|
BUSINESS
& POLITICS IN THE WORLD GLOBAL
OPINION REPORT NO.764-769 Week: October 10 –
November 20, 2022 Presentation: November 25,
2022 Approval
Rate For Japanese PM Kishida Cabinet Falls To Record Low Of 37% Almost
80% Pakistani's Report That They Have Not Been Taking Any Medicine Nowadays Libyans
Want Citizenship For Children Of Women Married To Foreigners Gamers8
Putting KSA On The Esports Map Under
One Government After Another, More And More Malawians Live In Poverty Lesotho
Endorse Equality For Women, Including The Right Of A Princess To Succeed As
Chief Public
Image Of Charles Improves As He Moves From Prince Of Wales To King 9
In 10 Britons Worry About Cost Of Living For The Country 6
In 10 Britons Are Concerned About Potential Blackouts This Winter Electric
Shift In The Automobile: The French Are Not Convinced The
Proportion Of Satisfaction Drops From 51 To 45 Percent, After Ukraine War Despite
A Shortage Of Skilled Workers: Germans Are Sceptical About Easing Immigration
Rules Almost
Half (46%) Of Germans Plan To Watch At Least Part Of The 2022 Fifa World Cup 1
In 4 People In Spain Would Support Raising Taxes On Non-Renewable Energy To
Fight Climate Change 52%
Of Italians Have Basic Knowledge Of Personal Finance Topics Most
Americans Say It’s Very Important To Vote To Be A Good Member Of Society 45%
Of Americans Say US Should Be A ‘Christian Nation’ Australian
Unemployment Increases To 9.2% In October As Final COVID-19 Restrictions End 58%
Of Global Citizens Claim To Think Of Their Mental Health Often, A Study Among
34 Nations Globally,
31 Percent Of Consumers Like To Take Risks In The Stock Market, A Study In 24
Countries INTRODUCTORY NOTE
764-769-43-34/Commentary:
30%
Americans See A Third Xi Term As A Major Problem For The U S; Other Concerns About
China Have Grown
Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to secure
a third
term in office during the country’s 20th
Communist Party congress, a gathering held every five years that
began in Beijing on Oct. 16.
For Americans, however, the potential for a third
term for Xi is not among the most pressing concerns when it comes to China,
according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only three-in-ten Americans say it is a very serious
problem for the United States if Xi assumes a third term as China’s leader.
Larger shares express concern about the other issues asked about in the
survey, which was conducted Oct. 10-16 among 5,098 U.S. adults. How we did this For example, a 57% majority of Americans say the
partnership between China and Russia is a very serious problem for the U.S.,
while half say the same about China’s military power. At least four-in-ten
see tensions between China and Taiwan (43%), China’s policies on human rights
(42%) and economic competition with China (41%) as very serious problems. Since March, there have been some changes in
Americans’ views of the key challenges for the U.S. when it comes to China.
The public is now 8 percentage points more
likely than in March to say that tensions between
mainland China and Taiwan are a very serious problem for the U.S. The
increase follows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August, a
trip that made her the highest-ranking U.S. lawmaker to visit in 25 years and
led to strong Chinese criticism and military maneuvers, among
other responses. China’s military power is also of growing concern to
Americans. The public is 7 points more likely than in March to see China’s
military capacity as a very serious problem. Beyond China’s
military drills in the Taiwan Strait following
Pelosi’s visit, China has been expanding its naval
capacity and has bolstered its presence in
the Pacific thorough recent security
pacts and the creation of artificial
islands. The sense that economic competition with China is a
very serious problem for the U.S. has similarly intensified since March. The
share of Americans who express concern about competing with China
economically has grown by 6 points since then. President Joe Biden signed
the CHIPS and Science Act into
law in August and recently announced further
measures to curb China’s access to and ability to produce advanced computer
chips, citing concerns about U.S. competitiveness and national
security. Roughly half of Americans were also concerned about China’s growing
technological power in a separate
Pew Research Center survey in 2021. While China’s partnership with Russia remains a top
concern for Americans, the public is 5 points less likely than in March to see this as a very
serious problem for the U.S. The earlier survey was fielded just a few weeks
after Russia’s
military invasion of Ukraine. The share of Americans who see China’s human rights
policies as a very serious problem for the U.S. is unchanged from March.
As has often
been the case, older Americans are more concerned than
younger Americans about each of the items asked about in the Center’s new
survey. For example, those 65 and older are 32 percentage points more likely
than those ages 18 to 29 to see China’s military power as a very serious
problem for the U.S., and these older Americans are 12 points more likely
than the youngest adults to say the same about China’s policies on human
rights. Similarly, Republicans and independents who lean to
the Republican Party are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to
see most issues in the bilateral relationship as very serious problems. This
is true across five of the six problems posed in the Center’s new survey; the
one exception is China’s policies on human rights, which similar shares of
Republicans and Democrats see as a very serious problem for the U.S. (43%
each).
