideal Parent To Have A Job That Allows Them To Have Time For Family 55% of the 8-14 year olds
surveyed say that patience/tolerance are absolutely the main traits that
the ideal parent should have. This is followed by positivity/sense of humor
(48%), generosity (26%), courage and kindness (both 25%). Even for
parents, patience/tolerance are essential characteristics for the ideal
parent (49%) as well as positivity and a sense of humor (41%). The
subsequent qualities, however, do not coincide with those indicated by the
boys. They are education/good manners (32%), self-confidence and
determination (31%). (BVA Doxa) September 09, 2022 (Romir) Russians Began To Save More On
Expensive Purchases And Less On Food In the 34th week, the
number of Russians who save on food and essential goods decreased (18% - 34
weeks vs 26% - 33 weeks). Among those who do overcome economic difficulties
by reducing spending on food and essential goods, 62% switched to goods at
discounts and promotions. The most popular way to overcome economic
difficulties in the period from 22 to 28 August was to abandon expensive
purchases and durable goods. From second place the previous week, this
pattern moved to first place. The share of Russians saving on expensive
purchases increased from 45% to 56%. (Romir) September 05, 2022 NORTH AMERICA (USA) Partisan Differences Are Common In The Lessons
Americans Take Away From Covid-19 A recent Pew Research
Center survey asked U.S. adults to say, in their own words, what they have
learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. One set of respondents were asked what
they learned about the development of vaccines and medical treatments, while
another set were asked what they think the country should learn to be better
prepared for a future outbreak of disease. Nearly as many – 12% of those who
responded – mentioned the speed of vaccine development. As one respondent put
it: “I learned that vaccine development can be expedited much more than I
previously thought.” (PEW) SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 College Grads In U S Tend To Partner With Each
Other – Especially If Their Parents Also Graduated From College A new Pew Research Center analysis
of government data shows that this pattern is even more pronounced for adults
whose parents also graduated from college. Some 86% of household heads with a
four-year college degree – and at least one parent with a degree – have a
spouse or partner who is also a college graduate. By comparison, the same is
true for a smaller share of household heads who are first-generation college
graduates (73%). (PEW) SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 Six-In-Ten Adults Say A Pathway To Legal Status
For Immigrants Should Be An Important Goal As the number of
people apprehended for illegally crossing the
southern border has
reached record annual levels, about three-quarters of Americans (73%) say
increasing security along the U.S.-Mexico border to reduce illegal crossings
should be a very (44%) or somewhat (29%) important goal of U.S. immigration
policy. Nearly all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (91%) say
border security should be an important goal, while a smaller majority of
Democrats and Democratic leaners (59%) say the same, according to the survey
of 7,647 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 1 to 14. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 Modeling The Future Of Religion In America Since the 1990s, large
numbers of Americans have left Christianity to join the growing ranks of U.S.
adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing
in particular.” This accelerating trend is reshaping the U.S. religious
landscape, leading many people to wonder what the future of religion in
America might look like. The Center estimates that in 2020, about 64% of
Americans, including children, were Christian. People who are religiously
unaffiliated, sometimes called religious “nones,” accounted for 30% of the
U.S. population. Adherents of all other religions – including Jews, Muslims,
Hindus and Buddhists – totaled about 6%.1 (PEW) SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 As More States Legalize The Practice, 19% Of U S
Adults Say They Have Bet Money On Sports In The Past Year Around one-in-five U.S.
adults (19%) say they have personally bet money on sports in some way in the
last 12 months, whether with friends or family, in person at a casino or
other gambling venue, or online with a betting app, according to a new Pew
Research Center survey. Men are more likely than women (24% vs. 15%) to say
they have bet on sports in some form in the past year, as are adults under
the age of 50 when compared with those 50 and older (22% vs. 17%). There are
also differences by race and ethnicity: Black (27%) and Hispanic adults (24%)
are more likely than White (18%) and Asian American adults (10%) to report
doing so. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 (Canada) Half Of Canadians Either Can’t Find A Doctor Or
Can’t Get A Timely Appointment With The One They Have The latest study from the
non-profit Angus Reid Institute – the second in a three-part health care
series – finds half of Canadians either unable to see the doctor they have
within a week (33%) or trying but unable to find a doctor at all (17%). Few,
14 per cent, say they have a doctor, and can get an appointment quickly,
while one-in-three say it usually takes longer than they’d like, but if it
were urgent, they could get an appointment promptly. (Angus Reid Institute) September 8, 2022 Poilievre Running Away As Clear Favourite Among
Conservative Party Supporters Regardless of their party
membership status, a full majority (57%) of Conservative voters now have a
favourable impression of Pierre Poilievre, up 8 points since a similar poll
was conducted in mid July. Conversely, only two in ten (20%) have an
unfavorable impression of the frontrunner, down 9 points since earlier in the
summer. Just one in four (23%, +1) Tory voters say they don’t know enough
about him to venture an opinion either way. (Ipsos Canada) 6 September 2022 Canadians Conflicted On Future Role Of Monarchy
As Half (54%) Say Canada Should End Ties To Monarchy Canadians are conflicted
on the future role of the monarchy with roughly half believing we should
sever ties to the monarchy, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf
of Global News. Canadians are clear on one thing: eight in ten (82%)
believe Queen Elizabeth II did a good
job in her role as monarch, with this final approval rating coming
in 3 points higher than it did in 2021. However, underscoring the uncertainty
of the future of the monarchy in Canada, only a slim majority (56%) agree
(10% strongly/46% somewhat) that they are confident that King Charles III will do a good job in
his role as monarch. (Ipsos Canada) 16 September 2022 AUSTRALIA Australian Unemployment Increases To 9.2% In
August As Workforce Swells To 14.8 Million Australians Unemployment in August
increased 117,000 to 1.36 million Australians (9.2% of the workforce) while
under-employment was up 59,000 to 1.33 million (8.9% of the workforce).
Overall unemployment and under-employment increased 176,000 to 2.69 million
(18.1% of the workforce). The workforce was
up 164,000 in August driven by increasing employment and unemployment:The
workforce in August was 14,850,000 (up 164,000 from July) – comprised of
13,487,000 employed Australians (up 47,000) and 1,363,000 unemployed
Australians looking for work (up 117,000). (Roy Morgan) September 05, 2022 ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Up By 1.1pts
To 86.1 – Highest For Three Months Since Early June There were small
improvements across the index this week with four improving slightly and only
one declining. On a State-by-State basis all mainland States except NSW
increased from a week ago. Now 23% of Australians (unchanged) say their
families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year compared to
40% (down 1ppt), that say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. Only 8%
(unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy
over the next twelve months compared to 31% (down 1ppt), that expect ‘bad
times.’ (Roy Morgan) September 06, 2022 An Increasing Majority Of Australians, 60%
Believe Australia Should Remain A Monarchy This special Roy Morgan
SMS Poll was conducted by SMS on Monday September 12, 2022, with an
Australia-wide cross-section of 1,012 Australians. The survey was conducted
entirely after Prince Charles took the oath on the weekend to become King
Charles III. Analysis of the results by gender shows that nearly two-thirds
of women (66%) favour the Monarchy compared to only 34% that favour a
Republic with an elected President. However, the results for men are far
evenly split with 54% in favour of the Monarchy compared to 46% that would
prefer a Republic. (Roy Morgan) September 13, 2022 MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES Americans Consume Violent Video Games More Often
Than Germans Almost one in five Germans
(18 percent) plays video games most days of the week. In the U.S., this is
said a little more, 22 percent. That they never play video games, say 47
percent in Germany, in the USA 41 percent. The data therefore show that
Americans are more likely to play video games than Germans. On September 12,
the U.S. celebrates its annual National Video Games Day. On the occasion of
this, YouGov conducted surveys on the subject of video games in Germany as
well as in the USA and LINK in Switzerland and compared the results with each
other. (YouGov Germany) September 9, 2022 Source:
https://yougov.de/news/2022/09/09/amerikaner-haufiger-als-deutsche-zeugen-oder-spiel/ The Vast Majority (76%) Of Those Surveyed Across
28 Countries Anticipated The Cost Of Their Food Shopping Will Increase In The
Second Half Of 2022 The vast majority (76%)
of those
surveyed in
late May and early June for the Ipsos Global Inflation Monitor, on average,
across 28 countries anticipated the cost of their food shopping will increase
a little/a lot in the second half of 2022. Only 7% thought food prices will
decrease a little/a lot from July-December. In the U.S., inflation dipped a
bit to 8.5% in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but
food prices climbed 10.9% year-over-year. (Ipsos Global) 7 September 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/en/high-food-prices-are-taking-bite-out-budgets In Nine Of The 11 Countries Surveyed, Fewer Than
One-In-Five Say They Support Normalization Agreements With Israel There is broad rejection
among ordinary citizens across MENA of the U.S.-backed Abraham Accords and a
broader peace deal with Israel. Although at most about a quarter of citizens
in the region say they follow news on this issue a great deal or fair amount,
including just one-in-ten in Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq,
these peace agreements are widely rejected overall. In nine of the 11
countries surveyed, fewer than one-in-five say they support normalization
agreements with Israel, including fewer than one-in-ten in Mauritania (8
percent), Libya (7 percent), Palestine (6 percent), Jordan (5 percent), and
Egypt (5 percent). (Arabbarometer) September 12, 2022 Source:
https://www.arabbarometer.org/2022/09/how-do-mena-citizens-view-normalization-with-israel/ Citizens Lukewarm On Leaders’ Cold War, Survey
Across 9 Middle East And North African Countries Of the five regional
leaders Arab Barometer asked citizens to evaluate, Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei typically are the least
popular. Assad tends to be more popular than Khamenei, however. Only in
Palestine (16 percent versus 11 percent) and Mauritania (37 percent versus 26
percent) is Khamenei significantly more popular than Assad. In recent years,
Iran has focused building relationships with African countries, which has
included starting bilateral talks with Mauritania. Meanwhile, Assad notably
comes in as the most popular regional leader in Libya with 49 percent of
Libyans saying his policies are “good” or “very good.” In Tunisia, Assad’s
approval (28 percent) is tied with that of bin Salman (28 percent) and bin
Zayed (29 percent). (Arabbarometer) September 15, 2022 Source:
https://www.arabbarometer.org/2022/09/citizens-lukewarm-on-leaders-cold-war/ 32% Of Canadians And 46% Of Americans Said They
Would Rate Their Mental Health Excellent Or Very Good 50% of Canadians and 51%
of Americans say their mental health is currently excellent or very good, representing an
improvement in mental health compared to during the pandemic.* 36% of
Canadians and 26% of Americans say their mental health worsened during the COVID-19
pandemic. Respectively, 55% and 58% say it stayed about the same. Canadians
and Americans indicate that their current greatest source of stress is their personal finances (22% of Canadians,
18% of Americans) or inflation (16%
of Canadians, 18% of Americans). 13% of Canadians and 14% of Americans are
currently seeing a mental health
professional. (Leger Opinion) September 14, 2022 Source:
https://blog.legeropinion.com/en/surveys/north-american-tracker-september-14-2022/ Majority Across 34 Countries Describe Effects Of
Climate Change In Their Community As Severe On average across 34
countries, more than half of all adults surveyed (56%) say climate
change has already had a severe effect in the area where they live. More than
seven in ten (71%), including a majority in every single country, expect
climate change will have a severe effect in their area over the next 10 years.
One-third (35%) expect to be displaced from their home as a result of climate
change in the next 25 years. Majorities in 22 of 34 countries report their
area has already been severely impacted by climate change. (Ipsos MORI) 15 September 2022 Ninety-Seven
Percent Of People Globally Want To Take Action On Sustainability, In 32
Countries Faced with a
cost-of-living crisis, consumers are having make difficult choices. While
most want to take action on sustainability, rising and premium pricing is
making it hard. Ninety-seven percent of people globally are prepared to make
changes but 65% say their increased cost of living prevents them from doing
so. While all consumers are happy to reduce their food waste, take
reusable bags when shopping and recycle, they also expect brands to play
their part on packaging and waste. (Kantar) 15 September 2022 International Views Of The UN In 16 Surveyed
Nations Are Mostly Positive As global leaders descend
on New York in the coming days for the annual United
Nations General Assembly, international attitudes toward the
world’s leading multilateral organization are largely positive. Across 19
advanced economies surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring, a median of 65% say they have a favorable
view of the UN. Still, the institution gets mixed reviews in a few nations,
and it is frequently less popular among those on the political right. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 Source:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/09/16/international-views-of-the-un-are-mostly-positive/ 62% Of Finns And 40% Of Swedes Approve Of U S
Leadership Gallup surveys suggest
there are also few hurdles among the publics in these countries, with strong
majorities in Finland (81%) and Sweden (74%) approving of the alliance's
leadership. More than six in 10 Finns express approval of U.S. leadership in
2022, which is up from 52% in 2021 and represents a new high. Swedes are less
ebullient than Finns about U.S. leadership, but they are even more negative
about Russia's leadership. In 2022, 40% of Swedes approve of U.S. leadership,
down from 52% in 2021. (Gallup) SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 Source:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/401102/finns-swedes-approve-nato-leadership.aspx ASIA
759-760-43-01/Polls Military
Reserves, Civil Defense Worry Taiwan As China Looms
Chris Chen, a former
captain in Taiwan’s military, spent a lot of time waiting during his weeklong
training for reservists in June. Waiting for assembly, waiting for lunch,
waiting for training, he said. The course, part
of Taiwan’s efforts to deter a Chinese invasion, was jam-packed
with 200 reservists to one instructor. “It just became all
listening, there was very little time to actually carry out the
instructions,” Chen said. Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine has underscored the importance of mobilizing civilians when
under attack, as Ukraine’s reserve forces helped fend off the invaders.
Nearly halfway around the world, it has highlighted Taiwan’s weaknesses on
that front, chiefly in two areas: its reserves and civilian defense force. While an invasion doesn’t
appear imminent, China’s recent large-scale military exercises in
response to a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan
have made the government in Taipei more aware than ever of the hard power
behind Beijing’s rhetoric about bringing the self-ruled island under its
control. Experts said that civilian
defense and reserve forces have an important deterrent effect, showing a
potential aggressor that the risks of invasion are high. Even before the
invasion of Ukraine in March, Taiwan was working on reforming both. The
question is whether it will be enough. Yet, the reserve system
has long been criticized. Many, like Chen, felt the seven days of training
for the mostly former soldiers was a waste of time that did not prepare them
well enough. “In Ukraine, if in the
first three days of the war it had fallen apart, no matter how strong your
military is, you wouldn’t have been able to fight the war,” Wang said. “A
resilient society can meet this challenge. So that when you are met with
disasters and war, you will not fall apart.” Taiwan reorganized its reserve
system in January, now coordinated by a new body called the All Out Defense
Mobilization Agency, which will also take over the civil defense system in an
emergency. One major change was the
pilot launch of a more intensive, two-week training instead of the standard
one week, which will eventually be expanded to the 300,000 combat-ready
reservists. The remaining reservists can play a more defensive role, such as
defending bridges, Wang said. Dennis Shi joined the
revamped training for two weeks in May at an abandoned building site on
Taiwan’s northern coast. Half the time it was raining, he said. The rest, it
was baking hot. The training coincided with the peak of a COVID-19
outbreak. Wearing raincoats and face masks, the reservists dug trenches and
practiced firing mortars and marching. “Your whole body was
covered in mud, and even in your boots there was mud,” Shi said. Still, he said he got more
firing time than during his mandatory four months of service three years ago
and felt motivated because senior officers carried out the drills with them. “The main thing is when
it’s time to serve your country, then you have to do it,” he said. There are plans to reform
the civil defense force too, said Wang, though much of the discussion has not
been widely publicized yet. The Civil Defense Force,
which falls under the National Police Agency, is a leftover from an era of
authoritarian rule before Taiwan transitioned to democracy in the 1980s and
1990s. Its members are mostly people who are too old to qualify as reservists
but still want to serve. “It hasn’t followed the
passage of the times and hasn’t kept pace with our fighting ability,” Wang
said. Planned changes include a
requirement to include security guards employed by some of Taiwan’s largest
companies in the force, and the incorporation of women, who are not required
to serve in the military. The Ukraine war, at least
initially, shook some people’s confidence in the willingness of America to
come to Taiwan’s assistance in the event of an attack. Whereas 57 percent
said last September they believed the U.S. would “definitely or probably”
send troops if China invaded, that dropped to 40 percent in March. The U.S. policy
of strategic ambiguity leaves it murky as to whether the U.S. would
intervene militarily. Pelosi said during her visit that she wants to help the
island defend itself. Outside of government
efforts, some civilians have been inspired to do more on their own. Last week, the founder of
Taiwanese chipmaker United Microelectronics, Robert Tsao, announced he would
donate 1 billion New Taiwan Dollars ($32.8 million) to fund the training of a
3-million-person defense force made up of civilians. More than 1,000 people
have attended lectures on civil defense with Open Knowledge Taiwan, according
to T.H. Schee, a tech entrepreneur who gives lectures and organizes civil
defense courses with the volunteer group, which aims to make specialized
knowledge accessible to the public. Others have signed up for
first aid training, and some for firearms courses, though with air guns as
Taiwan’s laws do not allow widespread gun ownership. These efforts need
government coordination, said Martin Yang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan
Military and Police Tactical Research and Development Association, a group of
former police officers and soldiers interested in Taiwan’s defense. “The civil sector has this
idea and they’re using their energy, but I think the government needs to come
out and coordinate this, so the energy doesn’t get wasted,” he said. Yang is critical of the
government’s civil defense drills, citing annual exercises in which civilians
practice taking shelter. “When you do this
exercise, you want to consider that people will hide in the subway, they need
water and food, and may have medical needs. You will possibly have hundreds
or thousands of people hiding there,” Yang said. “But were does the water and
food come from?” In July, the New Taipei
city government organized a large-scale drill with its disaster services and
the Defense Ministry. Included for the first time was urban warfare, such as
how first responders would react to an attack on a train station or a port. The drills had the feeling
of a carnival rather than serious preparation for an invasion. An MC
excitedly welcomed guests as Korean pop music blared. Recruiters for the
military, the coast guard and the military police set up booths to entice
visitors, offering tchotchkes such as toy grenade keychains. Chang Chia-rong guided VIP
guests to their seats. The 20-year-old expressed a willingness to defend
Taiwan, though she hadn’t felt very worried about a Chinese invasion. “If there’s a volunteer
squad, I hope that I can join and defend my country,” she said. “If there’s a
need, I would be very willing to join.” September 5, 2022 Source:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14711125 759-760-43-02/Polls More Than Half
(55%) Japanese, Said They Support Hosting The Winter Games
The International Olympic
Committee (IOC) will decide the site of the 2030 Winter Olympics and
Paralympics at its general conference next year. However, the survey broken
down by Hokkaido residents only showed that almost an equal percentage either
support or don't support holding the sporting events in Sapporo. In comparison, in a
survey conducted of Tokyo residents in December 2012, 60 percent of
respondents supported holding the 2020 Games in the Japanese capital and 27
percent didn’t. The survey was conducted
before Tokyo was chosen as the site of the 2020 Summer Olympics and
Paralympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a simple
comparison could be misleading as the surveys were conducted on different
audiences or for other reasons, it seems that local residents are less
enthusiastic about hosting the Olympics in Sapporo than Tokyo people were 10
years ago. The Asahi Shimbun
conducted the survey on Sept. 10 and 11 of voters across Japan using the
random digit dialing method. With the RDD method,
landline and mobile phone numbers are generated by a computer at random to be
contacted. The newspaper collected
valid responses from 1,462 voters. Of these, there were 581 people with
landline phones and 881 people with mobile phones. The paper contacted
landline phone numbers of 1,103 households that had an eligible voter,
meaning the response rate among these was 53 percent. It also called 2,046
mobile phone numbers with eligible voters, meaning the response rate among
these was 43 percent. September 13, 2022 Source:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14717681 759-760-43-03/Polls 7 Out Of Every
10 Turkish People Have A Credit Card
7
out of every 10 people in Turkey have a credit card
Nearly
Half of Individuals Who Use Credit Cards Pay All of Their Periodic Card Debts
The
use of credit cards in shopping is a very common behavior. 14% of People Who
Prefer Only Cash Payments
Installment
Payment Preference for Credit Card Purchases is 71%. If there is an installment
payment opportunity, 71% of credit card holders prefer installment payment in
their shopping. 25% say they always pay one shot. Ipsos,
Turkey CEO Sidar Gedik made the following evaluations about the data; Three
out of every ten people who participated in our research do not have a credit
card. This actually shows that there is still a way to go in the credit card
market. One out of every two
people who have a credit card say they make "all their purchases"
with a credit card. A product that requires credit card conscious use. When
used within the financial capacity of the individual, it can undoubtedly
provide various advantages, for example, seven out of every ten card holders
benefit from installment shopping opportunities. On the other hand, more than
half of those who make all their purchases with credit cards state that the
reason for this behavior is the lack of income for cash payment. In the fight
against high inflation, the credit card is like a double-edged knife. There
is a chance that the end of the rope will escape, 29% of credit card users
are close to this situation, they can either pay the minimum payment amount
or even cannot pay it. 7 September 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/her-10-kisiden-7sinin-kredi-karti-var 759-760-43-04/Polls 3 In 5 People
In Karachi Do Not Read Newspaper
According to a survey
conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, more than half (66%) of Karachi’s
population does not read the newspaper. A
representative sample of adult men and women from Karachi was asked the
following question, “Do you read the newspaper?” In response to this
question, 34% said ‘Yes’ while 66% said ‘No.’ The number of people who said
‘Yes’ increased as the level of education increased amongst the respondents
with 67% Professionals/Doctors answering ‘Yes’ compared to only 18% of
illiterate people. The number of people who read newspaper also increased
with age, 31% of the people aged 18-23 read the newspaper while 35% of those
aged 50+ read it. Question: “Do you read the newspaper?”