On many issues, conservative Republicans stand apart
from moderate and liberal Republicans. Conservative Republicans, for
instance, are the most likely to describe China-Taiwan tensions as a serious
problem for the U.S. (54%), while moderate and liberal Republicans (40%)
differ little from conservative and moderate Democrats (41%) or liberal
Democrats (42%). Americans with at least a college degree are also
slightly less likely than those with less schooling to see some of these
problems as very serious for the U.S. The educational gap is largest when it
comes to Xi assuming a third term as the leader of China: College graduates
are 8 points less likely than nongraduates to see this as a very serious
problem (25% vs. 33%). There are no differences of opinion by education on
the question of the China-Russia partnership or tensions between mainland
China and Taiwan. Majority of Americans say
the U.S. should continue political visits to Taiwan
When asked if the U.S. should continue to have high-level
politicians visit Taiwan even if it harms bilateral relations with China, 54%
of Americans say it should. In contrast, 38% say the U.S. should prioritize
relations with China rather than sending politicians to Taiwan. Men are more likely than women to favor diplomatic
visits, as are Americans with a college degree relative to those with less
schooling. (Women and those with less education were more likely to skip this
question.) There are no significant partisan differences in
Americans’ opinions of how the U.S. should approach future diplomatic travel
to Taiwan. Republicans are as likely as Democrats (56% each) to prioritize
U.S. officials visiting Taiwan. But there are marked differences between
conservative Republicans and moderate and liberal Republicans on this
question, as well as between more moderate and conservative Democrats and
liberal Democrats. In fact, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats
are about equally likely to say the U.S. should continue to send high-level
politicians to Taiwan (61% vs. 64%), while moderates in each party are
considerably less likely to hold this view (48% of moderate and liberal
Republicans say this, as do 49% of moderate and conservative Democrats). Americans who think tensions between mainland China
and Taiwan are a very serious problem for the U.S. are more likely than those
who say they are less serious to think high-level visits should be pursued (63% vs. 49%). (PEW) OCTOBER 19, 2022 ASIA (Japan) 81.8 Percent College Students Say The
Satisfaction Level Of Their School Life Was Affected By The Pandemic The percentage of young
adults born in 2001 who report being mentally healthy and have good
relationships with their friends has fallen during the novel coronavirus
pandemic, a government survey showed. When asked about their mental state,
33.2 percent either said they “always” or “almost always” spent their time
feeling cheerful and happy, a decrease of 5.9 percentage points from a
previous survey conducted when they were third-year high school students. (Asahi Shimbun) October 27, 2022 Approval Rate For Japanese PM Kishida Cabinet
Falls To Record Low Of 37% The approval rating for
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet slid to a record low of 37 percent as
criticism continued over his handling of Unification Church issues, an Asahi
Shimbun survey showed. It was the first time the approval rate has dipped
under 40 percent—the ratio in the previous survey taken in October—since
Kishida took power in October 2021. It was the third straight month for the
disapproval rating to exceed the approval rating. Among voters who support
the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, 68 percent approve of the Cabinet, while
25 percent voiced disapproval, the survey showed. (Asahi Shimbun) November 14, 2022 (India) Urban Indians Worry About Unemployment,
Corruption, Crime, Poverty, And Climate Change In October 2022 The October wave of the monthly Ipsos What Worries the World survey shows
urban Indians are most worried about unemployment
(39%), financial and political corruption (27%), crime and violence (25%),
poverty, and social inequality (22%) and climate change (22%).
Interestingly, while 2 in 10 of
urban Indians were worried about inflation
(21%), India was placed last among 29 markets in its worry around
inflation. (Ipsos India) 30 October 2022 (Pakistan) 2 In 5 Pakistanis From Flood Affected Areas Say
That There Has Been An Outbreak Of Some Disease In Their Area According to a survey
conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, 2 in 5 people say that there has
been an outbreak of some disease in their area A representative sample of
adult men and women from the flood borne areas was asked the following
question: “God forbid, has there been an outbreak of any disease in your
area?” 60% responded ‘No’ while 40% said ‘Yes’ Question: “God forbid, has
there been an outbreak of any disease in your area?” (Gallup Pakistan) October 18, 2022 Almost 80% Pakistani's Report That They Have Not
Been Taking Any Medicine Nowadays According to a survey
conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, almost 80% report that they have
not been taking any medicine nowadays. Out of the ones who do, Panadol and
Tenormin were revealed to be the most common medicines people take A
nationally representative sample of adult men and women from across the
country was asked the following question regarding, “Are you taking any type
of medicine nowadays?” 17% said yes while 83% responded no. (Gallup Pakistan) October 31, 2022 Inflation Is The Most Cited Problem That
Businesses (54%) Would Like The Government To Solve By The End Of 2022 A nationally
representative sample of businesses from across the country was asked the
following question regarding, “Which problems affecting your business considerably
would you want the government to solve?” 54% said inflation, 12% said that
they had no issues, 10% said they wanted relief on utility bills, 8%
responded that purchasing power should be improved, 6% said devaluation of
the Pakistani currency was an issue, 6% responded political instability, 4%
said taxes, 4% said transport issues, 3% said they wanted financial support,
2% responded inconsistency of government policies was an issue. (Gallup Pakistan) November 15, 2022 72% Of Businesses Say That They Face
Loadshedding, An 11% Increase From The First Quarter Of The Year According to a survey
conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, 72% of businesses say that they
face loadshedding, an 11% increase from the first quarter of the year. The
complete report for the Business Confidence Survey Q4 2022 can be accessed
here A nationally representative sample of businesses from across the country
was asked the following question regarding, “Was there load shedding in your
business today?” 72% responded yes while 28% said no. Question: “Was there
load shedding in your business today?” (Gallup Pakistan) November 17, 2022 MENA (Libya) Libyans Want Citizenship For Children Of Women
Married To Foreigners The Arab Barometer Wave VII survey (2022) in Libya shows that the majority (57
percent) supports granting citizenship to children of women married to
foreigners. This support is uniform across age groups, income levels, and
educational attainment. Women tend to be more supportive (62 percent)
compared to men (52 percent). The decree is an important step toward
resolving the issue of Libyan women married to foreigners, but more is still
needed to ensure full equality in the country. (Afrobarometer) October 20, 2022 (Saudi Arabia) Gamers8 Putting KSA On The Esports Map The Saudi Arabian Esports
sector continues to grow in 2022, thanks to the ambitious National Gaming and
Esports Strategy which was announced by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
and which aims to position Saudi Arabia as ‘the global hub’ for sports and
gaming by 2030. Gamers8, the global gaming and Esports festival, was held
over the period of eight weeks during the summer of 2022. (Ipsos Saudi Arabia) 19 October 2022 AFRICA (Malawi) Under One Government After Another, More And
More Malawians Live In Poverty Shortages of basic
necessities affect most Malawians. More than six in 10 citizens (63%) say
they or someone in their family went without a cash income “many times” or
“always” during the previous year. Substantial numbers of people report
frequently going without enough food (35%), medical care or medicines (34%),
cooking fuel (29%), and clean water (24%). Based on these shortages,
three-fourths of Malawians experienced either moderate (38%) or high (37%)
lived poverty during the previous year. (Afrobarometer) 31 October 2022 (Lesotho) Lesotho Endorse Equality For Women, Including
The Right Of A Princess To Succeed As Chief In Lesotho, men trail
women in educational achievement, with less secondary schooling and a greater
proportion who lack formal education altogether. Women and men are about
equally likely to own a mobile phone, a radio, a television, a motor vehicle,
and a computer, but more men than women report owning a bank account (42% vs.
37%). About eight in 10 Basotho (79%) say women should have the same rights
as men to own and inherit land. (Afrobarometer) 8 November 2022 WEST EUROPE (UK) Public Image Of Charles Improves As He Moves
From Prince Of Wales To King In the period after the
funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the proclamation of King Charles III, the
new monarch saw his favourability ratings improve compared with when he was
Prince of Wales earlier this year. In March of this year, 43% said they
viewed then-Prince Charles favourably, but by the end of September this rose
by 11 points to 54% favourability towards him as King. (Ipsos MORI) 31 October 2022 Half Of Over 65s Are Concerned About Catching
COVID-19 Themselves, Compared To Just A Fifth Of 18-24s, As We Head Into
Winter 2022 Around half of Britons are
worried about both the number of people catching COVID-19 (49%), and the
number of people being hospitalised with the illness (53%) increasing this
winter. People are less worried about catching it themselves, with just over
one in three (37%) saying so. Older Britons are more concerned about COVID
than their younger peers: half of over 65s (53%) are concerned about catching
COVID-19 themselves, compared to just a fifth (21%) of 18-24s, while 70% of the
oldest group are worried about increasing hospitalisations, compared to 47%
of the youngest group. (YouGov UK) November 01,
2022 9 In 10 Britons Worry About Cost Of Living For
The Country 9 in 10 are worried about
cost of living for the country as a whole while around 8 in 10 are concerned
for themselves and people in the area they live. 1 in 4 say they have already
used credit cards for essentials or skipped meals in response to the cost of
living. 1 in 3 are finding it difficult to pay their energy bills and a
similar proportion of mortgage holders and renters report rises in their
housing payments. 4 in 10 would trust Keir Starmer to reduce cost of living
if he was Prime Minister, 1 in 3 say the same for Rishi Sunak. (Ipsos MORI) 2 November 2022 6 In 10 Britons Are Concerned About Potential
Blackouts This Winter With winter settling in,
energy use increasing and energy companies warning of blackouts to come, it
may come as no surprise to see almost 6 in 10 (57%) Britons concerned about
blackouts in their area over the winter. 4 in 10 (40%) say they are not
concerned. Women (65%) are more likely than men (48%) to be concerned. While
many are worried about potential blackouts, fewer think they are likely. Just
under half (48%) think blackouts are likely in Britain generally while 41%
think they are probable in their house specifically. (Ipsos MORI) 20 November 2022 (France) Electric Shift In The Automobile: The French Are
Not Convinced The study conducted by
Ipsos for Le Mondial de l'Auto reports French people who are not convinced by
the possibility of a future global transition to electric in the automobile:
they are 25% to think that their fellow citizens will be ready for
all-electric in 2035. This leaves 75% skeptical: 37% think that the French will
"rather" not be ready, and 38% "not at all". These
opinions remain the same regardless of the territory, for example the city
dwellers of the Paris agglomeration are only 8% to estimate that the French
are quite ready. (Ipsos France) 21 October 2022 1 In 2 French People Believe That It Is Not