September 14, 2022 Source:
https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/14th-Sep-Eng.pdf 759-760-43-05/Polls Consumer
Behavior Characteristics And Preferences In Online Shopping; 78% Of Indonesian
Consumers Choose Shopee
Nowadays, online shopping is not just a
solution or the main alternative that provides convenience, but has become
part of people's lifestyle. This is also supported by a Snapcart survey, it
is recorded that as many as 95% of consumers connect with the internet more
than 1 time a day in the past month, and another 5% at least access the
internet 1 time a day. 57% also admit that the pandemic that lasts for 2
years has made them do online shopping activities more often. Seeing this, e-commerce players in Indonesia are
competing to strengthen their competitiveness through innovations and the
latest features in order to attract more users. "Technology offers
many new ways and solutions in carrying out daily life, one of which is to
meet needs. This can be seen from the data that shows online shopping
activities that are getting closer to people's lives. Various user needs
that continue to develop into opportunities and reasons for e-commerce players in
Indonesia to strengthen their attractiveness through discount offers, the
birth of innovative features to complete product choices. This is also what
we see that ultimately shapes the character or behavioral preferences of
people in shopping online," said Astrid
Wiliandry, Director of Snapcart Indonesia, in Jakarta (8/9).
Characteristics
of User Online Shopping Behavior The segmentation of the
character of shopping behavior does not only depart from differences in
preferences, priority needs to lifestyle. Another factor tied up in this
regard is what every e-commerce player offers. Data shows the reasons people
shop online at
selected e-commerce include
the free shipping promo (79%), a variety of attractive promo offers (67%),
the availability of complete payment features (63%), other existing and
easy-to-use features (61%) and complete types and categories of products that
are diverse and complete (58%). This also affects the
character of people's online shopping behavior, especially in the level of
trust to decisions when shopping. Recorded in Indonesia itself, there
arethree types of consumer behavior observed and occupy the top three;
including 51% of discount seekers or
discount seeker consumers who shop driven by various
promotional offers; 25% answered as need-based
customers and 24% chose the
type of wandering customers.
This type of discount seekers consumers are
people who like to find and take advantage of promos when shopping online. Through this survey, this type
of consumer behavior occupies the first position. Promos and discounts are
still the main magnet for consumers in Indonesia when shopping online.
Consumers usually hunt for promos such as Discount Vouchers, cheap shipping costs, Cashback, Flash Sales and various
other promos in each campaign. Welcoming the 4th quarter,
which is also the momentum of the year-end shopping
festival, it is a space for these e-commerce players to present a special
program studded with promos that can be utilized by discount seeker consumers,
especially towards the shopping festival at 9.9. Interestingly, 3 factors
that are attractive to consumers when preparing for online shopping during the year-end
festival include Cheap Shipping Costs (70%), Attractive Promo Offers (66%),
and Affordable Prices (60%). "The year-end
festival has opened with the arrival of the 9.9 twin numbers campaign. The
presence of various programs was enthusiastically welcomed by consumers,
where they began to prepare themselves, especially for shopping on the peak
day of the campaign. The programs presented include Shopee 9.9 Super Shopping
Day, Lazada 9.9 Trendy Brands Sale and Tokopedia's KEBUT campaign. Based on
the variety of promos offered during the opening campaign of the ongoing
year-end shopping festival, 78% chose Shopee as the e-commerce to be used, followed
by Tokopedia (19%) and Lazada (2%).
In the Need Based Customers type of
behavior, individuals tend to shop according to their needs. Where the thing
that is sought is the completeness of product choices and categories that can
meet daily and complementary needs. The factors that influence decisions when
shopping for this segmentation are usually related to the ease of accessing a
product, recommendations, and product
reviews, as well as a variety of categories with a complete selection
of products offered by brand partners
and sellers who are members of the platform. Categories and a complete
selection of products are one of the main indicators or steps for an
individual with this type of behavior to choose a platform for online
shopping. The distribution of respondents' preferences in choosing preferred e-commerce for product
categories in the last 3 months can be seen in the following data:
Along with the development
of technology accompanied by lifestyle changes, e-commerce players in
Indonesia continue to innovate to create new features as a complement. This
feature offers entertainment that strengthens consumer engagement making it possible for
them to return to shopping on the platform.
"We see the aspect that makes people feel comfortable shopping online is
the choice of features available. The Wandering
Customers type, which is
one of the biggest visitors to e-commerce sites. They really
don't always shop. However, their presence largely determines the popularity
of an e-commerce site, added Astrid
Wiliandry. One of the magnets to attract Wandering Consumers' behavioral types is
the presence of interesting entertainment features that encourage them to be
active, such as games and instant video." Astrid said. Similar to the
completeness of products and categories, the many interesting entertainment
features make users more active and creative. Through surveys that have been
conducted, the reason consumers use entertainment and gamification features
is to be interested in the gifts offered (58%), popular among consumers
(33%), ease of finding features (29%), and the opportunity to interact with
other consumers (19%). Through surveys,
gamification features that are favored by consumers are Shopee Tanam (51%),
Tokopedia Egg Harvest (13%) and Lazada Coin Tree (2%). Meanwhile, for the
preferred entertainment features, consumers choose Shopee LIVE (50%), Shopee
Video (28%), followed by Tokopedia Play (16%), Lazada Feed (1%), and LazLive
(1%). September 8, 2022 AFRICA
759-760-43-06/Polls Furthermore, finding
revealed that the All-Progressive Congress (APC) has the larger share (41
percent) of respondents who are registered members. In addition, 34 percent
of the respondents stated that they are registered members of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP), while 10 percent are registered with Labour Party
(LP) ahead of the 2023 general elections. Also, 10 percent of the respondents
preferred not to disclose their party affiliations. Finally, of the 89
percent of adult Nigerians who claimed that they are registered to vote in
the upcoming 2023 general elections, 95 percent acknowledged that they are
looking forward to voting in the 2023 general elections. These are the key findings
from the countdown to the 2023 general election polls conducted in the week
commencing 15th August 2022. This is the second in the series of the monthly
election polls conducted by NOIPolls as Nigerians countdown to the actual
elections in 2023. Survey Background Nigeria has a multi-party
system with sometimes three or four stronger parties that are electorally
successful. In line with the provisions of the 1999 Federal Constitution as
amended and the subsisting Electoral Act, the Independent Electoral
Commission (INEC) is expected to conduct another round of general elections
in Nigeria early in February 2023[1]. With about 26 weeks to the
2023 general elections in Nigeria, the outline of the 18 political parties
registered and accredited by INEC for the 2023 presidential election would
reflect the political events of 2022. Already, presidential, gubernatorial,
and senatorial primaries have been conducted across all the political parties
in Nigeria to select party representatives ahead of the 2023 general
elections. While the major parties, APC and PDP, based on their spread across
state and national assembly, are seriously canvassing the support of other
Political Parties especially in the Presidential race, emerging political
parties are also creating momentum in the political space. However, the ultimate
deciding factor remains with the electorates. Against this background,
NOIPolls conducted its Election Series poll to seek the views of
Nigerians on their awareness of the existing political parties ahead of the
2023 general elections. This is the second in the series of monthly election
polls conducted by NOIPolls as Nigerians countdown to the 2023 general elections.
The first being – Citizen’s Trust in Electoral Integrity, was conducted
in July 2022. Survey Findings The first question
revealed that an overwhelming majority of adult Nigerians nationwide (89
percent) claimed that they have registered to vote in the upcoming 2023
general elections. This assertion cuts across gender, geo-political zones,
and age-group with at least 83 percent representation. On the contrary, 11
percent stated otherwise.
The poll findings further
revealed that 95 percent of those who claimed to have registered to vote
expressed their enthusiasm in voting during the 2023 general elections. This
view also cuts across gender, geographical locations, and age-group with a
minimum of 92 percent representation. However, 5 percent of said they are not
looking forward to vote in the 2023 general elections.
Furthermore, to gain
insight on the proportion of adult Nigerians who are registered members of
political parties, respondents were asked: Are you currently a registered
member of any political party? The results revealed that a huge proportion of
adult Nigerians are not registered to any political party in the country.
Analysis by gender shows there are more female (82 percent) than male (66
percent) respondents who mentioned that they are not registered to any
political party in the country. On the flipside, 20
percent of adult Nigerians admitted that they are registered members of
different political parties, and have membership cards, although 6 percent
claim they are registered members but do not have membership cards.
Subsequently, respondents
who claimed to be registered members were further probed to ascertain the
political party they represent. The finding revealed that the All-Progressive
Congress (APC) has the larger share (41 percent) of respondents who are
registered members regardless of those who own a membership card. Analysis by
region indicates that APC has more registered members form the northern
region (50 percent) than in the southern region (26 percent). More findings revealed
that 34 percent of the respondents stated that they are registered members of
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while 10 percent are registered with
Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 general elections. Analysis by region
also revealed that both the PDP and LP have more registered members from the
southern region with 44 percent and 18 percent respectively.
In the same vein,
respondents who are not registered were further probed to know the political
party they are likely to register with. The poll result revealed that the PDP
(13 percent) and LP (13 percent) both have the same proportion of respondents
who are likely to register with them, while 8 percent mentioned APC, 2
percent stated NNPP. Further analysis showed
that 41 percent of the respondents refused to disclose the political party
they would register with, while 13 percent stated that they are not willing
to register with any political party in the country.
Conclusion The poll findings have
revealed that a huge proportion of adult Nigerians are not registered with
any political party in the country. On the flipside, 20 percent of adult
Nigerians admitted that they are registered members of different political
parties, and they have a membership card whereas, 6 percent are registered
members but do not have a membership card. Furthermore, the poll
result showed that the All-Progressive Congress (APC) has a greater
proportion (41 percent) of respondents who are registered members regardless
of those who own a membership card. More findings revealed that 34 percent of
the respondents stated that they are registered members of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP), while 10 percent are registered with Labour Party
(LP) ahead of the 2023 general elections. Finally, given that adult Nigerians
have the voting right to elect their leaders, 95 percent of the registered
voters have acknowledged that they are looking forward to voting in the 2023
general elections. September 6, 2022 Source:
https://noi-polls.com/political-party-affiliation-poll-election-poll/ 759-760-43-07/Polls Six In 10
(59%) Ugandans Say The Government Is Doing A Poor Job Of Addressing Climate
Change
Key findings § Almost six in 10 Ugandans (57%) say droughts have become
more severe over the past 10 years; only half as many (28%) say the same
about floods. § More than half
(56%) of Ugandans have heard of climate change. Among those who are aware of
climate change: o More than eight in 10 (84%) say it is making life in Uganda
worse. o More than three-fourths (78%) believe that ordinary citizens can
help curb climate change (71%). o Eight in 10 (80%) want the government to
take immediate action to limit climate change, even if it is expensive,
causes job losses, or takes a toll on the economy. o Only small
minorities are satisfied with efforts by the government (4%), business and
industry (5%), ordinary citizens (9%), and developed countries (11%) to fight
climate change. o Ugandans assign primary responsibility for limiting climate
change to the government (46%) and to ordinary citizens (43%). § Six in 10 (59%)
say the government is doing a poor job of addressing climate change. Severity
of extreme weather conditions Before asking about climate change,
Afrobarometer asked respondents about their experiences with extreme weather
conditions. Almost six in 10 Ugandans (57%) say droughts have become
“somewhat more severe” or “much more severe” in their region over the past 10
years. Two in 10 (21%) say droughts have become less severe, and about the
same proportion (20%) report no change (Figure 1). In contrast, a plurality
(38%) of respondents say that the severity of floods has decreased, while 28%
say they have gotten worse. Compared to survey findings in 2017, the
proportion of Ugandans who say drought has gotten more severe has dropped by
30 percentage points, from 87% to 57% (Figure 2). In contrast, the share of
citizens who report more severe flooding has more than doubled since 2017
(12%).
Rural residents are more
likely than urban residents to report increasingly severe droughts (59% vs.
49%), perhaps reflecting a greater awareness of the effects of a lack of
rainfall in more agricultural areas (Figure 3). Geographically, the Karamoja
sub-region (94%) stands out as most affected by increasingly severe drought,
followed by the Lango (86%), Acholi (73%), and Eastern (71%) sub-regions. Only about four in 10
residents in the Buganda (43%), Tooro (38%), and Kigezi (36%) subregions
report worsening drought. These findings are in line with other reports that
show Karamoja as the region most vulnerable to drought and worst hit by
climate change (Africa Farmers Media Centre, 2016; USAID, 2017; Monitor,
2021). Perceptions of more severe drought vary widely by respondents’
economic status, ranging from 39% of well-off citizens to 68% of those
experiencing high “lived poverty.”1 With regard to more severe flooding, the
patterns are quite different across the sub-regions. Worsening floods are of
greatest concern to citizens in West Nile (52%) and Bunyoro (50%), while they
are of least concern in Buganda (14%) and Busoga (12%) (Figure 4).
Climate change Awareness
of climate change Lack of awareness is a major obstacle to climate change
adaptation in developing countries (Shahid & Piracha, 2016). In Uganda,
56% of citizens say they have heard of climate change (Figure 5). This
reflects a large decline from 78% in 2017, perhaps reflecting a stillemerging
understanding of climate change, with awareness that may fluctuate in
response to whether media attention is focused on extreme weather events or
other topics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although worsening drought is
widely felt in the Karamoja and Acholi sub-regions, relatively few residents
in these areas (50% and 37%, respectively) are aware of climate change
(Figure 6). In the Lango and Eastern sub-regions, both experience of
increasing drought and awareness of climate change (79% and 59%,
respectively) are relatively high. Economically well-off citizens (65%) are
more likely to be familiar with the term “climate change” than those
experiencing lived poverty (55%-56%). As expected, awareness increases with
an individual’s level of education, with the most educated respondents (71%)
far more likely to have heard of climate change than the uneducated (42%).
More men (60%) than women (52%) are aware of the concept. Awareness of
climate change increases with age, ranging from 53% of those aged 18-30 to
60% of those in the 50-and-above category.
Awareness of climate
change increases with respondents’ consumption of news via most media
platforms. Among those who never or seldom (less than once a month) get news
from the radio, television, the Internet, or newspapers, 47%-54% have heard
of climate change (Figure 7). But awareness of climate change is
significantly higher among respondents who frequently get news from
newspapers (65%), television (61%), the Internet (60%), and radio (59%).
Social media is an exception, showing no difference between frequent users
and non-users (both 56%).
Effects of climate change
Among citizens who are aware of climate change, more than eight in 10 (84%)
say it is making life in Uganda “somewhat worse” (30%) or “much worse” (54%)
(Figure 8). Perceptions of the adverse effects of climate change increased
sharply between 2019 (62%) and the most recent survey, rebounding from a
significant drop between 2017 and 2019. Like increasing drought, the negative
impact of climate change is most widely felt in the Karamoja (94%) and Lango
(93%) sub-regions (Figure 9). Older citizens (89%) are more likely to report
negative effects than younger respondents (82%-83%). The poorest citizens
(87%) are more likely to feel the adverse effects of climate change than the
economically well-off (79%). Individuals with post-secondary education (67%)
are far less likely to feel the negative impacts of climate change than their
counterparts (84%-87%).
Who is responsible for
addressing climate change? For Ugandans, addressing climate change is a
collective responsibility. About eight in 10 respondents who are aware of
climate change (78%) “agree” or “strongly agree” that citizens can help curb
climate change (Figure 10). And a similar proportion (80%) want their
government to take steps now to limit climate change, even if it is
expensive, causes job losses, or takes a toll on the economy. In fact, in
Ugandans’ eyes, the government (46%) and ordinary people (43%) share primary
responsibility for fighting climate change and reducing its impact. Very few
survey respondents assign this responsibility to business and industry (3%),
developed countries (2%), and traditional leaders (2%) (Figure 11). Are
stakeholders doing enough to limit climate change? Respondents answer with a
resounding “No.” Only small minorities say the government (4%), business and
industry (5%), citizens (9%), and developed countries (11%) are making enough
of an effort to fight climate change (Figure 12). Large majorities believe
more needs to be done, including 79% who say the government needs to do “a
lot more.”
When asked to assess how
well the government is addressing the problem of climate change, fewer than
one-third (30%) of all survey respondents describe the government’s
performance as “fairly” or “very” good, while six in 10 (59%) give the
government a failing grade on this issue (Figure 13). Approval of the
government’s efforts declines as respondents’ level of lived poverty
increases, dropping from 50% of the wealthy to just 23% of the poorest
(Figure 14). Lango is the only sub-region where approval almost equals
disapproval.
Conclusion As Ugandans
continue to experience the deleterious effects of climate change, findings
from the most recent Afrobarometer survey suggest that broad support for
concerted climate action is building – at least among those citizens who have
heard of climate change. Large majorities of those familiar with climate
change say it is making life worse and requires immediate government action,
even if such policies and programmes are expensive, cause job losses, or take
a toll on the economy. But overwhelming majorities also say they expect greater
efforts by other stakeholders, including business and industry, more
developed countries, and ordinary citizens. Since more than four in 10
Ugandans say they have not yet heard of climate change, one step toward
building momentum for climate action may be targeted interventions to educate
more citizens about the threat they face. 6 September 2022 759-760-43-08/Polls Mauritians
Embrace Covid-19 Vaccination Despite Low Levels Of Trust In Vaccine Safety
Key findings § Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: o More than half (53%)
of Mauritians say they or a member of their household became ill with
COVID-19 or tested positive for the virus. About one-fourth (27%) say someone
in their household lost a job, business, or primary source of income due to
the pandemic. § Attitudes toward
vaccines: o More than nine in 10 Mauritians (95%) say they have been
vaccinated against COVID-19. o Among those who have not been vaccinated,
almost two-thirds say they are “very unlikely” (41%) or “somewhat unlikely”
(23%) to try to get vaccinated. o A majority of vaccine-hesitant
citizens cite concerns about negative side effects and vaccine safety as
their main reasons. o Only 36% of citizens say they trust the government
“somewhat” or “a lot” to ensure the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. § Government
response to COVID-19: o More than half (52%) of Mauritians say the government
has done “fairly well” or “very well” in managing the response to the
pandemic. o About the same proportion (51%) say they are satisfied with the
government’s efforts in providing relief to vulnerable households. o Fewer
than half think the government has done a good job of minimising disruptions
to children’s education (46%) and of ensuring that health facilities are
adequately resourced (47%). o More than two-thirds (69%) of Mauritians
believe that “some” or “a lot” of the resources intended for the COVID-19
response have been lost to corruption. o More than six in 10 Mauritians (62%)
approve of using security forces to enforce public health mandates during an
emergency like the pandemic, and almost half (45%) would accept postponing
elections. But most (79%) disapprove of censoring media reporting during a
public health emergency. §
Looking ahead: o Mauritians are divided in their views on whether the
government is prepared to deal with future public health emergencies (52%
yes, 43% no) and whether it needs to invest more in such preparations (43%
yes, 40% no). Effects of COVID-19 More than half of Mauritians (53%) say they
or a member of their household became ill with or tested positive for
COVID-19, while about one-fourth (27%) of citizens say someone in their
household lost a job, business, or primary source of income due to the
pandemic (Figure 1).
The effects of COVID-19 appear
to have been more widely experienced in rural areas than in cities. Rural
residents are significantly more likely than urbanites to report losing an
income source (32% vs. 21%) and becoming ill with or testing positive for
COVID-19 (58% vs. 45%) (Figure 2). Illness and/or positive COVID-19 tests are
somewhat more common among younger respondents than among their elders and
increase in frequency with respondents’ education level, ranging from 48% of
those with no formal/primary education to 61% of those with postsecondary
qualifications. Loss of an income source is more common among poorer citizens
(46% of those experiencing moderate/high lived poverty, compared to 19% of
the wealthy).
Attitudes toward
vaccination More than nine in 10 citizens (95%) say they have been vaccinated
against COVID-19. Only 5% say they have not received the shot (Figure 3).
Among those who have not been vaccinated, almost two-thirds say they are
“very unlikely” (41%) or “somewhat unlikely” (23%) to try to get vaccinated (Figure
4).
Among citizens who say
they are unlikely to get vaccinated, the most frequently cited reasons have
to do with vaccine safety, including the belief that the vaccine may cause
bad side effects (27%), mistrust of the vaccine or worries about getting a
fake or counterfeit vaccine (24%), or concerns that the vaccine was developed
too quickly (21%). Others say they already had COVID-19 and believe they are
immune (8%) or that the vaccine is not effective (8%) (Figure 5). It is
important to note that because of the small samples of respondents who say
they have not been vaccinated (N=56) and those who say they are unlikely to
try to get vaccinated (N=38), these results have large margins of error and
should be interpreted with caution.
Even though most
Mauritians say they have received a vaccination against COVID-19, fewer than
four in 10 citizens say they trust the government “somewhat” (29%) or “a lot”
(7%) to ensure the safety of the vaccines, while a majority express “just a
little” trust (47%) or no trust at all (15%) (Figure 6).
Government response to
COVID-19 While trust in the government’s ability to ensure vaccine safety is
relatively weak, more than half of Mauritians (52%) describe the government’s
overall performance in managing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as
“fairly” or “very” good, while 46% say it has done a poor job (Figure 7). On
specific aspects of the COVID-19 response, a slim majority (51%) say they are
“fairly satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the government’s efforts to
provide assistance to vulnerable households. Close to half of citizens
express satisfaction with the government’s efforts to ensure that health
facilities are adequately resourced to deal with the pandemic (47%) and to
ensure that disruptions of children’s education are held to a minimum (46%)
(Figure 8).
COVID-19 relief assistance
Almost half (47%) of Mauritians report that their household received COVID-19
relief assistance from the government, while 52% say they did not (Figure 9).
Rural households were considerably more likely to benefit from government
assistance than those in urban areas (56% vs. 36%) (Figure 10). Government
assistance more frequently benefited households experiencing moderate/high
lived poverty (61%) than those in other economic categories (41%-50%). Senior
citizens are particularly unlikely to report having received pandemic-related
assistance (35% of those aged 65 or older). More than half (55%) of citizens
say that COVID-19 relief was distributed “somewhat fairly” or “very fairly”
while 37% say the distribution was unfair (Figure 11).
Corruption related to
COVID-19 Despite expressing significant satisfaction with the fairness of
government relief assistance, more than two-thirds (69%) of Mauritians say
they believe that “some” or “a lot” of the resources intended for the
COVID-19 response have been lost to corruption (Figure 12). Only 3% think
that none of these resources have been embezzled.
Limit democratic freedoms
during a pandemic? Lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions in some
countries have raised questions about the extent to which citizens are
willing to forego certain freedoms, even temporarily, to protect public
health. In Mauritius, a solid majority (62%) of citizens “agree” or “strongly
agree” that it is justified for the government to use the armed forces or the
police to enforce public health mandates during an emergency like the
pandemic (Figure 13). When it comes to postponing elections during a public
health crisis, 45% consider this acceptable, while 37% “disagree” or
“strongly disagree.” But Mauritians overwhelmingly (79%) disapprove of
censoring media reporting during a public health emergency.
Looking ahead After
experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, how prepared will Mauritius’ government
be to deal with future public health emergencies? More than half (52%) of
citizens think their government will not be prepared, including 28% who think
it will be “very unprepared” (Figure 14). Only 43% believe that the
government will be “somewhat” or “very” ready for the next public health
crisis.
Mauritians are similarly
divided on whether the government needs to invest more in preparing for
future public health emergencies, even if it means that fewer resources are
available for other health services: 43% say yes, 40% say no (Figure 15).
Conclusion Afrobarometer
survey findings suggest that while the Mauritian government enjoys majority
approval of its overall COVID-19 response, it faces the challenge of public
distrust. Few citizens trust the government to ensure the safety of COVID-19
vaccines, and more than twothirds believe that “some” or “a lot” of the
resources intended to help with the pandemic were lost to corruption. These
concerns do not appear to have undermined vaccine uptake or citizens’
satisfaction with government relief efforts. But they are challenges to be
addressed now, rather than in the heat of the next public health emergency.
Similarly, questions about the government’s preparedness for future health
emergencies and the need to invest more health resources in preparing for
such crises require attention now. On both questions, Mauritians are far from
a consensus. 13 September 2022 WEST
EUROPE
759-760-43-09/Polls By 50% to 22% Britons are
disappointed that Liz Truss will be the next PM
Foreign secretary Liz Truss today was victorious
over Rishi Sunak, her rival for the Conservative leadership and the job of
prime minister. She was elected by 81,326 Conservative Party members
(compared to 60,399 for Sunak), but the country as a whole is not
enthusiastic about her forthcoming premiership.
The lack of enthusiasm among Britons may be down to
the fact that there is little confidence in Truss’s future government to have
the right policies and plans to tackle the rising cost of living, cited in
YouGov polling over the weekend as the top priority for the new government. Two thirds of Britons (67%) say they don’t have much
confidence in Liz Truss’s government to have the right ideas to get to grips
with the escalating cost of living, including 38% who have no confidence
whatsoever. Just 19% have confidence in the ability of the Truss
administration to come to terms with this issue, with a mere 2% saying
they have ‘a lot of confidence’. Even among Conservative voters,
only 35% have confidence in their new leader being able to tackle these
issues, with a majority (54%) saying they do not have much or any
confidence.
Now that the votes have been counted and the result
is known, Britons can reflect on how the new incumbent of Number 10 compares
to her predecessor. A plurality of Britons (40%) say they think Truss will be
‘about the same’ as Boris Johnson when it comes to their respective
performances as prime minister. A quarter (27%) think she will be a worse
prime minister, while just 14% think she will be better. Conservative voters in particular tend to think she
will be worse (34%) than her former boss, twice as many as think she will be
an improvement (17%). Another 31% expect them to be comparable.
September 05, 2022 759-760-43-10/Polls 7 In 10 Britons Agree That
The UK Is In Decline
Despite so many agreeing the country is in decline,
opinions are less clear when it comes to predicting what life will be like in
the future for today’s youth. While just over a quarter (27%) expect young
people to have a better life than their parents, 4 in 10 (40%) believe it
will be worse, although this is lower than the 57% recorded in a similar poll
of GB adults aged 18-75 conducted in December 2020. Younger Britons are most hopeful for the future, 40%
of 18-24-year-olds say today’s youth will have a better life than their
parents, compared to the aforementioned average of 27%, overall. Similarly, 3 in 10 (31%) expect their children to
have a higher quality of life when they reach their parents’ current age. Two
in 10 expect their children’s quality of life to be about the same as theirs
now (22%) or lower (also 22%).
Keiran Pedley at Ipsos,
said: Given public pessimism
about the cost of living and apparent political malaise at the time this poll
was taken, it is no surprise that many consider Britain to be in decline.
Whilst many are concerned at the future prospects of today’s youth, it
should also be said that some are more optimistic, especially younger
Britons. 7 September 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/7-10-britons-agree-uk-decline 759-760-43-11/Polls Londoners Support
Decriminalization Of Cannabis By 50% To 33%
London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently launched a commission to
examine whether cannabis should be decriminalised, or even legalised in
London. The former approach
would see those caught in possession of cannabis subject to no criminal
penalties, whilst the latter would allow the sale and use of the substance
within government regulations.
What do Londoners think
the impact of decriminalising cannabis in the capital would be on crime? Drug related crime in the UK last year accounted for
210,000 offences, according to government
statistics, with 63% of drug related offences involving possession of
cannabis. One in three Londoners (33%) believe that decriminalising cannabis
in the capital would lead to less crime, while one in four (23%) think it
would lead to more. Another quarter (26%) think it would make no difference.
Two in five (41%) also believe that relaxing the rules
would decrease the amount of pressure on the Metropolitan police, whilst a
quarter (24%) instead believe it would increase pressure on them.
Among those who oppose decriminalising cannabis, a
majority believe that the relaxation in the law would increase the amount of
crime (55%) and increase pressure on the Metropolitan Police (53%). What do Londoners think
the impact of decriminalising cannabis in the capital would be on how many
people use drugs? When it comes to the implications of relaxing the
rules for the rate of drug use, Londoners are divided. While 39% think
decriminalisation would lead to more people using cannabis in the capital,
nearly half think it would either make no difference (41%) or see numbers
fall (5%). Cannabis has famously been referred to as a ‘gateway
drug’ i.e. the idea that use of cannabis softens the user’s
impression of ‘harder’ drugs, which subsequently increases their chances of
using them. Half of Londoners do not seem to buy this idea,
believing that the decriminalisation of cannabis in the capital would either
reduce (14%), or have no effect (38%) upon the number of people choosing to
use drugs besides cannabis. A quarter (27%), however, believe it would lead
to greater use of other drugs, rising to 63% amongst those who oppose
decriminalisation of cannabis in the capital.
What do Londoners think
the impact of decriminalising cannabis in the capital would be on
drug-related health issues? The UK now has one of the highest
rates of drug related deaths in Europe. Londoners are divided on
what the impact of the decriminalisation of cannabis would be on drug-related
health harms. Three in ten (30%) believe that decriminalising
cannabis in the capital would have no impact on the rate of drug-related
health issues overall, while a third (35%) think it would lead to more
drug-related health harm. A further 15% believe that relaxing the rules would
lead to fewer drug-related harms. Three quarters (74%) of those who oppose
the decriminalisation of cannabis believe the policy would lead to more
people damaging their health due to their drug taking.
September 07, 2022 759-760-43-12/Polls Three Quarters Of Britons
(76%) Say They Were Upset At The Passing Of Queen Elizabeth II
Three quarters of Britons (76%) say they were upset
at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, including half who said they were
“very” (22%) or “fairly” (25%) upset. One in five (22%) say they weren’t
upset at all. A separate YouGov survey found that 44% of Britons say they
cried, became teary or welled up at the news Her Majesty had died.
Monday next week has been marked as a Bank Holiday
for collective mourning, which
86% of Britons think is a good idea. Four in ten Britons (40%) believe
the nation’s response to the Queen’s passing will bring us closer together. A
similar number (41%) think it will have no effect, with only 9% thinking it
will prove divisive. Her Majesty made visits to all corners of the UK,
and beyond. All told, three in ten British adults (29%) say that they
personally saw or met Queen Elizabeth II at some point during their life –
more still will have seen who her have since passed away. Now that the Queen
herself has departed, 4% plan to make the trip to London visit her as she
lies in state in Westminster. How do Britons judge Queen
Elizabeth II’s time as monarch? For many Britons, the Queen’s death will mark the end
of an era. Fully 87% of Britons say they think that history will regard Queen
Elizabeth II as one of Britain’s greatest monarchs, with most people (59%)
saying that she changed the monarchy for the better.
The vast majority of people (85%) believe that Queen
Elizabeth II was good for Britain, including 63% who think she was “very
good” for the realm. Just 6% say she was bad for the country.
As Britain enters a new era, headed by Charles III,
support for having a monarchy remains high, at 64%. This is three times the
number who oppose Britain’s monarchical system (21%), although it is down
from the three quarters (75%) who supported the monarchy ten years ago, at
the time of the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Young people are less likely to support Britain having
a monarchy, a trend that has been growing for some time now. Currently only
four in ten 18-24 year olds (40%) back the country being ruled by royals,
with 29% opposed. By contrast, as many as 84% of those aged 65 and over
support keeping the monarchy.
September 13, 2022 759-760-43-13/Polls Three In Five Britons Expect
Charles III To Be A Good King
With King Charles monarch for just a few days now, a
new YouGov/Times survey shows that attitudes towards the new king have
already shifted substantially. Asked how they anticipate his reign, 63% say they
think Charles will do a good job as king, with only 15% thinking he will do a
bad one. This is a marked improvement for the new monarch: in a survey in May Britons were split 32% to 32% on
whether or not the-then Prince Charles would make a good king.
Britons also think that Camilla – now Queen Consort
– will do a good job in her new role, at 53% to 18%. Indeed, three quarters of Britons (73%) say Charles
provided good leadership, with just 5% saying he has done a bad job. By
contrast, new prime minister Liz Truss’s performance has been less favourably
rated, with only 39% saying she has done well and 18% saying she has done
badly (42% are unsure, twice the number that say so for the King).
Although a majority expect Charles III to be a good
King, there is less certainty that he will be a unifying figure. Fewer than
half (45%) believe the new king will do a good job at being a unifying figure
for all parts of Britain, although fewer than half as many (19%) think he
will do a bad job. Britons are split on
whether King Charles will be a different kind of monarch While most Britons think Charles will be a good
King, many (45%) think he will handle the role of monarch differently to his
mother. Four in ten (40%) think he will take the same approach to the job as
the departed Queen Elizabeth II.
As Prince of Wales, Charles was outspoken about
several issues that were important to him, such as the environment and
architecture. Indeed, this willingness to intervene in the public space is
what led many royal watchers to suspect he would prove a different kind of
monarch in the first place, given his mother’s studious neutrality on all
things. Nevertheless, it seems that Britons generally don’t
mind. By 53% to 30%, the public thinks it would be appropriate for the King
to publicly express his thoughts on matters that he cares about.