Because A Scientist Specialized In A Subject Shows Him A Scientific Fact That
It Is True As the main players in
scientific discoveries, researchers have the confidence of the vast majority
of French people to find solutions to the problems of our time: 76% trust
researchers in the public sector and 68% trust those in the private sector. 72%
think that they provide solutions to the problems encountered today and 70%
think that they are the main answer to major contemporary challenges. There
is no area of research for which they mostly want and consider that it is
possible to stop doing research. About 3/4 of French people want us to
continue to do research in the field of renewable energies (75%), vaccines
(75%), viruses (73%) or genetics for human health (70%). (Ipsos France) 28 October 2022 (Germany) The Proportion Of Satisfaction Drops From 51 To
45 Percent, After Ukraine War The perceived prosperity
of Germans has fallen significantly since the beginning of the war in
Ukraine. According to the surveys of the National Prosperity Index for
Germany (NAWI-D), 54 percent of all Germans were still very satisfied in
December 2021, but in September of this year it was only 50 percent of
respondents. It is striking that the sense of prosperity among people in East
Germany, including Berlin, is declining disproportionately. The proportion of
very satisfied people drops from 51 to 45 percent, while at the same time the
proportion of very dissatisfied people rises from 13 to 18 percent. (Ipsos Germany) 13 October 2022 Despite A Shortage Of Skilled Workers: Germans
Are Sceptical About Easing Immigration Rules Only one in five German
citizens (20%) is in favour of facilitating the immigration of skilled
workers, while only one in ten (10%) supports an additional relaxation for
non-skilled workers. On the other hand, a clear majority of Germans (70%) are
critical of simplified immigration from third countries. 37 percent of
respondents would like to maintain the status quo in immigration law, another
third (33 percent) are even in favor of tightening it. 18 October 2022 Almost
Half (46%) Of Germans Plan To Watch At Least Part Of The 2022 Fifa World Cup For a majority of those
who plan to follow the World Cup in Qatar, at least partially, the community
idea is in the foreground. In Germany, three-quarters of respondents (73%)
say they want to watch football matches with friends or family, and 85%
worldwide. Every second German (51%) also intends to visit bars or other
venues to watch World Cup matches. More than a third (37%) even say they do
not want to go to school or work in case of doubt to watch certain World Cup
matches. 16 November 2022 (Spain) 1 In 4 People In Spain Would Support Raising
Taxes On Non-Renewable Energy To Fight Climate Change The measures to fight
against climate change where the population is most divided, are those
related to taxing displacements with the greatest environmental
impact (39% on average), 37% in the case of Spain. On the other hand, a
37% global average would require all food establishments to offer vegan
options, the same % as in Spain; and the third most controversial policy is
related toprohibiting gasoline, gas and diesel vehiclesin the central areas
of cities and towns to create vehicle-free zones, 37% of global average and
33% in Spain. 4 November 2022 (Italy) 52% Of Italians Have Basic Knowledge Of Personal
Finance Topics With these three questions
related to inflation, diversification and the difference between stock and
bond, we determined that52% of Italians
have basic knowledge of personal finance topics, having answered
all three questions correctly. The topic of inflation is the best known,
understandable given if considering the amount of information that nowadays
revolves around this issue, while there still seems to be some confusion
about the concepts of diversification and the difference between stock and
bond, where substantially increase people are not able to place the topic
with the answers provided (I do not know). (YouGov Italy) October 24, 2022 NORTH AMERICA (USA) 30%
Americans See A Third Xi Term As A Major Problem For The U S; Other
Concerns About China Have Grown A 57% majority of
Americans say the partnership between China and Russia is a very serious
problem for the U.S., while half say the same about China’s military power.
At least four-in-ten see tensions between China and Taiwan (43%), China’s
policies on human rights (42%) and economic competition with China (41%) as
very serious problems. Since March, there have
been some changes in Americans’ views of the key challenges for the U.S. when
it comes to China. (PEW) OCTOBER 19, 2022 About Two-Thirds Of U S Adults (65%) Say That
Individual Racism Against Black People Is More Of A Bigger Problem Than
Structural Racism Overall, about two-thirds
of U.S. adults (65%) say that, when it comes to racism against Black people
in our country today, racism by individual people is a bigger problem than
racism in our laws. Around a quarter (23%) say that racism in our laws is the
bigger problem, while another 10% say that there is no discrimination against
Black people in the country today. Most White (70%), Asian (65%) and Hispanic
(63%) adults say that racism by individuals is the larger of the two issues
when it comes to racism against Black people. About one-in-ten White (11%),
Asian (12%) and Hispanic (12%) adults say is there no discrimination against
Black people in the U.S. today. (PEW) NOVEMBER 15, 2022 Most
Americans Say It’s Very Important To Vote To Be A Good Member Of Society By comparison, fewer than
half of Americans say it’s very important to get a COVID-19 vaccine (44%), to
make choices that help reduce the effects of global climate change (42%), or
to follow what’s happening in politics in their own country (37%) to be a
good member of society. Fewer – around two-in-ten – say it’s very important
to follow current events in other countries (22%) or attend religious
services frequently (22%). And only 13% say it’s very important to join
demonstrations about issues they think are important to be a good member of
society. (PEW) NOVEMBER 4, 2022 45% Of Americans Say US Should Be A ‘Christian
Nation’ Overall, six-in-ten U.S.