While the King is known to care about issues like
the environment and architecture, most Britons believe him to care about
their needs as well. More than half (55%) think he seems to care about needs
and concerns of everyday people, with only 22% believing this not to be the
case. One in three want King
Charles to step down before his own death Given Prince William’s significantly higher
popularity relative to his father over the last few years, many called for
the crown to skip a generation when the Queen died. Obviously that moment has
come and gone, and Charles is now king. But many Britons still seem keen to
get the crown on William’s head sooner than later. One in three (35%) believe King Charles should
retire at some point and hand over to William. It is worth noting that this
figure is somewhat higher than the number (25%) who said in a poll in May
that the Queen should retire and step down from the throne, rather than
remaining monarch for the rest of her life.
September 13, 2022 759-760-43-14/Polls For The First Time,
Britons Are More Likely To Think Ukraine Is Winning The War Than Russia
In recent days Ukrainian forces have made significant gains in retaking large areas in
the east of the country from Russian forces. Although British headlines have been dominated by
the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it appears that this news from Ukraine has
cut through: new YouGov political data tracking Britons’ response to
the war in Ukraine, has seen a significant shift in opinion when it comes to
who is ‘winning’. For the first time since the conflict began in February,
Britons are more likely to think that Ukraine has the advantage (31%) than
Russia (14%). When last asked in June,
just 6% of Britons said Ukraine had the advantage, compared to 37% who said
Russia.
Amongst people who have been following the news of
the war very or fairly closely, the proportion of people who say Ukraine has
the advantage is even higher, reaching 38%. Despite this swing, the British public are still not
optimistic that the end of the war is in sight – almost half (46%) say that
Ukraine and Russia will still be at war in a year’s time. Just 34% think that there will be a resolution in
the next 12 months, although this is up ten points compared to three months
ago. Nevertheless, three in ten (29%) believe that this
time next year Ukraine will have kicked out Russian forces, compared to just
13% who said this in June. Meanwhile, only 5% now say that Ukraine is likely to
be under Russian control in a year’s time, down six points on June figures
(11%).
People who are following stories about the conflict
closely are even less optimistic that the conflict is in its final stages,
with half (51%) saying that they think the conflict will still be ongoing
this time next year. However, a third (34%) think Ukraine will be an
independent nation. September 16, 2022 759-760-43-15/Polls Overall Consumer
Confidence Is Negative For The First Time Since May 2020
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. The fieldwork for this study took place between the
first and the 31st of August: before Liz Truss took office as PM and announced her plan to freeze energy bills at £2,500 a year
for a typical household. Next month’s Index should be able to capture
whether or not UK citizens have taken notice of the freeze, and how it has
impacted confidence across key metrics. For now, though, August’s data suggests that – even
before the death of Queen Elizabeth II – the new Prime Minister was facing an
uncommonly dour public mood, particularly in terms of personal finance.
Measures tracking household financial situations for the past 30 days
deteriorated 3.1 points from 60.3 to 57.2, but outlook for the next 12 months
crashed by 10 points from 51.8 to 41.8: the lowest scores for this metric –
which has been net negative since August 2021 – on record.
Every other metric also saw worsening scores. With a
fall of 2.2 points between July and August (from 132.6 to 130.4) homeowners
became more likely to perceive their short-term house values negatively,
while outlook for house prices plummeted by 7.2 points from 132.1 to 124.9.
Workers are also less likely to feel comfortable in
their careers: perceptions of job security over the past 30 days fell from an
already-negative 93.7 to 91.9 (-1.9), and for the forward-looking metric,
they fell from 120.9 to 118.5 (-2.4). With business activity measures – which
track whether employees think their workplaces got more or less busy over the
past month, and whether they think it will get more or less busy in the 12
months ahead – decreasing from 111.0 to 109.3 (-1.7) in the short-term,
and plunging from 121.8 to 116.5 for the longer term (-5.3), news for
employers is no better. Overall, businesses and consumers alike are more
likely to feel the pinch than they were before, and less likely to believe
that things will improve in the next 12 months.
September 16, 2022 759-760-43-16/Polls Over Two Thirds (70%) Of Irish
Voters Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet
To put how serious that 70% figure is into context,
at the same time last year, just 33% of all voters said they were struggling
to make ends meet. Those most likely to agree that they are struggling
covers an extended squeezed middle, with high levels suggesting they are
struggling seen right from those aged 25 through to 64. It is clear however, that those in the 25-34 year
old age group, those with children, and those coming from somewhat more
downmarket backgrounds are most likely to strongly agree that they are
struggling. The correlation between those struggling and those
saying they will vote Sinn Féin is also apparent. Almost half (45%) of
those that say they are struggling, and who say they will vote, suggest they
will support Sinn Féin, significantly outperforming their national share,
which fell back by 1% in today’s poll, but still sees them dominating at 35%. At the same time, just 14% would vote Fine Gael and
just 13% would vote Fianna Fáil. Being seen to have real solutions to
try and overcome the cost of living crisis for households, is vital if either
of the main government parties are even to get back to the levels they
achieved at the last election. Now Fine Gael is securing just 18%, some 2-3% behind
their performance at the last election. Fianna Fáil made up some ground over
the summer to secure 17% first preference support, but again this is well
behind the 22% they secured last time around. So, what are the actions that voters would like to
see from government that might make a difference? It is clear that
right now, voters don’t think the government is doing enough. In fact,
just 1 in 5 believe that the government is doing all it can to address the
crisis. Including just 10% of Sinn Féin voters, and only half of the
main government parties’ own supporters. While Sinn Féin in their alternative budget talked
about the need for targeted support, it is clear that the struggling “target”
in need of support is growing rapidly. Energy is at the heart of the crisis, and also at
the heart of where voters want to see action. Almost all voters (88%)
agree that the government should provide all households with a further
one-off energy credit, while most (79%) also support a windfall tax being
placed on energy company profits. There is also very high support (73%) for the need
to address high childcare costs, in particular among women and those with
children. But also from many people outside of those groups that may
benefit directly from any measures in this area. Crucially however, while financial support is needed
by many, the government can’t focus only on the cost of living crisis, at the
expense of public service spending. Despite the difficulties that
people are in, three in five (60%) voters still favour a balance of spending
on public services against tax cuts. This is a similar proportion to that seen back in
2019 before Covid and the cost of living crisis arose, suggesting the cost of
living crisis hasn’t weakened the desire for better funded public services. For the government parties, a lot depends on how the
proposed actions on cost of living in the budget land amongst the
electorate. Will they be seen to have done enough, supporting the right
people, while also increasing public spending? No easy task with costs
and pressure only likely to increase. September 12, 2022 Source: https://www.redcresearch.ie/cost-of-living-response-vital-for-govt-parties/ 759-760-43-17/Polls 57% Of French People Say
They Have Already Experienced A Situation Of Poverty
This generalization of
precariousness has the immediate effect of a sharp increase in financial
difficulties, especially for the most precarious people. Of
many essential expenses of daily life, the share of French people facing
difficulties is on the rise. This is particularly the case for transport
costs: 45% of French people encounter difficulties in paying them, an
increase of 15 points in one year. 41% also find it difficult to pay their
energy costs (+6 points) and 37% (+5 points) fail to eat fresh fruits and
vegetables every day. The most modest
households are particularly affected and see a very sharp increase in the
number of people affected by these difficulties: 67% of those
whose net monthly income is less than €1200 have difficulty paying their
transport costs, an increase of 18 points in one year. Faced with this difficult social situation, the
French are aware of the importance of solidarity and are ready to get
involved: 65% of them would be ready to get personally involved to help
people in poverty. For the fourth time, Secours populaire wanted to dedicate an edition of the Barometer to the
perception of poverty by children, in order to be part of the
Secours populaire's approach, which calls for solidarity to grow from an
early age, particularly with its volunteer children's movement "Copain
du Monde". Like adults, children see
poverty around them: 44% think that there are poor people in their families
and 65% that there are poor people in their school. This
awareness of poverty is not limited to those around them but goes beyond: 50%
of the children surveyed consider that there is a lot of poverty in France. Faced with this situation, children are ready to get involved. 90%
would like to help poor children and in the world and 38% even consider that
they can commit, despite their young age, to help poor people. Like this desire for commitment, 54% of children would like to join a movement
like "Buddy of the World" in order to be able to
help poor people in France and in the world. September 7, 2022 759-760-43-18/Polls 6 Out Of 10 French People
Now Consider That An Electric Vehicle Would Be Adapted To Their Travels
Key figures
The French are
increasingly tempted by electromobility If there is still a financial obstacle to the
purchase of an electric vehicle, 22% of French respondents have already been
able to test it and 11% say they drive one, whether regularly or
occasionally. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 French people (18%) say they
have already made the decision to buy one within 5 years (25% among those
under 35), and more than 1 in 3 (35%) say they are also thinking about it.
Thus, more than half of the French project, within 5 years, at the wheel of
an electric vehicle. It is true that 6 out of 10 French people now consider
it suitable for their travels, with little or no difference in use today
compared to a combustion engine vehicle, except to refuel or go on weekends
or holidays. This feeling is particularly strong among electric
car owners who, at 91%, feel satisfied with their choice. The adoption of
electromobility has been easy for 89% of them. Convinced by the financial and
environmental benefits of electric mobility, they do not want, for a majority
of them, to switch back to the combustion engine vehicle. The electric vehicle: a
solution adapted to everyday life While 22% of French respondents have already had the
opportunity to test an electric car (29% of those under 35), 11% say they
drive one regularly or occasionally, especially for everyday trips. They are now the majority to consider the electric
vehicle as preferable to the thermal to move while respecting the environment (56%) and to save
money and preserve their purchasing
power (44%), while ensuring in their eyes the same level of safety (62%) and
serenity (53%). Among French people who do not yet drive an
electric vehicle, 1 in 2 recognizes
that rising fuel prices are likely to encourage them to take the plunge. Au total, près d’1 Français sur 5 (18 %) affirme avoir
d’ores et déjà pris la décision d’acheter un véhicule électrique dans les 5
ans (et même 25% des moins de 35 ans). Plus d’1 sur 3 (35 %) dit également y
réfléchir. Ainsi, plus de la moitié
des Français (53%) se projette, dans un proche avenir, au volant d’un
véhicule électrique. De fait, 6 Français sur 10 estiment que le véhicule
électrique est aujourd’hui adapté à leurs déplacements, et une large majorité
d’entre eux reconnaissent qu’ils pourraient déjà l’utiliser pour faire leurs
courses (81 %) ou aller au travail (76 % des actifs). Deux leviers sur lesquels
agir pour accélérer la conversion du parc de véhicules en France Même si les avantages du véhicule électrique sont
aujourd’hui largement reconnus au sein de la population française, deux
préoccupations freinent encore le passage à l’acte et le remplacement du parc
thermique : • Its purchase cost, which
remains insufficiently attractive: 94% of respondents think it would be
appropriate to offer a lower price (64% even believe that it would be "a
very good idea") and 71% consider that it would be necessary to offer a
price equivalent, for the same model, to that of a combustion engine vehicle.
Similarly, 90% are in favour of public or private aid for the purchase of an
electric vehicle or advantageous offers to take back their old vehicle. • The issue of autonomy and charging: 93% would like to see the
installation of many more charging stations on motorway areas (50% think this
would be "a very good idea"). Other services expected include
breakdown assistance in the event of a battery failure (92%), an application
locating available and vehicle-compatible terminals (90%) and harmonising and
simplifying the charging offer (89%). Other services could also encourage the French to
switch to the electric car: access to a dedicated customer service in case of
questions (83% of French people would be interested), a free coaching session
to help you get started with an electric vehicle (81%) or free parking spaces
in the city for electric vehicles (83%). Electric vehicle owners
satisfied with their choice As part of the study conducted for VINCI Autoroutes,
we also interviewed electric car owners. The vast majority of them (91%) say
they are satisfied with their choice - 55% even say they are very satisfied. Overall, for
89% of them, the first kilometers in an electric car went easily. It
was easy for them to effectively manage autonomy and charging times (68%),
identify the different charging stations (60%) or find available and
compatible charging stations (58%). For 55%, the prospect of having to charge
the car did not cause concern and for 53%, it was easy for them to organize
for the longest journeys. 68% say it was easy for them to get around without
surprising pedestrians despite the silence of the vehicle. In addition, 76% of active owners use it
"systematically" or "often" to get to work, and 80% to go
shopping. Finally, the arguments about the low range and the
difficulties of going on weekends or holidays in electric seem to be
gradually fading, since almost half (45%) of electric vehicle owners say they
use it "often" to go on vacation, and even more than 1 in 4 (26%)
"systematically". September 16, 2022 759-760-43-19/Polls 68% Of Children Would Like
Their Ideal Parent To Have A Job That Allows Them To Have Time For Family
Italian mom and dad approach the identikit of the
ideal parent, but there is work to be done on patience. The word to 8-14 year
olds. The Observatory of Contemporary Families of PRG
Retail Group created in collaboration with BVA Doxa reveals the traits of the
ideal parent, starting from the point of view of the children and comparing
it with that of the parents. A photograph between imaginary and reality in an
exchange between generations. There is agreement on values, on the desire for a
shared time to travel and play. Gender stereotypes remain in the management of
everyday life. Time for Back to School, back to normal, of parents
who, like acrobats, find themselves fitting school, activities and various
commitments. Being a parent is certainly a complicated "job" at the
center of studies, debates, models to follow and good practices to apply. If
the perfect parent probably does not exist, in the imagination of children and young people there is the ideal
parent. So what is the identikit of the ideal parent for
children? And for parents? How do you mediate between imaginary and reality? A complex and articulated theme that PRG Retail Group, an Italian multi-brand
retailer, wanted to probe through its Observatory
of Contemporary Families, with the scientific collaboration of BVA
Doxa, investigating the topic through a double lens: the opinions of children
and those of parents. The survey involved a sample of 1537 individuals of which 699 parents equally distributed
between mothers and fathers and representative of the Italian
population with children between 0-14
years, 302 boys between
8-14 years, 468 employees of PRG Retail Group and 68 their children between 8-14 years. HOW THE IDEAL PARENT IS IMAGINED The ideal parent must be
attentive to his look and fashion (88% of the boys interviewed). She
must dress casually (mom 34% and dad 37%) and above all mom must follow
fashion trends (30%). In addition to the look, language plays an important role for 72% of boys.
It must be modern, close to that of the youngest (44%) but swear words are
excluded. According to 45% of the sample, the ideal parent really has to give
her a lot of money. Even for
parents their ideal alter ego should have a harmonious look
with their personality (66%) and swear words should be banished from his
language (71%). That said, among the
main characteristics of their way of being should not miss the pleasure of
spending time with their family (72%), openness to dialogue (67%) and the
ability to find the right balance between family / work (66%). BETWEEN WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND STEREOTYPES 68% of children would like
their ideal parent to have a job that allows them to have time for family.
They would like sports parents (more dads 47% than moms 32%) and also
committed to sharing their free time with friends. For 56% the ideal parent
should be passionate about cultural activities (music, concerts, cinema and
TV series). Deepening the daily dynamics, however, gender differences emerge
and clichés emerge. For 55% the main commitment of the ideal mother is traced
back to the activity of cooking while 42% say that the ideal dad should be
good at small jobs and DIY. A
representation consistent with that made by parents who, if on the one hand
put the management of the so-called "work-life balance" in first
place, on the other perpetuate stereotypes attributable to gender. The ideal
mom should above all cook (51%) and be tidy (41%) and the ideal dad should
play sports (45%) and take care of DIY / DIY (45%). The free
time to devote to friends follows with percentages between 38% (ideal mom)
and 36% (ideal dad). OPPOSITE PERCEPTIONS In the relationship with the children, according to the boys the ideal parent should be
nice and cheerful (56%), patient and tolerant (46%) and reassuring
(38%). A reversed perspective for
parents who put in first place the fact of being reassuring (65%) and,
in the background, patience / tolerance (51%) and sympathy and joy (40%). Regarding values, children
indicate respect for others (42%),honesty (30%),
then love and education (both for 27%). Similar positions also for parents. 1 in 3 indicate
honesty, responsibility and good manners and 48% accentuate the relevance
towards respect for others. But what should the ideal parent do with their
children? For 60% of children travel
and then play (55%). And, if there is time left, devote
yourself to cultural activities (44%), sport (37%) and sociality (36%). Also
in this case the parents are aligned
with the boys. The emphasis on traveling with children reaches 69%. PARENTS, CHILDREN AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
SCHOOL And then there is the
school and here the agreement between parents and children is
attenuated. For 34% of children, parents should
follow them in their homework and study. While among parents the topic of
homework and study is a relevant activity for 43% of the sample. Also in this
case we return to a great classic. 50% of boys say they study and do their
homework with their mom, only 22% with their dad. 'ALMOST' IDEAL PARENTS For more than 3 out of 5
children their parents approach their ideal. Mom is
closer (63%) than dad (58%). Parents,
on the other hand, are more critical of themselves. Only 46% believe
themselves close to the image they described. They would like
their children to describe them as positive/with a sense of humor (49%),
honest (39%) and determined, underestimating a little the aspect of patience
that is essential for boys. In describing their parents, two macros emerge,
attributable to gender. Mom is
patient/tolerant (43%) and then generous (36%), honest (33%),
positive/with a sense of humor (32%). Dad
is funny/positive/sense of humor (42%),, self-confident/determined
(33%), patient (31%), brave (30%). THREE GENERATIONS IN COMPARISON: GRANDPARENTS,
PARENTS AND CHILDREN Called to answer on the qualities they would have
wanted in their parents (the grandparents of our children interviewed), the
"current" parents indicate positivity / sense of humor (40%), patience / tolerance (33%) and trust
/ determination (27%). Here too,
patience emerges as a distinctive trait associated with the parent which,
evidently, takes on a different value depending on the role played over time. Current parents were also asked to point out what
expectations their parents had of them. The main items are: enjoy good health
(36%), success in studies (34%), economic stability (34%) and solid values
(33%). Compared to their children, on the other hand, they indicate: personal
fulfillment and their own life projects (50%), health (46%) and solidity of
values (45%) bringing these reflections back to the dimension of education.
Boys, also given their young age, are more tied to the present and believe
that their parents expect from them above all success in studies (41%) and
good health (40%). PARENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH DIGITAL The study also investigated some aspects related to the use of digital by parents.