adults – including nearly seven-in-ten Christians – say they believe the
founders “originally intended” for the U.S. to be a Christian nation. And 45%
of U.S. adults – including about six-in-ten Christians – say they think the
country “should be” a Christian nation. A third say the U.S. “is now” a
Christian nation. At the same time, a large majority of the public expresses
some reservations about intermingling religion and government. For example,
about three-quarters of U.S. adults (77%) say that churches and other houses
of worship should not endorse candidates for political offices. (PEW) OCTOBER 27, 2022 AUSTRALIA Solar Energy Systems On Households Have More
Than Doubled Since 2018 – Now At Nearly A Third Of All Households (32.3%) The latest Roy Morgan
research shows over 3.2 million Australian households (32.3% of all
households) now own a Solar Energy System in the year to June 2022, up from
only 1.32 million (14%) in the year to June 2018. Ownership of Solar Energy
Systems is clearly highest in South Australia (44.5%) and Western Australia
(43.0%) and well over a third of households in Queensland (37.9%) also own
Solar Energy Systems for one of the stated purposes of rooftop solar, heated
pool or hot water. (Roy Morgan) October 18, 2022 PayPal And BPAY Are Australia’s Most Frequently
Used Digital Payment Services – Although Afterpay Is More Well-Known PayPal is the market
leader and was used by 9.8 million Australians (46.1%) in the year to
September 2022 to be just ahead of BPAY, now used by over 9.3 million people
(43.8%). The two services are used by almost three times as many people as
the third placed Afterpay, now used by over 3.2 million people (15.2%). However,
despite the high usage of both services, it is relative ‘upstart’ Afterpay
that is the most well-known digital payment service in Australia with over
17.2 million Australians (81.3%) aware of the popular buy-now-pay-later
service that was bought out by Silicon Valley ‘tech giant’ Square almost a
year ago. (Roy Morgan) October 25, 2022 Australian Unemployment Increases To 9.2% In
October As Final COVID-19 Restrictions End Unemployment in October
increased 160,000 to 1.36 million Australians (9.2% of the workforce)
although under-employment was virtually unchanged at 1.55 million (10.5% of
the workforce). Overall unemployment and under-employment increased 152,000
to 2.92 million (19.7% of the workforce). The workforce in October was
14,830,000 (down 77,000 from September) – comprised of 13,468,000 employed
Australians (down 237,000) and 1,362,000 unemployed Australians looking for
work (up 160,000). (Roy Morgan) November 14, 2022 MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES 58% Of Global Citizens Claim To Think Of Their
Mental Health Often, A Study Among 34 Nations On being asked what holds more priority - Mental wellbeing
or Physical wellbeing? 76% global citizens said both are equally important,
while urban Indians had split views – 49% saying both are equally important,
while 31% prioritized mental wellbeing, 18% chose physical wellbeing over
mental. How does the system in India treat the mental &
physical wellbeing? The respondents said it was a mixed bag: 35% believed
both mental and physical health were treated equally, 32% felt physical
health was given more importance, while 27% mental health was prioritized by
the system. (Ipsos India) 10 October 2022 YouGov Survey Of 11 Western Countries Has
Revealed That Halloween Is Perceived Skeptically In All Of Them A new YouGov survey of 11
Western countries has revealed that Halloween is perceived skeptically in all
of them – especially those outside of North America. We asked more than
12,000 people if they thought Halloween was celebrated more because it was
perceived as a "real" celebration or if it was a holiday that would
not be celebrated were it not for the strong commercial pressure it receives.
Americans and Canadians are the most likely to view Halloween as a true
celebration (34% in each country). However, a lower percentage than the
51% and 55% of people who think it is more celebrated due to commercial
pressure. (YouGov Italy) October 27, 2022 Source:
https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/10/27/halloween-come-viene-percepito-nei-paesi-occidenta/ The Majority Of Global Consumers (60%) Prefer To
Go To A Physical Store For Purchase Of Food Products, Asked To The Consumers
Of 18 Markets YouGov in
a recent survey asked consumers in 18
international markets if they would rather buy certain
products in-store than online. When it comes to food products, the
majority of global consumers (60%) prefer to go to a physical store for
purchase. With regards to over-the -counter
medicines , for example, global consumers seem divided on
whether they prefer to buy in person (46%). Regarding health and beauty products , this
purchase preference drops to 31%. The data therefore suggests that, for
these types of products, the benefits of in-store shopping are not as
important to consumers. (YouGov Italy) November 3, 2022 Source:
https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/11/03/global-preferenza-di-acquisto-di-farmaci-e-prodott/ Globally, 31 Percent Of Consumers Like To Take
Risks In The Stock Market, A Study In 24 Countries In a global comparison,
Germans tend to be more risk-averse on the stock market, with the vast
majority of German consumers (71 percent) disagreeing with the statement “I
like taking risks on the stock market”. Conversely, about a fifth of
Germans (21 percent) are willing to take risks on the stock
exchange. Only in the UK are consumers more risk averse, with 72% of