78% declare themselves autonomous in the use of smartphones, PCs and tablets,
74% use social apps without difficulty and 72% have no problems in the use of
streaming platforms and intelligent connection tools. In all these cases,
parents are open to helping their children manage digital devices. However,
there is still a not insignificant share of 20% which still has some
difficulties. Only 43% often or sometimes share video/photo content with
their children and 42% content in which only children appear. 1 parent out of
2 looks for information on the net related to the world of children (education,
relationship with them, way of being). Going into the specifics on the issue of the reliability of online
content, 55% of those looking for this information consider those
related to the education of children little / not at all reliable. When it
comes to content related to the relationship with kids and interaction with
them, 50% say they don't trust too much. September 09, 2022 Source: https://www.bva-doxa.com/lidentikit-del-genitore-ideale-per-i-ragazzi-italiani/ 759-760-43-20/Polls Russians Began To Save
More On Expensive Purchases And Less On Food
As part of the research project
"M-Pulse"*, Romir experts analyzed the patterns of consumer
behavior of Russians.
*"M-Pulse" is
an operational measurement of the impact of the current socio-economic
situation on a person, his behavior, consumption, plans and expectations. The
results of the study are available in weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual
and annual formats. September 05, 2022 NORTH
AMERICA
759-760-43-21/Polls Partisan Differences Are
Common In The Lessons Americans Take Away From Covid-19
Americans have watched in real time as the country
has moved to confront the threat posed by the coronavirus
outbreak. Scientists have developed and tested vaccines and treatments
for the virus at an unprecedented pace,
while government leaders have grappled with appropriate policy response,
attempting to balance public
health and other considerations. As with a host of other views about the coronavirus
outbreak, Americans’ thoughts about these questions are often divided
along partisan lines. When thinking of lessons learned about the
development of medical treatments and vaccines, Democrats and those who lean
to the Democratic Party often mention appreciation for the vaccine
development process and the speed at which vaccines and treatments were
developed. Another top response is a respect for science generally. By comparison, Republicans and those who lean to the
GOP strike a more negative tone on lessons learned. Skepticism toward
vaccines is the top response among Republicans, and mentions of distrust of
the pharmaceutical industry and government officials are also relatively
frequent. Partisan differences are also prominent in the
recommendations people would give to the country in the event of a future
public health emergency. When asked what lesson the country should learn to
be better prepared for the possibility of a future infectious disease
outbreak, Democrats are particularly inclined to talk about the need for
better preparation, greater trust of public health guidance and faster
responses. Better preparation was also a common response among
Republicans. However, other frequent mentions differed in tone and included
low trust in government officials and a need to avoid shutdowns and prevent
limits on individual freedom. What Americans learned
about the development of vaccines and medical treatments
When asked what they learned about the development
of new medical treatments and vaccines, Americans who provided their thoughts
offered a broad range of sentiments ranging from increased scientific
knowledge to distrust of aspects of the process. On balance, however,
responses more often took a positive than negative tone. Among the positives, the most common sentiment was a
greater understanding of the scientific steps to develop vaccines and
treatments and the use of mRNA technology, cited by 14% of those who
responded. One respondent said, “I’ve learned more about the stages needed to
approve a vaccine, like trial groups and approvals from FDA.” Other responses that took a generally positive tone
included mentions of respect for science and scientists (8% of those who
responded). One respondent in this group said, “There are excellent
scientists willing to work fast and hard to develop vaccines and treatments
for us.” Fewer survey respondents had negative things to say
about what they learned about how new medical treatments and vaccines are
developed. The most common of these was a negative view of the vaccines
themselves (12% of those who responded), including the view that the vaccines
are not effective or that they are experimental and rushed. One person said,
“The vaccine is not a vaccine. It doesn’t fit the definition. It is a shot
that might help or it might hurt you. Not worth the risk.” Another respondent
expressed skepticism about the timeline of vaccine development, saying, “They
were hastily made for the sake of profit, not to help or protect American
citizens.” Notably, some responses with a negative sentiment
expressed distrust of government officials (4% of those who responded),
pharmaceutical companies (4%) or public health officials (1%). Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were
more inclined to mention positive lessons learned, whereas Republicans and
Republican leaners were more likely to give a negative response. For example,
20% of Democrats who provided a response said they learned about the process
of vaccine development, compared with 7% of Republicans who responded.
Conversely, 19% of Republicans who responded expressed negative views of
vaccines, compared with 6% of Democrats who answered the question. In contrast to these partisan differences, similar
shares of Republicans and Democrats who responded (16% and 15%, respectively)
said they learned nothing about how new vaccines and medical treatments are
developed. Americans’ advice for
handling a future infectious disease outbreak
When asked to consider the lessons the country
should learn for a future infectious disease outbreak, Americans’ predominant
responses included the need for greater preparation, the importance of
mitigation efforts and acting quickly. Almost two-in-ten of those who responded (18%) said
the country needs more preparation and planning to be ready for a future
outbreak. Specific suggestions included having emergency medical teams and
making medical supplies readily available to the public. “Fund a division of government to plan for this and
stockpile materials that are kept up to date for use and make a system to
rapidly develop and produce vaccines, tests, treatments,” wrote one
respondent. Others gave general advice such as “Be more prepared” and “More
equipment and supplies.” Another common response, cited by 17% of those who
responded, stressed the importance of mitigation measures and compliance with
public health recommendations, such as masking and getting vaccinated. Some
mentioned the need to take action more quickly (9% of those who responded),
while a similar share (7%) said the country needs to trust scientific experts
more. “Trust the medical professionals to recommend what is the best course
of action to protect the most people,” wrote one respondent. Another put
their views this way: “Listen to scientists and infectious disease experts
more than politicians.” Others highlighted the need for more unity to combat
a future pandemic. About one-in-ten (9% of those who responded) mentioned the
importance of working together and taking care of the larger community, while
another 5% said that the country should not politicize a future outbreak as
it did COVID-19. On a related theme, 8% of those who responded said the country
needs to do a better job of educating the public, communicating information
and combating misinformation about the pandemic. However, respondents also cited lessons connected
with feelings of dissatisfaction with how the coronavirus outbreak has been handled.
Overall, 9% of those who responded said not relying
on elected officials was a lesson for the country going forward; 6% said the
country should learn not to close down the economy and schools in a future
infectious disease outbreak. Less frequently, some respondents (2%) who
shared a critical view of the country’s coronavirus response expressed
distrust of public health officials or agencies. Some Americans (3% who volunteered an answer) argued
that we should not, or cannot, prepare for a future outbreak. One respondent
with this view said, “They should have let it run its course instead of
sending the country into a panic.” Partisans often differed in the kinds of advice and
recommendations they had for the country, as was also the case with views on
vaccines and new medical treatments. Democrats and Democratic leaners were
far more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to mention the importance of
mitigation measures and complying with CDC guidelines (26% vs. 9% of those
who responded). Democrats were also more likely to cite a general need for
more preparation and trust in scientific experts. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to
express distrust of government officials (12% vs. 7% of those who responded)
and to advise against restrictions on businesses or schools (11% vs. 2%).
Republicans were also more inclined than Democrats to mention the need to
protect individual freedoms (11% vs. 1%). As one Republican put it, “Give the
people the freedom to make their own decisions about what needs to be done,
if anything.” SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 759-760-43-22/Polls College Grads In U S Tend
To Partner With Each Other – Especially If Their Parents Also Graduated From
College
It’s well established that college graduates in the
United States tend
to partner with other college graduates. In 2019, 81% of household
heads with a bachelor’s degree or more education had a spouse or partner who
was also a college graduate.
When first-generation college graduates do partner
with another college graduate, it is more likely that their partner will also
be a first-generation graduate. Among couples in which both partners have a
bachelor’s degree or more education, 52% of first-generation college
graduates who are the household head have a spouse or partner who is also a
first-generation graduate. This compares with only 31% among
“continuing-generation” college graduates – those with at least one parent
who graduated from college. Around seven-in-ten continuing-generation
household heads (69%) instead are partnered with someone who, like them, has
at least one parent with a college degree.
How we did this These patterns may partly reflect the differences in
the types of colleges and universities that first- and continuing-generation
college students attend. Among recent bachelor’s degree recipients, those
whose parents have high levels of educational attainment are more likely to
have graduated from a private, nonprofit four-year institution (rather than a
public or for-profit institution), according to a recent survey
by the National Center for Education Statistics. The economic outcomes of college-educated couples
show that partnering with a continuing-generation college graduate tends to
boost the household’s economic fortunes. In 2019, the median household income
of a couple in which both partners were first-generation college graduates
was about $122,200. By comparison, in couples where both partners were
continuing-generation college graduates, the median household income was
about $180,200.
This is true in part because an individual’s earnings
are connected not only with their own educational attainment, but also with their parents’,
meaning that continuing-generation college graduates tend to have higher
earnings, on average, than first-generation graduates. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the net worth or wealth of
college-educated couples also tends to be higher if the college graduates
each have college-educated parents. The median net worth of two
continuing-generation college graduates was about $569,700 in 2019, markedly
outpacing the median wealth of two first-generation college graduates
($236,600). Couples with college-educated parents tend to have wealthier
parents, and their parents likely
give greater amounts of wealth to them. The higher household incomes of couples including a
continuing-generation college graduate partly reflect the higher educational
attainment of these graduates. Continuing-generation college graduates are
more likely than first-generation college graduates to complete
an advanced degree, and adults with advanced degrees have higher
earnings, on average. Recent
research shows, however, that even after controlling for the
attainment of advanced degrees, continuing-generation college graduates tend
to earn more than first-generation college graduates. SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 759-760-43-23/Polls Six-In-Ten Adults Say A Pathway
To Legal Status For Immigrants Should Be An Important Goal
Republicans and Democrats differ over the most
pressing priorities for the nation’s immigration system. Republicans place
particular importance on border security and deportations of immigrants who
are in the country illegally, while Democrats place greater importance on
paths to legal status for those who entered the country illegally –
especially those who entered as children, according to a new Pew Research
Center survey.
Still, there are some areas of overlap between
Republicans and Democrats, and there are sizable ideological differences in
immigration goals within each partisan coalition, with conservative
Republicans and liberal Democrats expressing more intense views than others in
their parties. As the number of people apprehended for illegally crossing the
southern border has
reached record annual levels, about three-quarters of Americans (73%) say
increasing security along the U.S.-Mexico border to reduce illegal crossings
should be a very (44%) or somewhat (29%) important goal of U.S. immigration
policy. Nearly all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (91%) say
border security should be an important goal, while a smaller majority of
Democrats and Democratic leaners (59%) say the same, according to the survey
of 7,647 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 1 to 14. How we did this Majorities of Americans also say taking in civilian
refugees from countries where people are trying to escape violence and war
(72%) and allowing immigrants who came to the country illegally as children
to remain in the U.S. and apply for legal status (72%) should be important
goals for the immigration system. Each of these priorities garners more
support from Democrats than Republicans. About two-thirds of the public (66%) wants the
immigration system to make it easier for U.S. citizens and legal residents to
sponsor family members to immigrate to the U.S., while six-in-ten say
establishing a way for most immigrants currently in the country illegally to
stay legally should be an important immigration policy goal. A similar share
(57%) says that increasing deportations of immigrants currently in the
country illegally should be a very or somewhat important goal of U.S.
immigration policy. Wide partisan and
ideological differences on immigration policy For every policy asked about in the survey, there
are sizable partisan differences in perceived importance. Still, for many policies
included in the survey, majorities in both parties say it should be at least
a somewhat important goal.
About nine-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning
independents (91%) call increasing security along the U.S.-Mexico border an
important goal, including 72% who say it should be a very important goal. While a majority of Democrats and Democratic leaners
(59%) say border security should be at least somewhat important, just 22%
view this as very important
– 50 percentage points less than the share of Republicans who say this. About eight-in-ten Republicans (79%) say increasing
deportations of immigrants currently in the country illegally is important,
with nearly half (49%) calling it very important.
By comparison, 39% of Democrats view increasing deportations as very or
somewhat important, including just 12% who see it as very important. Democrats are more likely than Republicans (80% vs.
37%) to say that establishing a way for most immigrants currently in the
country illegally to stay in the U.S. legally is an important goal for the
nation’s immigration system. About four-in-ten Democrats (38%) view this as
a very important
goal, compared with 10% of Republicans. Majorities in both parties say that taking in
refugees from countries where people are fleeing war and violence is an
important goal. Nonetheless, more Democrats than Republicans view it as
important (85% vs. 58%). Around four-in-ten Democrats (41%) say that taking
in refugees is very important,
while just 13% of Republicans say the same. Conservative Republicans are the most likely to
express strong support for more restrictive immigration goals such as
increased border security and increased deportations, even when compared with
others in their party. Liberal Democrats, by contrast, are the least
supportive of these restrictive goals while being the most supportive of
establishing a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants in the
country.
Around eight-in-ten conservative Republicans (82%)
say increased border security should be a very important goal for U.S.
immigration policy; about half of moderates and liberals in the GOP (54%) say
the same. Similarly, about six-in-ten conservative Republicans (58%) say
increasing deportations of immigrants currently in the country illegally
should be a very important goal, compared with about a third of moderate and
liberal Republicans (34%). (Conservative Republicans account for about
six-in-ten of those who identify with or lean toward the GOP.) Among Democrats, conservatives and moderates are
more likely than liberals to say more restrictive goals are very or somewhat
important to U.S. immigration policy. Seven-in-ten conservative and moderate
Democrats say increasing border security should be a very or somewhat
important goal, compared with 44% of liberal Democrats. Conservative and
moderate Democrats are also twice as likely as liberal Democrats (50% vs.
25%) to say increasing deportations should be an important goal. Liberal Democrats are the most supportive of
creating a way for most undocumented immigrants to stay in the country
legally: 85% say this should be an important goal, including 44% who say it
should very important.
Three-quarters of conservative and moderate Democrats see this as an
important goal, including 32% who see it as very important. Among Republicans, half of moderates
and liberals say a path to legal status should be an important goal, while
only about three-in-ten conservatives (28%) say the same. Modest changes in views of
U.S. immigration policy Many of the public’s views about immigration policy
goals have been largely stable over the past few years. For example, views on
taking in refugees are roughly the same as in 2019, and views on allowing
immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children to apply for legal
status are largely unchanged from 2016. There has been a modest increase in
the share of Americans who say increasing deportations of immigrations here
illegally should be a very or somewhat important goal (57% today vs. 54% in
2019).
There has been a 5 percentage point increase in the
share of the public who say increasing security along the U.S.-Mexico border
to reduce illegal crossings should be an important goal (73% today vs. 68%
three years ago). This increase is largely driven by a 10-point increase in
the share of Democrats who say this (59% today vs. 49% then). Support for a pathway to legal status for most
immigrants currently in the country illegally has declined over the past
three years. Today, six-in-ten adults say this should be an important goal,
down from 67% in 2019 and similar to the share who said this in 2016 (62%).
The decline reflects a decrease among Republicans – especially conservative
Republicans. In 2019, about half of Republicans (48%) said this should be an
important goal; today, just 37% say the same. SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 759-760-43-24/Polls Modeling The Future Of
Religion In America
What if Christians keep leaving religion at the same
rate observed in recent years? What if the pace of religious switching
continues to accelerate? What if switching were to stop, but other
demographic trends – such as migration, births and deaths – were to continue
at current rates? To help answer such questions, Pew Research Center has
modeled several hypothetical scenarios
describing how the U.S. religious landscape might change over the next half
century. The Center estimates that in 2020, about 64% of
Americans, including children, were Christian. People who are religiously
unaffiliated, sometimes called religious “nones,” accounted for 30% of the
U.S. population. Adherents of all other religions – including Jews, Muslims,
Hindus and Buddhists – totaled about 6%.1 Depending on whether religious switching continues
at recent rates, speeds up or stops entirely, the projections show Christians
of all ages shrinking from 64% to between a little more than half (54%) and
just above one-third (35%) of all Americans by 2070. Over that same period,
“nones” would rise from the current 30% to somewhere between 34% and 52% of
the U.S. population. What is religious
switching?
However, these are not the only possibilities, and
they are not meant as predictions of what will happen. Rather, this study presents formal demographic
projections of what could happen
under a few illustrative scenarios based on trends revealed by decades of
survey data from Pew Research Center and the long-running General Social
Survey. All the projections start from the current religious
composition of the U.S. population, taking account of religious differences
by age and sex. Then, they factor in birth rates and migration patterns. Most
importantly, they incorporate varying rates of religious switching – movement
into and out of broad categories of religious identity – to model what the
U.S. religious landscape would look like if switching stayed at its recent pace, continued to
speed up (as it has been doing since the 1990s), or suddenly halted. Switching rates are based on patterns observed in recent
decades, through 2019. For example, we estimate that 31% of people raised
Christian become unaffiliated between ages 15 to 29, the tumultuous period in
which religious switching is concentrated.2 An
additional 7% of people raised Christian become unaffiliated later in life,
after the age of 30.
While the scenarios in this report vary in the
extent of religious disaffiliation they project, they all show Christians
continuing to shrink as a share of the U.S. population, even under the
counterfactual assumption that all switching came to a complete stop in 2020.
At the same time, the unaffiliated are projected to grow under all four
scenarios. Under each of the four scenarios, people of
non-Christian religions would grow to represent 12%-13% of the population –
double their present share. This consistency does not imply more certainty or
precision compared with projections for Christians and “nones.” Rather, the
growth of other religions is likely to hinge on the future of migration
(rather than religious switching), and migration patterns are held constant
across all four scenarios. (See Chapter
2 for an alternative scenario involving migration.) Of course, it is possible that events outside the
study’s model – such as war, economic depression, climate crisis, changing
immigration patterns or religious innovations – could reverse current
religious switching trends, leading to a revival of Christianity in the
United States. But there are no current switching patterns in the U.S. that
can be factored into the mathematical models to project such a result. None of these hypothetical scenarios is certain to
unfold exactly as modeled, but collectively they demonstrate how much impact
switching could have on the overall population’s religious composition within
a few decades. The four main scenarios, combined with four alternatives
outlined in Chapter
2, show that rates of religious switching in adulthood appear to have a
far greater impact on the overall religious composition of the United States
than other factors that can drive changes in affiliation over time, such as
fertility rates and intergenerational transmission (i.e., how many parents
pass their religion to their children). The decline of Christianity and the rise of the
“nones” may have complex causes and far-reaching consequences for politics,
family life and civil society. However, theories about the root causes of
religious change and speculation about its societal impact are not the focus
of this report. The main contribution of this study is to analyze recent
trends and show how the U.S. religious landscape would shift if they
continued. Why non-Christian
religions are not projected individually Scenario assumptions and
projection results The four main scenarios presented here vary
primarily in their assumptions about the future of religious switching among
Americans between the ages of 15 and 29 – which are the years when most
religious change happens. Only a modest amount of switching is modeled among
older adults. Fertility and mortality rates are held steady, as
are rates of intergenerational transmission. In each scenario, the groups
begin with their current profiles in terms of age and gender. Christians, for
example, are older than the religiously unaffiliated, on average, and include
a higher share of women. Chapter 2 presents
four additional scenarios that explore the impact of the factors held
constant here. These additional projections show how the U.S. religious
landscape might change if current switching patterns held steady, but
intergenerational religious transmission occurred in 100% of cases; there
were no fertility differences by religion; there was no switching after age
30; or there was no migration after 2020. The alternative scenarios are intended to help
isolate – and thereby illuminate – the impact of various factors. One might
think of the projections as an experiment in which some key drivers of
religious composition change are turned on or off, sped up or slowed down, to
see how much difference they make. For more information about modeling
assumptions and results, see Chapter
2 and the Methodology.