Britons reluctant to take financial risks in the stock market and just 15%
saying the opposite. The Czech Republic is on par with Germany at 71
percent and has the lowest approval rate of all the markets surveyed, with
only 10 percent of Czechs willing to take risks on the stock market. (YouGov Germany) November 11, 2022 Source:
https://yougov.de/news/2022/11/11/deutsche-sind-risikoscheu-der-borse/ ASIA
764-769-43-01/Polls 81.8 Percent College
Students Say The Satisfaction Level Of Their School Life Was Affected By The
Pandemic
The education ministry
announced the finding in late September. “There is a possibility
they were affected by restrictions imposed on various activities,” an
official said. The education and health
ministries continuously conduct follow-up surveys on the Longitudinal Survey
of Babies Born in the 21st century launched in 2001, which has targeted those
born in 2001. This year, the results
from the survey conducted when they were 20 years old were published. About 30,000 people,
including parents and guardians, were chosen for the survey. Of these, 24,000
provided valid responses. Those born in 2001 are
either third- or fourth-year students if they have moved on to college right
after high school and haven’t repeated a year. Third-year students saw
the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world when they entered college. A total of 85.9 percent of
students who responded to the survey said they think they are on good terms
with their friends at school “completely” or in a “relative sense,” down by
6.1 percentage points from a previous survey done when they were second-year
high school students. Meanwhile, 81.8 percent
said the satisfaction level of their school life was affected by the
pandemic. The survey also asked
about their stance on employment. When they were asked to
give multiple answers about what they place importance on when making a
career choice, 58.9 percent of male college students, or the largest portion
of the respondents, cited “high wages and bonuses.” But the largest female
group, or 64.3 percent, said they want to be in a workplace “with a good
working environment.” October 27, 2022 Source:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14744331 764-769-43-02/Polls Approval Rate
For Japanese PM Kishida Cabinet Falls To Record Low Of 37%
According to the
nationwide telephone survey conducted on Nov. 12 and 13, the disapproval rate
rose to 51 percent from 50 percent in October. It was the third straight month for the disapproval
rating to exceed the approval rating. Among unaffiliated voters,
20 percent approved of the Cabinet’s performance, compared with 62 percent
who disapproved of it, according to the survey. The approval rating was
lower in younger age groups, with the rate at 33 percent among those in their
30s and 29 percent among those aged between 18 and 29. Among all respondents, 24
percent said Kishida is demonstrating leadership, while 69 percent disagreed.
Among LDP supporters, 36 percent said Kishida was showing leadership, while
59 percent said he was not. His justice minister,
Yasuhiro Hanashi, was forced to resign on Nov. 11 over comments that were
criticized as making light of capital punishment. Kishida initially said
Hanashi would not have to step down, but the prime minister soon changed his
mind. Fifty-nine percent of
survey respondents disapproved of the way Kishida handled Hanashi’s
resignation, while 32 percent approved. Daishiro Yamagiwa also
resigned from his Cabinet post of economic revitalization minister in October
over his ties to the Unification Church. But he was later appointed head of
the LDP’s COVID-19 response team. Asked about the latest
appointment, 76 percent of respondents said it was inappropriate, while only
14 percent said it was appropriate. Sixty-nine percent of LDP
supporters and 68 percent of voter who approved of the Cabinet said the
appointment of Yamagiwa was inappropriate. Issues related to the
Unification Church continue to hurt Kishida. According to the survey,
77 percent of respondents said the LDP should investigate reports that church
affiliates have asked certain party lawmakers to sign “policy pacts” in
exchange for support in elections. Fifteen percent of the
respondents said a party investigation was unnecessary. Seventy-five percent of
LDP supporters and 76 percent of those who approved of the Cabinet said the
party should investigate the pacts. On how Kishida is dealing
with politicians’ ties to the church, 23 percent approved of his handling of
the issue while 67 percent disapproved of it. The disapproval rate for
Kishida’s handling of the issue was 65 percent in August, 66 percent in
September and 67 percent in October. Asked if they felt
burdened by the rising prices of food, utilities and gasoline, 73 percent of
respondents--the highest level in surveys this year--said they did, while 27 percent
said they did not feel that much of a burden. Asked about the central
government’s economic package that includes a policy to reduce the burden of
electricity and gas bills, 3 percent of respondents approved it very much and
43 percent approved it to some extent. Thirty-eight percent did
not approve it very much and 12 percent did not approve it at all. The survey was conducted
by contacting fixed telephone numbers and mobile phone numbers selected at
random by computer. The survey takers received
498 valid responses, or 51 percent, from 978 fixed numbers of households with
at least one eligible voter each. There were 867 valid
responses, or 41 percent, from 2,133 mobile phone numbers of eligible voters.