Scenario 1: Steady
switching – Christians would lose their majority but would still be the largest
U.S. religious group in 2070 Switching
assumption: Switching into and out of
Christianity, other religions and the religiously unaffiliated category
(“nones”) continues among young Americans (ages 15 to 29) at the same rates
as in recent years. Most significantly, each new generation sees 31% of
people who were raised Christian become religiously unaffiliated by the time
they reach 30, while 21% of those who grew up with no religion become
Christian. Outcome: If
switching among young Americans continued at recent rates, Christians would
decline as a share of the population by a few percentage points per decade,
dipping below 50% by 2060. In 2070, 46% of Americans would identify as
Christian, making Christianity a plurality – the most common religious identity
– but no longer a majority. In this scenario, the share of “nones” would not
climb above 41% by 2070. Scenario 2: Rising
disaffiliation with limits – ‘nones’ would be the largest group in 2070 but
not a majority Switching
assumption: Continuing a recent pattern,
switching out of Christianity becomes more common among young Americans as
each generation sees a progressively larger share of Christians leave
religion by the age of 30. However, brakes are applied to keep Christian
retention (the share of people raised as Christians who remain Christian)
from falling below about 50%.3 At
the same time, switching into Christianity becomes less and less common, also
continuing recent trends. Outcome: If
the pace of switching before the age of 30 were to speed up initially but
then hold steady, Christians would lose their majority status by 2050, when
they would be 47% of the U.S. population (versus 42% for the unaffiliated).
In 2070, “nones” would constitute a plurality of 48%, and Christians would
account for 39% of Americans. Scenario 3: Rising
disaffiliation without limits – ‘nones’ would form a slim majority in 2070 Switching assumption: The
share of Christians who disaffiliate by the time they reach 30 continues to
rise with each successive generation, and rates of disaffiliation are allowed
to continue rising even after Christian retention drops below 50% (i.e., no
limit is imposed). As in Scenario 2, switching into Christianity among young
Americans becomes less and less common. Outcome: If
the pace of switching before the age of 30 were to speed up throughout the
projection period without any brakes, Christians would no longer be a majority
by 2045. By 2055, the unaffiliated would make up the largest group (46%),
ahead of Christians (43%). In 2070, 52% of Americans would be unaffiliated,
while a little more than a third (35%) would be Christian. Scenario 4: No switching –
Christians would retain their majority through 2070 Switching
assumption: This scenario imagines no person in
America has changed or will change their religion after 2020. But even in
that hypothetical situation, the religious makeup of the U.S. population
would continue to shift gradually, primarily as a result of Christians being
older than other groups, on average, and the unaffiliated being younger, with
a larger share of their population of childbearing age. Outcome: If
switching had stopped altogether in 2020, the share of Christians would still
decline by 10 percentage points over 50 years, reaching 54% in 2070. The
unaffiliated would remain a substantial minority, at 34%. Which scenario is most
plausible? The scenarios in this report present a wide range of
assumptions and outcomes. Readers may wonder which scenario is most
plausible. While there are endless possibilities that would lead to religious
composition change that is different from the plotted trajectories, it may be
helpful to consider how closely the hypothetical switching scenarios adhere
to real, observed trends. The “no switching” scenario (No. 4) is not realistic
– switching has not ended and there is no reason to think it will come to an
abrupt stop. The purpose of this scenario is to show the influence of
demographic factors (such as age and fertility) on religious affiliation
rates. Still, if fewer future young adults switch from Christianity to no
affiliation, or if movement in the opposite direction increases, the future
religious landscape might resemble the results of this projection. The “steady switching” scenario (No. 1) is
conservative. It depicts moderate, steady “net” switching (taking into
consideration some partially offsetting movement in both directions) away
from Christianity among young adults for the foreseeable future, rather than
the extension of a decades-long trend of increasing disaffiliation across
younger cohorts. Even long-standing trends can be unsustainable or otherwise
temporary, and this scenario best represents what would happen if the recent
period of rising attrition from Christianity is winding down or already has
ended. By contrast, the scenario of rising disaffiliation
without limits (No. 3) assumes there is a kind of ever-increasing momentum
behind religious switching. The visible rise of the unaffiliated might induce
more and more young people to leave Christianity and further increase the
“stickiness” of an unaffiliated upbringing, so that fewer and fewer people
raised without a religion would take on a religious identity at a later point
in their lives. How we measured
intergenerational transmission On the other hand, highly religious parents tend to
raise highly religious children who are less likely than children of less
religious parents to disaffiliate in young adulthood. As a result, there may
continue to be a self-perpetuating core of committed Christians who retain
their religion and raise new generations of Christians. It may be useful to
consider the experience of other countries in which data on religious
switching is available. In 79 other countries analyzed (with a variety of
religious compositions), most of the 30- to 49-year-olds who report that they
were raised as Christians still identify as Christian today; in other words,
the Christian retention rate in those countries has not been known to fall
below about 50%.4 The
“rising disaffiliation with limits” scenario (No. 2) best illustrates what
would happen if recent generational trends in the U.S. continue, but only
until they reach the boundary of what has been observed around the world,
including in Western Europe. Overall, this scenario seems to most closely fit
the patterns observed in recent years. None of the scenarios in this report demonstrate
what would happen if switching into Christianity increased. This is not
because a religious revival in the U.S. is impossible. New patterns of
religious change could emerge at any time. Armed conflicts, social movements,
rising authoritarianism, natural disasters or worsening economic conditions
are just a few of the circumstances that sometimes trigger sudden social –
and religious – upheavals. However, our projections are not designed to model
the consequences of dramatic events, which might affect various facets of
life as we know it, including religious identity and practice. Instead, these
projections describe the potential consequences of dynamics currently shaping
the religious landscape. Is switching only for the
young? Most people don’t change their religious identity.
But among those who do, the switch typically happens between the ages of 15
and 29. That is why this report focuses on switching among young Americans. However, since the rise of the “nones” began in the
1990s, a pattern has emerged in which a measurable share of adults ages 30 to
65 also disaffiliate from Christianity. The Center’s analysis of U.S. and
international data indicates that modest levels of disaffiliation among older
adults could be a stage that Christian-majority countries go through when
Christian identity stops being widely taken for granted – until about 30% of
those raised Christian already have shed Christian identity by the time they
reach 30. Today, among Americans who recently turned 30 and
grew up Christian, disaffiliation rates are already above 30%, so the
projection models assume that, on average, they will not switch religions
again. However, among groups of older adults born after World War II, we
model ongoing switching in which 7% of Americans who were raised Christian
will switch out between the ages of 30 and 65. This rate of switching among
older adults is held constant in each projection model except the
no-switching scenario, which does not include any switching among older or
younger adults. Switching by religiously unaffiliated, older Americans into
Christianity is not modeled in the projections because there is no clear
trend in this direction. For more details on later adult switching, see
the Methodology and Appendix
B. Religious change in
context These projections indicate the U.S. might be
following the path taken over the last 50 years by many countries in Western
Europe that had overwhelming Christian majorities in the middle of the 20th
century and no longer do. In Great Britain, for example, “nones” surpassed
Christians to become the largest group in 2009, according to the British
Social Attitudes Survey.5 In
the Netherlands, disaffiliation accelerated
in the 1970s, and 47% of adults now say they are Christian. While the change in affiliation rates in the United
States is largely due to people voluntarily leaving religion behind,
switching is not the only driver of religious composition change worldwide.
For example, differences in fertility rates explain most of the recent religious
change in India, while migration has altered the religious composition of
many European
countries in the last century. Forced conversions, mass expulsions,
wars and genocides also have caused changes in religious composition
throughout history. Moreover, the scenarios in this report are limited
to religious identity and
do not project how religious beliefs
and practices might change in the coming decades. Along with the decline in the percentage of U.S.
adults who identify as Christian in recent years, Pew Research Center surveys
have found declining shares of the population who say they pray
daily or consider religion very important in their lives. Still, it is an
open question whether the Christian population in the future will be more or
less highly committed than U.S. Christians are today. On the one hand, within each generation, Christians
with lower levels of religious commitment may be most likely to shed their
identity and become religiously unaffiliated, while new converts may bring
greater zeal. These dynamics could lead to rising levels of commitment in the
remaining Christian population. On the other hand, religious commitment could
steadily weaken from generation to generation if people continue to identify
as Christian but are less devout than their parents and grandparents. This
dynamic could lead to steady or declining levels of belief and practice. Meanwhile, religiously unaffiliated Americans today
are not uniformly nonbelieving or nonpracticing. Many religious “nones”
partake in traditional religious practices despite their lack of religious
identity, including a solid majority who believe in some kind of higher power
or spiritual force. It is also unclear how this may change in the future, and
whether connections to these beliefs will weaken if disaffiliation becomes
even more common in the broader society. At the same time, many observers have
wondered what kinds of spiritual practices, if any, may fill the void left by
institutional religion. We plan to continue exploring this question in future
research. These population projections were produced as part
of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes
religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for
the Global Religious Futures project comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts and
the John Templeton Foundation. SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/modeling-the-future-of-religion-in-america/ 759-760-43-25/Polls As More States Legalize
The Practice, 19% Of U S Adults Say They Have Bet Money On Sports In The Past
Year
The survey comes more than four years after the
Supreme Court effectively legalized
commercial sports betting in the United States. As of this month, 35
states and the District of Columbia have authorized the practice in some
form, with Massachusetts becoming the latest
state to do so in August.
Despite the growth
of commercial sports betting in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2018
ruling, the most common way that Americans bet on sports is with friends or
family, according to the Center’s survey, which was fielded July 5-17 among
6,034 adults. Some 15% of adults say they have bet money on sports with
friends or family in the last 12 months, such as in a private betting pool,
fantasy league or casual bet. Smaller shares say they have bet money on
sports in person at a casino, racetrack or betting kiosk in the past year
(8%) or that they have done so online with a betting app, sportsbook or
casino (6%). All told, 19% of adults have bet money on sports in at least one
of these ways in the past year.
There are no significant differences in
self-reported sports betting by educational attainment or household income
level. For example, 18% of college graduates say they have bet on sports in
some way in the past year, as have 20% of non-college graduates. Similar
shares of adults in upper-income (22%), middle-income (19%) and lower-income
households (19%) say they have bet on sports in the past year. There is also no significant difference by party
affiliation: 21% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they
have bet on sports in some way in the last 12 months, as have 19% of
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Public awareness of legal
sports betting Overall, 56% of adults say they have read or heard a
lot (12%) or a little (44%) about the fact that sports betting is now legal
in much of the country, while 44% say they have read or heard nothing at all
about it. Awareness of legalized sports betting varies by
demographic group. Men are far more likely than women to say they have read
or heard at least a little about it (69% vs. 44%). Americans ages 50 and
older, those with a college degree and those in upper-income households are
also among the groups who are more likely to have read or heard about it. Perhaps not surprisingly, Americans who have read or
heard a lot about the widespread legalization of sports betting in the U.S.
are far more likely than other Americans to say they personally have bet on
sports in the past year. Among this group of Americans, nearly half (46%)
report betting on sports in some way in the past year, compared with 23% of
those who have read or heard only a little and just 9% of those who have read
or heard nothing at all about the fact that sports betting is now legal in
much of the country. Perceptions about legal
sports betting’s effect on society, sports The widespread legalization of sports betting has
created a new
revenue stream for many state governments, but it has also raised
concerns about gambling addiction and other societal harms. So how do Americans feel about the fact that sports
betting is now legal in much of the U.S.? Regardless of how much they have
heard or read about it, a majority of adults (57%) say it is neither a good
nor bad thing for society, while about a third (34%) say it is a bad thing.
Only 8% say it is a good thing for society.
The public is slightly more divided on a separate
question about whether the widespread legalization of sports betting is a
good or bad thing for sports.
Around half of Americans (49%) say the fact that sports betting is now legal
in much of the country is neither a good nor bad thing for sports, while a
third say it is a bad thing for sports and 16% say it is a good thing. On these questions, too, there are some demographic
differences. Americans 50 and older are more likely than adults under 50 to
say that legalized sports betting is a bad thing for both society (41% vs.
27%) and sports (38% vs. 29%). College graduates and those in upper-income
households are also more likely to see the widespread legalization of sports
betting as a bad thing for both society and sports. While there are no significant partisan differences
on most of the Center’s questions related to sports betting, one such divide
does appear on the question of whether legalized sports betting is a good or
bad thing for society. Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to
say this is a bad thing for society (38% vs. 31%). Still, more than half in
both groups (54% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats) see it as neither a
good nor bad thing for society. SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 759-760-43-26/Polls Half Of Canadians Either
Can’t Find A Doctor Or Can’t Get A Timely Appointment With The One They Have
When Dr. David Eaton retires later this year, 1,400
of the approximately 2,800 people of Wheatley, Ont. will be losing
their family doctor, with nobody lined up to take his place. Across the country, in Victoria, B.C., a woman took
out an
ad in a local paper imploring a qualified doctor to come forward and
help her 82-year-old husband renew his expiring prescription, having hit a
roadblock at every turn in her attempts to find care. These are the types of stories emerging this summer
as a family doctor shortage hits crisis levels across the country. The lack
of an intimate relationship with health care through a family physician is
causing Canadians considerable consternation and compounding their ability to
receive adequate care. Among those who report difficult access or none at
all, specialist appointments and diagnostic tests are additionally
challenging to secure. Consider that Canadians who have easy access to a
doctor are half as likely to say it was difficult or impossible to see a
specialist or book a diagnostic test than those who have difficult access or
don’t have a doctor at all. Further, both latter groups are three times as
likely as those with easier access to their GP to say their health has worsened
over the past six months. As part of this comprehensive survey canvassing
attitudes regarding access to primary and secondary care in Canada, the Angus
Reid Institute also surveyed Americans to better understand their
experiences. The data show that while a near-identical number of adults on
both sides of the border report having a family doctor, Americans are twice
as likely to have easy access to a timely appointment. Additionally,
Canadians who have a doctor are four times as likely (32%) as Americans (8%)
to say they’ve been seeing their doctor virtually over the past year or so.
More Key Findings:
About ARI The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was
founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a
national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation
established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and
disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research
and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public
administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic
issues of importance to Canada and its world. INDEX Part One: Access to family
doctors
Part Two: Virtual medicine Part Three: American and
Canadian experiences
Part One: Access to family
doctors For most Canadians, a family doctor is their primary
point of contact with the health-care system. However, as
doctors retire, and fewer medical school graduates choose to go into family
practice, millions of Canadians have been struggling to find that
professional to meet their health care needs. The Canadian Medical Association has called the
family physician shortage “critical”.
At fault, according to critics and doctors, is a system
which pays
too little to GPs per patient and requires
too much work. Many medical graduates avoid
entering family medicine, and instead choose jobs in other parts of the
health-care system with more predictable
hours and better pay. Whatever the reasons, a shortage of family doctors
persists in the country, despite there being more
doctors per capita than ever before. Overall, four-in-five Canadian adults say they have
a family doctor. One-in-five do not, a figure that represents over six
million Canadian adults. These data align with the most
recent data from Statistics Canada. Younger people are less likely to report having a
family doctor; three-in-ten (31%) adults under the age of 35 say they don’t:
How long does it take to
get an appointment? But having a family doctor represents only part of
the story around access to primary care in Canada. What if you have a doctor,
but can’t get in to see them when you need to? Among those with a family
physician, just 18 per cent report that they can secure an appointment within
a day or two:
Combining these responses with those who are unable
to find a doctor, the picture is much more descriptive of what Canadians are
facing in 2022. Put another way, the system seems to work for 14 per
cent of Canadian adults or 4.4 million Canadians. These people not only have
a doctor but have easy access to that medical professional when needed. For almost everyone else, there are issues.
One-in-three say that it would take them a few days to see their doctor but
if it were an emergency, they would be able to speed this process up. The
same number (33%) say they have difficulty getting a doctor’s appointment when
needed, waiting a week or more. Close to one-in-five (17%) have no doctor at all
even though they would like one:
Regionally, British Columbia (59%) and Atlantic
Canada (60%) are home to the highest number of adults who report difficult
access to their current GP or can’t find one at all. The situation is
brighter for those in Alberta and Ontario, but still more than two-in-five in
both provinces say they either don’t have a doctor or must wait more than a
week for an appointment. Overall, approaching one-quarter in B.C. (23%) and
Quebec (23%) say they want a family doctor but don’t have one:
Men are more likely to say they can’t find a doctor,
while women are more likely to say they face delays getting in to see the
doctor they have. Two-in-five women under the age of 55 say it takes more
than a week to see their family doctor. Meanwhile, three-in-ten (28%) men
under the age of 35 say they have had no luck finding a GP:
Those without a doctor are
looking, but not finding For the one-in-five Canadians without a family
doctor, many have been searching without luck to get one. Few (8%) began
their search in the last six months. More have been looking for up to a year
(11%) and more than that for more than a year (35%). Three-in-ten (29%) say
they have given up entirely on finding a GP:
Canadians over the age of 34 are much more likely to
report an extended – and fruitless – search for a doctor, with two-in-five
(43%) in this cohort looking for more than a year. Three-in-ten over the age
of 54 say they have given up, despite belonging to a demographic much
more likely to need health care:
The implications of poor
access Part one of the Angus Reid
Institute’s three-part series on Canadian health care
experiences examined access to secondary care, including surgical procedures,
diagnostic testing, and specialist appointments. Canadians’ inability to access
the latter two areas of health care are quite clearly connected to their
relationship with a family physician. Those who don’t have a doctor, or do
but struggle to see them, are also more likely to report problems being
referred for tests or appointments with specialists:
Part Two: Virtual medicine The COVID-19 pandemic shifted much human interaction
from in-person to at-distance. Doctor visits were no different. Today,
one-third of Canadians (32%) report they mostly interact with their family
doctor over the phone or by video call. Two-thirds (68%) are more likely to
see their GP in person:
For Canadians who see their family doctor mostly
over the phone or the internet, most (65%) are okay with the arrangement. Age
is a notable driver: younger Canadians – particularly younger women – are
more likely to dislike “seeing” their doctor online over the phone or online:
Part Three: American and
Canadian experiences To help contextualize the Canadian data, the Angus
Institute conducted a parallel survey with respondents in the United States
to assess and compare experiences. Notably, similar numbers of Americans and
Canadians report having family doctors. The data correspond closely with
those reported by Statistics
Canada and recent reporting in
the United States. These proportions leave millions of Canadians and tens
of millions of Americans without a direct line to reliable primary health
care:
Americans report easier
access to their family doctor While the proportion of Canadian and American adults
with a family doctor may be similar, the level of self-reported access is
vastly different. Two-in-five (41%) Canadians with a family doctor say it’s
difficult to get an appointment right away. Comparatively, one-quarter (24%)
of Americans with a GP say the same. Further, one-third (36%) in the U.S. say
they can get an appointment with their doctor within a day or two if they
need one, double the rate in Canada. This, despite the U.S. facing a similar
physician shortage as Canada.