Valid responses totaled 1,365. November 14, 2022 Source:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14767607 764-769-43-03/Polls Urban Indians
Worry About Unemployment, Corruption, Crime, Poverty, And Climate Change In
October 2022
Global citizens on the contrary named inflation
their no.1 issue (42%) with a 2% increase over the previous month. The other
issues being poverty and social inequality (32%), unemployment (27%), crime
and violence (26%) and financial and political corruption (26%). Elaborating on the findings of the Ipsos What Worries the World survey that
tracks public opinion on the most important social and political issues
across 29 countries today, drawing on over ten years of data to place the
latest scores in context, Amit
Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos in India said, “India is still reeling under the collateral impact
of the prolonged coronavirus and global slowdown of the economy due to the
war in Ukraine, which are impacting jobs, leading to rise in corruption,
crime and social inequality. Even the inflation impact is manifesting itself
though India is better placed than its global counterparts due to the govt’s steps to keep the fuel prices in
check. Floods and adverse climate impact is making urban Indians worry about
climate change. These issues need to be addressed by the govt first.” India has pipped
Indonesia to emerge the 2nd most positive market, with majority of urban
Indians believing India is on the right track, showing overall the mood is
quite optimistic unlike that of global citizens. Diwali, the festival of
lights, would have further boosted the optimism," added Adarkar. 30 October 2022 764-769-43-04/Polls 2 In 5
Pakistanis From Flood Affected Areas Say That There Has Been An Outbreak Of
Some Disease In Their Area
Source:
https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Oct-18_18-Oct_merged.pdf 764-769-43-05/Polls Almost 80%
Pakistani's Report That They Have Not Been Taking Any Medicine Nowadays
According to a survey conducted by Gallup &
Gilani Pakistan, almost 80% report that they have not been taking any
medicine nowadays. Out of the ones who do, Panadol and Tenormin were revealed
to be the most common medicines people take A nationally representative
sample of adult men and women from across the country was asked the following
question regarding, “Are you taking any type of medicine nowadays?” 17% said
yes while 83% responded no. The respondents who
responded yes were asked a follow up question: “If yes, which medicine?” 4%
responded Panadol and Tenormin, 3% responded homeopathic, blood pressure
medicine, insulin medicine and multivitamins while 1% responded that they had
taken arinac. Question: “Are you taking any type of medicine nowadays?”
(Gallup Pakistan) October 31, 2022 Source:
https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/31-Oct.pdf 764-769-43-06/Polls Inflation Is
The Most Cited Problem That Businesses (54%) Would Like The Government To
Solve By The End Of 2022
According to a survey
conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, inflation is the most cited
problem that businesses (54%) would like the government to solve by the end
of 2022. The complete report for the Business Confidence Survey Q4 2022 can
be accessed here A nationally representative sample
of businesses from across the country was asked the following question
regarding, “Which problems affecting your business considerably would you
want the government to solve?” 54% said inflation, 12% said that they had no
issues, 10% said they wanted relief on utility bills, 8% responded that
purchasing power should be improved, 6% said devaluation of the Pakistani
currency was an issue, 6% responded political instability, 4% said taxes, 4%
said transport issues, 3% said they wanted financial support, 2% responded
inconsistency of government policies was an issue, 2% said loadshedding
of gas and electricity, 2% said that improvement on import policies was
needed, 1% said effective export polices were needed, 1% said corruption was
an issue while another 1% responded that the unavailability of supplies of
raw material was an issue they wanted the government to solve. Question:
“Which problems affecting your business considerably would you want the
government to solve?”
November 15, 2022 Source:
https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/15-Nov_merged.pdf 764-769-43-07/Polls 72% Of
Businesses Say That They Face Loadshedding, An 11% Increase From The First
Quarter Of The Year
Trend Analysis The proportion
of businesses that experienced load-shedding within a day increased 28% since
a year ago. Breakdown by Business Type
Between 60% and 75% of all business types experienced loadshedding this
quarter.
November 17, 2022 Source:
https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/17-Nov_merged.pdf MENA
764-769-43-08/Polls Libyans Want
Citizenship For Children Of Women Married To Foreigners
On October 19, 2022, the
Government of National Unity (GNU) in Libya decreed that children of Libyan
women married to foreigners must enjoy the same rights as Libyan citizens,
including access to free healthcare and education inside the country and
acceptance at Libyan schools abroad. The decree also waived visa requirement
for the group. Children of Libyan women married to foreigners were deprived
of rights by laws issued in 2012. For years, women married to foreigners
campaigned along with human rights activists to grant their kids such rights,
with efforts intensifying last year in the lead to the general elections
scheduled in December 2021. The GNU’s decree is a long-awaited progress to
ease the struggle for thousands of families across the countries. It falls
short of granting citizenship, however. The
Arab Barometer Wave VII survey (2022) in
Libya shows that the majority (57 percent) supports granting citizenship to
children of women married to foreigners. This support is uniform across age
groups, income levels, and educational attainment. Women tend to be more
supportive (62 percent) compared to men (52 percent). The decree is an
important step toward resolving the issue of Libyan women married to
foreigners, but more is still needed to ensure full equality in the country.
October 20, 2022 764-769-43-09/Polls Gamers8
Putting KSA On The Esports Map
As a result, Ipsos
conducted this report by crawling of online social data using Ipsos’ social
listening tool, Synthesio between 1st June – 10th September 2022. This report
gauged the core online conversations people discussed, what aspects of the
festival gained the highest attention and excitement and how is the event
reshaping people’s perspective toward Saudi Arabia globally. Gamers8 was established to
bring the virtual world of gaming and Esports out into the physical realm of
Riyadh, the festival featured competitive tournaments, entertainment,
activities and attractions, incredible music concerts and shows, and more.
The elite gaming competitions hosted the biggest Esports teams in the world
across five different titles with a total prize pool of $15 million. 19 October 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/en-sa/gamers8-putting-ksa-esports-map AFRICA
764-769-43-10/Polls Under One
Government After Another, More And More Malawians Live In Poverty
Since Malawi’s
independence in 1964, its leaders have been promising to reduce poverty.