Looking at the overall spectrum of access to primary
care by country, three trends are evident. Easy Access is more prevalent in
the U.S. and Difficult Access rarer. Notably, however, Americans are four
times as likely as Canadians to simply not be seeking a relationship with a
family physician.
Canadians much more likely
than Americans to be seeing GP virtually Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic varied
significantly from the United States. Canada experienced stricter and
more frequent stay-at-home orders and business and school closures
than its southern neighbour. Once the vaccine was widely available, many
states lifted
any closure orders and did not reinstate them. Perhaps because of this comparative lack of COVID-19
restrictions, Americans are much less likely to say they have shifted to
virtual visits with their family doctor. Nearly all (92%) in the United
States say they mostly see their doctor in person. Americans say their doctor
visits are virtual at one-quarter the rate of Canadians:
September 8, 2022 Source: https://angusreid.org/canada-health-care-family-doctors-shortage/ 759-760-43-27/Polls Poilievre Running Away As
Clear Favourite Among Conservative Party Supporters
Among those who have pledged to vote for the
Conservative Party in the next federal election, Pierre Poilievre is running
away from the pool of contenders as the most favoured candidate to lead the
CPC into the future, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of
Global News. Favourable impressions of Poilievre are much higher
than they are for his primary rival Jean Charest, who is now equally as
likely to have made a favourable (38%, -7) as unfavourable (38%, +3)
impression on Conservative Party supporters. Indeed, Charest appears to be
the most divisive candidate among those who indicate they will vote blue in
the next election. Notably, Scott Aitchison (23%, +5) and Leslyn Lewis
(32%, +9) have both left a more favourable mark on Conservative voters
recently than they did in July while at the same time reducing unfavourable
perceptions (-5 for Aitchison, -6 for Lewis). However, for Aitchison
(56%), Baber (56%) and Lewis (46%), roughly half of Conservative voters still
don’t know enough about who they are to say whether they like them or not. Conservative Voters’ Perception
of Leadership Candidates
While Pierre Poilievre continues to be the
hands-down favourite among Tory voters, among the general population of
Canadians perceptions are less flattering. Fewer than one in four (23%)
Canadians have a positive impression of Poilievre (down 2 points since July),
outweighed by the one in three (35%) who have an unfavourable perception of
the Tory frontrunner, unchanged since July. Moreover, in both Ontario
(22% favourable vs. 35% unfavourable) and Quebec (21% favourable vs. 38%
unfavourable) public opinion is solidly against him. Compounding these
challenges, Liberal (53%) and NDP voters (50%) are united in their dislike of
Poilievre, suggesting limited opportunity to recruit new voters to the Conservative
ranks. Canadians’ Perception
of CPC Leadership Candidates
Jean Charest continues to be the most preferred
candidate at the national level, with one in three (31%, -2) having a
favourable perception of the former PC leader and Quebec Premier. However, a
roughly equal proportion has unfavourable views (33%, -1) of Charest,
underscoring that he doesn’t come without his political baggage. Even in
Quebec, which he would be expected to deliver as leader of the CPC, more
residents are unfavourable (44%) towards him than are favourable (39%). It is
interesting to note, however, that favourability towards Charest is higher
among current Liberal voters (45%) than Conservative voters (38%). Similarly,
unfavourable ratings are higher among Conservative voters (38%) than Liberals
(29%). Poilievre Gaining Momentum
Among Tory Voters, But Charest Preferred among Canadians If they could vote for the next leader of the
Conservative Party of Canada, 44% of Conservative voters would choose Pierre
Poilievre (up 10 points since July), well ahead of rivals Jean Charest (18%,
-5), Leslyn Lewis (10%, +2), Scott Aitchison (5%, unchanged) and Roman Baber
(4% +3). Two in ten (19%) are unsure of who they would vote for, down 10
points. Among the general population, however, Charest (21%,
-1) bests Poilievre (16%, +1), Lewis (6%, +2), Baber (5%, +3) and Aitchison
(4%, unchanged), while one half (50%, -2) of Canadians doesn’t know who they
would vote for to lead the Tory Party. 6 September 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/Poilievre-Clear-Favourite-Among-Conservative-Party-Supporters 759-760-43-28/Polls Canadians Conflicted On
Future Role Of Monarchy As Half (54%) Say Canada Should End Ties To Monarchy
Canadians are conflicted on the future role of the
monarchy with roughly half believing we should sever ties to the monarchy,
according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. Canadians
see both positives and negatives to having the monarchy as our head of state
and these mixed opinions would likely not be conclusive enough to achieve the
relative consensus that is required for constitutional change. Canadians are very much split on their opinions when
it comes to the monarchy in Canada. Roughly half (54%) agree (20%
strongly/33% somewhat) that now that
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has ended, Canada should end its formal ties to
the British monarchy. This sentiment is down 5 points from 2021,
but up from 44% in 2011. Conversely, 46% disagree (19% strongly/27% somewhat)
that Canada should sever ties, up 5 points. Those under the age of 55 are
more likely to agree (57%) that links should be severed compared to those 55
and older (49%). Regionally, Quebecers are most inclined to agree (79%),
feeling much more strongly about it than those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba
(54%), British Columbia (46%), Atlantic Canada (45%), Ontario (45%) and
Alberta (42%). In total, 46% of those in English Canada support ending formal
ties, compared to 79% of Quebecers. Despite the mixed feelings, Canadians want their
voices heard. A majority (58%) of Canadians agree (20%/38% somewhat)
that Justin Trudeau should hold a
referendum on the future of the monarchy in Canada, while
four in ten (42%) disagree (16% strongly/26% somewhat) with this idea.
Support for a referendum is up 5 points now that the late Queen has passed. Arguments for Keeping the
Monarchy in Canada Canadians see some valid arguments for keeping the
monarchy in Canada:
Arguments for Abolishing
the Monarchy in Canada Conversely, many agree with arguments in support of
severing ties with the British Crown:
Canadians are split down the middle on a few
arguments. First, on whether they agree (49% -- 12% strongly/37% somewhat) or
disagree (51% -- 17% strongly/34% somewhat) that the monarchy provides Canadians with stability
during precarious times; second, on whether they agree (48% -- 18%
strongly/29% somewhat) or disagree (52% -- 19% strongly/33% somewhat)
that Canada should no longer have a
relationship with the former British Empire and should quit the Commonwealth
of Nations. Canadians Mixed on their
Feelings about King Charles III, Unfavourable towards Queen Consort With King Charles III new to his role, Canadians
appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach to how he handles himself as
monarch and are nearly evenly split on whether they see him favourably or
unfavourably. His children and their wives are more liked than he is.
However, the real challenge may be for Camilla, Queen Consort, who is coming
into her role with twice as many Canadians viewing her unfavourably as
favourably.
16 September 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadians-conflicted-on-future-role-of-monarchy AUSTRALIA
759-760-43-29/Polls Australian Unemployment
Increases To 9.2% In August As Workforce Swells To 14.8 Million Australians
Compared to early March
2020, before the nation-wide lockdown, in August 2022 there were more than
530,000 more Australians either unemployed or under-employed (+2.5% points)
even though overall employment (13,487,000) is over 600,000 higher than it
was pre-COVID-19 (12,872,000). Roy Morgan Unemployment
& Under-employment (2019-2022)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – August
2022. Average monthly interviews 5,000. Michele Levine, CEO Roy
Morgan, says the Australian workforce swelled to a new record high of over
14.8 million in August with employment and unemployment both increasing for a
second straight month and employment hitting a record high of 13.5 million “The latest Roy Morgan employment estimates for
August show the workforce increasing by 164,000 to a record high of
14,850,000. There was good news driving part of this rise with employment up
47,000 to 13,847,000 in August – also a new record high. This increase was
driven by the rise in part-time employment which increased by 247,000 to a
new record high of 4,803,000. “However, of more concern were the increases in both
unemployment, up 117,000 to 1,363,000, and under-employment, up 59,000 to
1,329,000. This is the second straight month both unemployment and
under-employment have increased, the first time that has happened since
December 2015. “The Albanese Government’s Jobs & Skills Summit
last week looked at the policies needed to deal with a complicated employment
market. There are some businesses that claim there’s a ‘skills shortage’ and
have been demanding higher immigration, while the Roy Morgan monthly
employment results, and the ABS
‘Potential workers’ release (Released in May 2022), show there are 2.7
million Australians either unemployed or under-employed. “The ‘disconnect’ between these results show that
although there are 2.7 million Australians who want more work, these people
are often lacking skills, not able to move to where the work is, caring for
children and unable to access expensive or unavailable childcare services, or
dealing with other personal issues that complicate their search for
employment. “A key reason some people looking for work can’t find
work is the difficulty in finding affordable housing to rent in the areas in
which the jobs are located. The rental market in Australia has never been
tighter and to attract workers some businesses, and especially those in
regional areas, have been forced to buy or rent housing for their prospective
employees. “One outcome of the Jobs & Skills Summit was a
decision to lift Australia’s permanent migration cap by 35,000 to 195,000.
However, increasing immigration flows to Australia will only worsen the housing
and rental shortages that are keeping many people out of gainful employment. “There is also good news though in terms of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent wave of the Omicron variant peaked in late
July at over 350,000 active cases. Since then, new cases of declined rapidly
and only around 100,000 Australians are now classified as active cases – the
lowest figure we have seen so far this year. “The rapid decline in cases in recent weeks has led
to a further relaxing of restrictions with face masks set to be no longer be
mandatory in airports or on domestic air travel. The ‘cresting’ of the latest
wave of COVID-19 also means employment markets have the chance to normalise
over the next few months as fewer Australians are forced into a period of isolation
due to contracting the virus. “The high rates of COVID-19, and the four waves of
the ‘Omicron variant’ we’ve experienced, during the first eight months of
2022 have themselves had a big impact on the employment market. When workers
are forced to spend 1-2 weeks in isolation businesses are forced to hire new
workers which has led to labour shortages in key industries. “Looking forward the September labour market may be
the first so far this year during which high cases of COVID-19 in the
community will not play havoc with the monthly employment and unemployment
estimates.” Roy Morgan Unemployed and
‘Under-employed’* Estimates
*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 852,714 Australians aged 14 and over between January
2007 and August 2022 and includes 6,076 telephone and online interviews in
August 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 – August
2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000. Roy Morgan Research cf.
ABS Unemployment Estimates
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2000 – August
2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Source: Roy
Morgan Single Source April 1995 – August 2022. Average monthly interviews
4,000. September 05, 2022 759-760-43-30/Polls ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer
Confidence Up By 1.1pts To 86.1 – Highest For Three Months Since Early June
Current financial
conditions Future financial
conditions
Current economic
conditions Future economic conditions
Time to buy a major
household item
ANZ Head of Australian
Economics, David Plank, commented: Consumer confidence rose
1.3% last week, to its highest level since June despite a widely expected
interest rate increase by the RBA in its meeting today. Household inflation
expectations rose 0.1ppt over the week to 5.4%. The confidence data by
housing status shows that for people renting a home, confidence jumped last
week and is now at a higher level than it was before the RBA started raising
interest rates. However, for people paying off a mortgage and for those who
own their home confidence is sharply lower by 19% and 13% respectively since
the RBA’s first rate hike in May. The recovery in consumer confidence is
encouraging, but it remains in very negative territory despite the lowest
unemployment rate in decades.” September 06, 2022 759-760-43-31/Polls An Increasing Majority Of
Australians, 60% Believe Australia Should Remain A Monarchy
Australians were asked: “In your opinion, should Australia remain a
MONARCHY – or become a REPUBLIC with an elected President?” Support for the Monarchy has increased from a decade
ago after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II last week and the ascension of
King Charles III to the throne over the weekend. King Charles III was officially proclaimed as the
new ‘King of Australia’ on Sunday by Governor-General David Hurley who
stated, “Because of the death of our
blessed and glorious Queen Elizabeth II, the Crown has solely and rightfully
come to Prince Charles Philip Arthur George. “May King Charles III have
long and happy years to reign over us. With hearty and humble affection, we
promise him faith and faithfulness.” Both genders and all age
groups favour the Monarchy – but results closer for some than others A look at the results by age shows young Australians
under 35 are the most evenly split – 52% favour the Monarchy compared to 48%
that favour a Republic with an elected President. Support for the Monarchy is higher among older age
groups with 58% of people aged 35-49, 67% of those aged 50-64 and 61% of
Australians aged 65+ in favour of remaining with the Monarchy. As a follow-up question, respondents were then
asked: “And why do you say that?” There were several key
themes that emerged for respondents who favoured retaining the Monarchy or
moving to a Republic with an elected President. For the majority of Australians advocating that
Australia remain with the Monarchy the key themes to emerge were those saying
‘Why change?’, ‘Why change what we have when it works?’, the stability and
stable government the Monarchy has brought Australia for many decades, and
the sentiment that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Alongside that theme
there were those who relayed their distrust of politicians and that they
don’t trust current politicians to being about a Republic because we don’t
want to end up like America. For the minority of Australians who want the country
to move to a Republic with a directly elected President there were many who
asserted that we need an Australian as Head of State, and that we should be a
truly independent country by doing so. There were many who said that the
Monarchy is outdated and doesn’t represent Australia and that holding onto
our colonial history is an insult to First Australians. Many Australians also
referenced the famous Australian political slogan that ‘It’s time’. Michele Levine, CEO of Roy
Morgan, says: “Australians have given a
vote of confidence in new Head of State King Charles III with a majority of
60% saying Australia should remain as a Monarchy, an increase of 5% points
from November 2012, while only 40% say Australia should become a Republic
with an elected President. “Support for remaining as
a Monarchy is far higher among women (66% in favour) than men (54%) and is
strongest among older age groups with over two-thirds of people aged 50-64
(67%) and nearly as many aged 65+ (61%) in favour of remaining as a Monarchy. “Although the results show
an increase in support for the Monarchy from nearly a decade ago, just over a
decade ago, during the former Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012, an even
larger majority of 62% of Australians favoured remaining as a Monarchy. “A look at previous
results on this question shows that more Australians have been in favour of
remaining as a Monarchy than becoming a Republic consistently since November
2010. Prior to that point there was a consistent majority in favour of
becoming a Republic from 1994-2008. “The main reasons provided
by people for why Australia should remain as a Monarchy are ‘Why change?’,
‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ ‘The current system based on Monarchy has
brought Australia decades of stability and stable government’. Alongside
these themes were those who voiced their distrust of politicians to bring in
a Republic, and do we want to end up like the USA? “Those Australians
advocating for a change and to move towards a Republic with a directly
elected President mentioned that the Head of State should be Australian and
that we should be a totally independent country as holding onto our colonial
history is an insult to First Australians. “The results of this
latest Roy Morgan SMS Poll on attitudes towards Australia becoming a Republic
or remaining as a Monarchy shows that despite the passing of the popular
Queen Elizabeth II last week a clear majority of Australians are in favour of
retaining the current system – and this has consistently been the case for
over a dozen years now.” This special Roy Morgan SMS Poll was conducted by
SMS on Monday September 12, 2022, with an Australia-wide cross-section of
1,012 Australians. The survey was conducted entirely after Prince Charles
took the oath on the weekend to become King Charles III. September 13, 2022 MULTICOUNTRY
STUDIES
759-760-43-32/Polls Americans Consume Violent
Video Games More Often Than Germans
Americans consume violent
video games more often than Germans In the US, three out of five respondents who play
video games at least once in a while say they have watched or played a video
game in which violence occurs (62 percent). In Germany, 56 percent of those
who play at least once in a while say so.
In Deutschland sind es besonders die 18- bis
24-Jährigen, die nach eigenen Angaben schon einmal ein gewaltbeinhaltendes
Videospiel konsumiert haben (80 Prozent vs. 33 Prozent der Befragten ab 55
Jahren). Außerdem treffen Männer diese Aussage häufiger als Frauen (67
Prozent vs. 42 Prozent unter Frauen). Für Schweizer sind
Videospiele am ehesten Ursache für Gewalt Die Befragten aller drei Länder wurden außerdem
gebeten, verschiedene Aussagen zu Videospielen und ihren Effekten zu
bewerten. Am häufigsten sind Befragte in der Schweiz der Meinung (61
Prozent), dass Videospiele Ursache für Gewalt und Aggressionen in der realen
Welt sein können. In Deutschland sagen dies 57 Prozent. In den USA trifft nur
noch knapp jeder Zweite diese Aussage (48 Prozent). Amerikaner stimmen hingegen am häufigsten zu, dass
Videospiele hingegen ein nützliches Ventil für Frustrationen und Aggressionen
sein können (57 Prozent). In der Schweiz sagen dies 49 Prozent der Befragten,
in Deutschland nur knapp weniger, 46 Prozent.
These are the results of current YouGov surveys, for
which 2,062 people in Germany were surveyed between 27 and 29 June 2022 and
1,000 people in the USA between 7 and 10 June 2022. The results are
representative of the respective populations aged 18 and over. From 13 to 19
July 2022, link surveyed 1,208 language-assimilated people aged 15–79 living
in german, French and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The sample was quoted and
weighted representatively by age, gender and region. September 9, 2022 Source:
https://yougov.de/news/2022/09/09/amerikaner-haufiger-als-deutsche-zeugen-oder-spiel/ 759-760-43-33/Polls The Vast Majority (76%) Of
Those Surveyed Across 28 Countries Anticipated The Cost Of Their Food
Shopping Will Increase In The Second Half Of 2022
Shopping for food is an eye-popping, jaw-dropping
experience these days. The cost of apples and, well, pretty much everything
else at the shops seems to have soared into the stratosphere. And consumers
don’t expect prices to come back down to Earth any time soon. Feeling burned by sizzling
costs The vast majority (76%) of those surveyed in late May and early June for the
Ipsos Global Inflation Monitor, on average, across 28 countries anticipated
the cost of their food shopping will increase a little/a lot in the second
half of 2022. Only 7% thought food prices will decrease a little/a lot from
July-December. “What that data is really showing us is just how
much people [have been] feeling the pinch,” said Chris Jackson, Senior Vice
President of Public Affairs in the U.S. for Ipsos.
There’s been little relief lately. “For most Americans, money coming in does not change nearly as fast as
the money that's going out in these inflationary periods,” noted Jackson.
“So, they're having to take the same number of dollars but stretch them
further.” To stretch those dollars further, working Americans
are likely already doing things such as opting to skip take-out coffees and
other impulse purchases, said Jackson. “We've been dealing with inflationary pressures for
[many] months. It really starts to increasingly take bites out of sort of
more quality-of-life things, such as the type of food you eat or the sort of
lifestyle you can live.” Cooking up a lower
standard of living Food shopping costing even more in the second half
of 2022 was the No. 1 thing people in 21 out of 28 countries said would
negatively impact their quality of life. This isn’t surprising to Mike Colledge, President of
Public Affairs for Ipsos in Canada, who noted Canadians, and many others,
“treat food as a fashion item and … a statement about who we are.” But viewing food as more than just fuel is becoming
increasingly tough as even though the inflation rate fell slightly to 7.6% in
July, according to Statistics Canada, it was still near historic highs as the
food inflation rate in the Great White North grew to 9.2% year-over-year. While many upper- and middle-income people can
likely digest persistently higher grocery costs, lower-income households
will continue to really struggle if food prices don’t moderate, noted
Colledge. Jackson agreed and pointed out there’s lower-income
people who “just never really recovered during the pandemic period, so
they're not losing as much ground now because they didn't have any ground to
lose. “They've been living hand-to-mouth, day-to-day for
years now and I think it's important to just remember that those are the
people who are really suffering the most.” A recipe for pessimism There’s been a lot of suffering in the 2.5 years
since a global pandemic was first declared, yet there was the hope the global
economy would bounce back stronger than ever once lockdowns ended and
vaccines became widespread, said Colledge.
The uneven economy seems to be unnerving people. Just over 2 in 3 (67%) of those polled, on average,
across 28 countries said the economic situation was very/somewhat bad in
their country in August. In Argentina, a whopping 95% said their economy was
bad and in Italy a full 80% weren’t feeling optimistic about the country’s
economy last month. “The gloomy outlook” is likely due to a mix of
factors, including the knock-on effects of the coronavirus crisis, inflation
and the invasion of Ukraine, said Chiara Ferrari, Service Line Leader of
Public Affairs for Ipsos in Italy. Like America and Canada, the inflation rate dipped
ever so slightly in Italy (to 8.4% in July, according to its national
statistics office), but the prices of groceries and unprocessed food rose
slightly (to 9.1% on annual basis). When, and how, the pain will end has yet to be seen. A big dash of uncertainty “If I had to chose a word for the country, I would
say that uncertainty is the best to describe the current status,” said
Ferrari. The ground beneath consumers’ feet feels shaky well
beyond Italy as there’s fears the cost of living could continue to skyrocket,
but there’s also worry prices could crater due to a recession, pointed out
Colledge. If eye-popping, jaw-dropping prices do indeed
continue, Ipsos’ Inflation Monitor polling found people plan to slash spending on a wide range
of things, including socializing, holidays and food. As the world stares down yet another pandemic-era
fall, Colledge expects high prices on everything from apples to zucchinis
could lead consumers to “do more value shopping, whether it's buying in bulk
and planning more, or even skipping over some food items.” 7 September 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/en/high-food-prices-are-taking-bite-out-budgets 759-760-43-34/Polls In Nine Of The 11
Countries Surveyed, Fewer Than One-In-Five Say They Support Normalization
Agreements With Israel
However, the two exceptions—Sudan and Morocco—are
notable. In the former, 39 percent favor normalization with Israel compared
with 31 percent in the latter. These two countries are part of the broader
Abraham Accords, with Morocco having completed the normalization process with
Israel while Sudan has initiated the process. In the case of Morocco, the
U.S. recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara simultaneously with
normalization. In the case of Sudan, the U.S. committed to removing Sudan
from the list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of the normalization
process. As such, it is possible that the relative popularity of normalization
in both countries is the result of citizens focusing on the strategic
benefits that each agreement has brought to their country. But, judging by
the broad rejection of normalization with Israel by Jordanians and Egyptians,
whose governments made peace with Israel a generation ago, these relatively
favorable views toward peace with Israel may fade over time. These are among the main findings of twelve
nationally representative public opinion surveys conducted across the Middle
East and North Africa from 2021-22 as part of Arab Barometer Wave VII. September 12, 2022 Source:
https://www.arabbarometer.org/2022/09/how-do-mena-citizens-view-normalization-with-israel/ 759-760-43-35/Polls Citizens Lukewarm On
Leaders’ Cold War, Survey Across 9 Middle East And North African Countries
Over the last decade, there has been an ongoing competition
for leadership within the Middle East and North Africa. Some have described
this as a new Arab Cold War, with an anti-Iran and anti-Islamist block led by
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on one side with a more pro-Iran
and pro-Islamist bloc led by Turkey and Qatar on the other. In recent years,
the sharp divisions have lessened, with the end of the Saudi-led blockade
against Qatar and improving relations between Ankara and Riyadh. To understand how citizens across the Middle East
and North Africa view this competition, Arab Barometer included a number of
questions about the leaders of the respective blocs. As the results of this
new survey make clear, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the most
well thought of leader among citizens in countries surveyed by Arab
Barometer. In six out of nine countries, Erdogan has the highest support of
any leader while in two of the three remaining countries, he is in the top
three.
Yet, despite his relative overall popularity, trend
attitudes towards Erdogan are not as positive. Compared to Arab Barometer’s
fifth wave in 2018-2019, Erdogan’s popularity significantly decreased in half
the cases Arab Barometer surveyed. Approval of his foreign policy towards
MENA dropped 23 points in Sudan, 16 points in Jordan, 12 points in Palestine,
and 11 points in Tunisia. In Lebanon, a country with some of the lowest
levels of support for Erdogan, there were no meaningful changes in attitudes.
While Erdogan’s popularity is the highest overall,
his regional rivals Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed are the next most popular. Bin Salman and bin
Zayed’s popularity are often statistically equal, but bin Zayed tends to be
slightly more favored. Bin Zayed is the most popular leader in two of the
three countries that did not favor Erdogan (Iraq and Lebanon). The leaders’
shared approval may reflect their own close ties. The two have long been
united in their foreign policy goals, particularly with respect to countering
Iran and suppressing Islamist movements across the region. In all countries
surveyed except Iraq, ratings of the two leaders fall within 6 points of each
other. Overall, 66 percent of Iraqi citizens say bin Zayed’s policies are
“good” or “very good”, compared to bin Salman’s 50 percent. Domestic policies in foreign leaders’ respective
countries likely affect citizens’ perceptions of these leaders. The
significant drops in Erdogan’s popularity across the region come at a time
when Turkey is losing its fight to keep inflation under control. Turkey’s
financial crisis hit new levels in June with inflation topping 78 percent
according to Turkish
estimates. The foreign reserves of Turkey’s central bank have dropped
perilously low, causing Erdogan to work towards normalizing relations with
his longtime rivals and next most popular leaders, Mohammed bin Salman and
Mohammed bin Zayed. If Erdogan is successful in his bid to establish warmer
relations with bin Salman and bin Zayed, it is possible that their new
détente will affect the leaders’ popularity among Arab citizens in the
future. In only three countries did support for Erdogan rise
significantly since Arab Barometer surveyed the region in 2018 and 2019:
Morocco (11 point increase), Iraq (10-point increase) and Libya (5-point
increase). The support for Erdogan in each of these countries is likely tied
directly to Turkish policy toward each country. For example, Moroccans’
support for Erdogan can easily be linked to Erdogan’s repeated public support
of Morocco’s claim on the Western Sahara. In Libya, Turkey has intervened directly in the
ongoing civil conflict. Many have called for the removal of Turkish forces,
which is likely linked with the low level of overall popularity. However, the
increase in support for Erdogan is found entirely due to increasing support
in the West of the country. Turkish soldiers have played a vital role helping
establish control for the UN backed government. Overall, 31 percent of
Libyans who live in the West say Erdogan’s policies are “very good” or “good”
compared to only 18 percent of Libyans in the South, and 13 percent of
Libyans in the East. A similar regional story can be seen in Iraq. In the
Iraqi government-controlled regions of the country, 51 percent of Iraqis
support Erdogan compared to only 17 percent of Iraqis in Kurdish regions.
This is unsurprising, as Erdogan vehemently opposes the creation of any
Kurdish state. Arab Barometer does not yet have trend data on the
favorability of Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed. The relatively
high popularity of Erdogan, bin Salman, and bin Zayed implies that the MENA
citizen does not follow the leaders’ own Cold War. The effects of the three
leaders’ new-found allyship on their favorability among citizens remains to
be seen. September 15, 2022 Source:
https://www.arabbarometer.org/2022/09/citizens-lukewarm-on-leaders-cold-war/ 759-760-43-36/Polls 32% Of Canadians And 46%
Of Americans Said They Would Rate Their Mental Health Excellent Or Very Good
MENTAL HEALTH AND GREATEST SOURCE OF STRESS
*When surveyed by Leger in early February 2022, 32%
of Canadians and 46% of Americans said they would rate their mental health
excellent or very good since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. PERSONAL FINANCES
September 14, 2022 Source:
https://blog.legeropinion.com/en/surveys/north-american-tracker-september-14-2022/ 759-760-43-37/Polls Majority Across 34
Countries Describe Effects Of Climate Change In Their Community As Severe
The survey was conducted for the World Economic Forum among
23,507 adults under the age of 75 between July 22 and August 5, 2022 on
Ipsos’s. Global Advisor online survey platform. The proportion of adults surveyed describing the
effect climate change has had so far in the area where they live as very or
somewhat severe ranges from 25% in
Sweden to 75% in Mexico, averaging 56% across all 34 countries (15% “very
severe” and 41% “somewhat severe”). Twenty-two countries show a majority reporting that
they have already been severely impacted by climate change including nine
countries where it exceeds two-thirds of all those surveyed: Mexico, Hungary, Turkey, Colombia, Spain, Italy,
India, Chile, and France. The survey finds notable regional differences within
several countries where they were measured – likely reflecting recent
experience with extreme heat, drought, forest fires, or floods. For example,
the prevalence of having incurred severe effects of climate change is
significantly higher than the national average in Greater London (vs. all of
Great Britain), British Columbia (vs. all of Canada), the Western region of
the United States, Southeastern France, Southern Germany, Northeastern Italy,
and the Eastern part of Hungary. Majorities in all 34
countries expect their area will be severely impacted by climate change in
the next 10 years Concern about being severely impacted by climate
change in the next decade is expressed by most adults in every country
surveyed – from 52% in Malaysia to
more than 80% in Portugal, Mexico, Hungary, Turkey, Chile, South Korea,
Spain, and Italy. On average across the 34 countries, 71% say they
expect climate change to have a very or somewhat severe impact in their area
over the next 10 years (30% “very severe” and 41% “somewhat severe”). This is
15 points higher than the percentage saying climate change has already had a
severe impact where they live. The difference is highest in Sweden (31 points) and
Portugal (30 points). The inverse is true in Saudi Arabia, as more say
climate change has already had a severe impact where they live than believe
it will have a severe impact over the next 10 years. One in three say they may
have to leave their home in the next quarter century because of climate
change Across the 34 countries, an average of 35% say it is likely
they or their family will be displaced from their home as a result of climate
change in the next 25 years (10% “very likely”, 25% “somewhat likely”). This is expressed by almost two-thirds in India
(65%) and Turkey (64%) and almost half in Malaysia (49%), Brazil (49%), Spain
(46%), and South Africa (45%). In contrast, fewer than one in four say so in
Sweden (17%), Argentina (21%), the Netherlands (21%), and Poland (23%).While
reported and expected experience with severe effects of climate change varies
little along demographic variables in aggregate at a global level, the
perceived likelihood of being displaced because of climate change decreases
significantly with age. Globally, 43% of those under 35 say it is likely they
will need to move in the next 25 years because of climate change vs. 37%
among those aged 35 to 49 and just 25% among those aged 50 to 74. 15 September 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/majority-across-34-countries-describe-effects-of-climate-change-in-their-community-as-severe 759-760-43-38/Polls Ninety-Seven Percent Of
People Globally Want To Take Action On Sustainability, In 32 Countries
Faced with a cost-of-living crisis, consumers are
having make difficult choices. While most want to take action on
sustainability, rising and premium pricing is making it hard. 15 September 2022 Source:
https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/sustainability/2022-helping-consumers-do-the-right-thing-in-sustainability 759-760-43-39/Polls International Views Of The
UN In 16 Surveyed Nations Are Mostly Positive
As global leaders descend on New York in the coming
days for the annual United
Nations General Assembly,
international attitudes toward the world’s leading multilateral organization
are largely positive. Across 19 advanced economies surveyed by Pew Research Center this
spring, a median of 65%
say they have a favorable view of the UN. Still, the institution gets mixed
reviews in a few nations, and it is frequently less popular among those on
the political right. Majorities in 16 of the surveyed nations give the UN
a favorable rating, and it receives particularly high marks in Poland, South
Korea and Sweden, where eight-in-ten or more hold this view. The three
countries where fewer than half of adults see the UN favorably are Greece,
Japan and Israel – only 26% of Israelis give it a positive rating. In the United States, the UN gets generally
favorable reviews, with 61% of Americans offering a positive opinion.
However, there are sharp differences along ideological lines: Eight-in-ten
liberals rate the organization favorably, while just four-in-ten
conservatives say the same. How we did this
Although the U.S. has the largest ideological divide
among the countries in the survey, significant ideological differences exist
in other nations, too. For example, the UN isn’t very popular among any
ideological groups in Israel, but it is especially unpopular on the right.
Among Israelis who place themselves on the ideological right, just 16% see
the UN favorably. Significant gaps between the left and right are also found
in Canada, Hungary, Australia, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Poland. Greece is the only country where the pattern is
reversed. Half of Greeks on the political right and 49% of those in the
center see the UN favorably, while just 32% of those on the left agree. In several European countries, supporters of
right-wing populist parties are especially likely to express a negative
opinion of the UN. For instance, 44% of Germans with a favorable view of
Alternative for Germany (AfD) have an unfavorable opinion of the UN, compared
with 21% of Germans who do not support AfD.
There are also significant differences by age in
eight of the countries surveyed, with those ages 18 to 29 expressing
particularly positive views about the UN. While this year’s survey focused mostly on Europe,
Asia and North America, previous
surveys showed mostly positive ratings for the UN in regions not
represented in the 2022 poll, such as Africa and Latin America. Previous research has
also shed light on some of the reasons why people
generally hold the UN in high regard. In a 14-nation study in 2020, the UN
received widespread praise for pursuing a variety of goals. For instance,
majorities in every country said the UN promotes human rights and peace. In
most countries, majorities also said the UN promotes economic development,
action on infectious diseases and action on climate change. However, the
survey also found that many criticize the UN for being out of touch and
ineffective: A median of 53% of those polled said the UN cares about the
needs of ordinary people and only 51% said it deals effectively with
international problems. SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 Source:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/09/16/international-views-of-the-un-are-mostly-positive/ 759-760-43-40/Polls 62% Of Finns And 40% Of
Swedes Approve Of U S Leadership
With only five member countries still needing to
approve their accession, few hurdles remain for Sweden and Finland to become NATO's
newest members.
Surveys in Sweden and Finland took place between
April and July 2022, overlapping each country's formal request to join the
alliance in mid-May as the war between Ukraine and Russia intensified. Both
countries faced warnings from Russia not to pursue membership in the
alliance. Finns' Approval of U.S.
Leadership Reaches New High as They Sour on Russia More than six in 10 Finns express approval of U.S.
leadership in 2022, which is up from 52% in 2021 and represents a new high.
This new high comes after the Biden administration expressed strong support for
Finnish membership in NATO. Before 2010, 30% or less of Finns approved of
U.S. leadership. However, from 2010 to 2016, during the administration of
President Barack Obama, no less than 45% expressed the same sentiment. In
2017, after Obama left office, Finns' views of U.S. leadership plunged again
-- no more than 21% expressed approval from 2017 to 2020.
Finns' views of Russian leadership are nearly
universally negative, with just 6% approving and 92% disapproving. Approval
has been this low only once before, when it dropped to 7% after Crimea joined
Russia in 2014. No less than 77% of Finns have disapproved of Russia's
leadership each year since 2014. Swedes Mixed on U.S.
Leadership, Profoundly Negative on Russia's Swedes are less ebullient than Finns about U.S.
leadership, but they are even more negative about Russia's leadership. In
2022, 40% of Swedes approve of U.S. leadership, down from 52% in 2021. The
2022 approval rating still represents a substantially more positive stance
toward U.S. leadership than was seen between 2017 and 2020, when no more than
13% of Swedes approved of U.S. leadership.
Just 2% of Swedes approve of Russia's leadership in
2022, while 96% disapprove. Russian leadership has not been popular in Sweden
over the past two decades. At no point in Gallup's trend have more than 9% of
Swedes approved of Russia's leadership. Bottom Line Clear majorities of Finns and Swedes approve of
NATO's leadership as they are poised to join the alliance's ranks. This could
change depending on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. It is likely that both
countries are largely positive about NATO as they see membership as a
potential security guarantor against potential threats from Russia. Both Finns and Swedes have seen substantial swings
in their approval of U.S. leadership. However, throughout most of the trends
in both countries, approval of U.S. leadership has exceeded that of Russian
leadership. Given aggressive Russian policies over the past several years,
approval of NATO leadership is also likely to exceed that of Russia's in the
future. SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 Source:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/401102/finns-swedes-approve-nato-leadership.aspx |
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