After the collapse of the Hastings Banda dictatorship in 1993, the country’s
first democratically elected government put in place a poverty alleviation
programme (Government of Malawi, 1995) and adopted the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (Government of Malawi, 2002) as then-President Bakili Muluzi
stated that his focus was on eradicating poverty and hunger and promoting
sustainable livelihoods (Muluzi, 2002). In 2006, Muluzi’s successor, Bingu wa
Mutharika, introduced the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, whose
overarching objective was to reduce poverty (Government of Malawi, 2006). Buoyed
by high economic growth rates between 2005 and 2008, the president in 2010
changed the design of the national flag by replacing a rising (half) sun with
a blazing white (full) sun, arguing that it aptly represented how the country
had developed under his leadership – a change that was reversed shortly after
his death in 2012 (Guardian, 2012). Similarly, the short-lived government of
Joyce Banda (2012-2014) claimed to have boosted the economy and made strides
in eradicating poverty (Nyasatimes, 2013), and Peter Mutharika boasted that
his administration had developed Malawi to the point where young people were
“selling cars like bananas along the roads in every town” (Sabola, 2020).
These leaders’ claims are bolstered, to some extent, by strong gross domestic
product (GDP) growth over the years, ranging from 4% in 2017 and 2018 to 9.6%
in 2007 (World Bank, 2019). While the official poverty rate has declined only
marginally, from 54% in 1998 to 51% in 2020, extreme poverty declined from
25% in 2010 to 20% in 2020 (National Statistical Office, 2020; World Bank,
2020). The question is: To what extent do these numbers and government
efforts translate into improved living standards for Malawians? The question
can be answered by tracking poverty trends. One way to do this is via the
National Statistical Office’s poverty estimates based on people’s consumption
of goods and services. Another way is to use the Lived Poverty Index (LPI),
an experiential measure developed by Afrobarometer that examines how
frequently people say they went without basic necessities (food, clean water,
medicines or medical care, cooking fuel, and a cash income) during the
previous year (Mattes, 2020). Results from Afrobarometer’s 2022 survey show
that three-fourths of Malawians experienced moderate or high lived poverty
during the past year, continuing a negative trend that started in 2008.
Moreover, the share of households reporting the most severe level of poverty
has increased since 2019. The most frequent shortages in Malawian households
are of a cash income and sufficient food. Alongside worsening lived poverty,
citizens’ ratings of the government’s performance on improving life for the
poor have been growing increasingly negative since a 2008 assessment of the
first-term Bingu wa Mutharika administration. Key findings § Shortages of basic necessities affect most Malawians.
More than six in 10 citizens (63%) say they or someone in their family went
without a cash income “many times” or “always” during the previous year.
Substantial numbers of people report frequently going without enough food
(35%), medical care or medicines (34%), cooking fuel (29%), and clean water
(24%). o All of these reported shortages have been increasing over the
past decade. §
Based on these shortages, three-fourths of Malawians
experienced either moderate (38%) or high (37%) lived poverty during the
previous year. §
Moderate/high lived poverty (described here as “deprivation”) declined
substantially between 2003 (77%) and 2008 (55%) but has risen by 19
percentage points since then. Moreover, compared to 2019, high lived poverty
has increased by 17 percentage points while moderate lived poverty has
decreased by 12 points. §
Examining deprivation under successive governments, moderate/high lived
poverty declined under the governments of Muluzi and Mutharika (first term)
but has worsened under all subsequent governments. § Similarly,
citizens’ assessments of the government’s performance on improving the living
standards of the poor were most positive for Bingu wa Mutharika’s first term
(when 60% said the government was doing “fairly well” or “very well”) and
have been worsening since then. Only 15% of citizens approve of the current
government’s efforts to reduce poverty. Poverty: Current state and trends
Afrobarometer asks respondents: “Over the past year, how often, if ever, have
you or anyone in your family gone without: Enough food to eat? Enough clean
water for home use? Medicines or medical treatment? Enough fuel to cook your
food? A cash income?” Their responses indicate that most Malawians suffer
shortages of basic necessities. A cash income is the scarcest of these items
in Malawian households: More than six in 10 citizens (63%) say they or
someone in their family went without a cash income “many times” or “always” during
the previous year, in addition to three in 10 who say this happened “several
times” (24%) or “just once or twice” (6%) (Figure 1). More than one-third of
respondents report frequently going without enough food (35%) or medical
care/medicines (34%); only one in four (26%) say they “never” lacked food.
Slightly fewer report frequent shortages of cooking fuel (29%) and clean
water (24%).
A trend analysis shows
that a cash income has consistently been the scarcest of these five
necessities: Except for a dip in 2008, more than eight in 10 Malawians have
reported going without a cash income at least “several times” in every survey
round since 2003 (Figure 2). The experience of going without enough food at
least “several times” declined sharply between 2003 (72%) and 2012 (41%) but
has climbed by 22 percentage points since then. Water shortages have remained
relatively stable over time, while shortages of medical care have increased
significantly over the past three years. Cooking fuel has generally been the
most available item, but shortages have risen sharply since 2019.
Averaging responses to our
five questions about “going without,” we can calculate individual Lived
Poverty Index scores and group them into four categories: no lived poverty
(never went without any of these life necessities in the past year), low
lived poverty (went without each of them once or twice, on average), moderate
lived poverty (went without several times), and high lived poverty (went
without many times or always). (For more on the Lived Poverty Index, see
Mattes (2020).) Using these definitions, very few Malawians (4%) experienced
no lived poverty during the past year, and only 22% fall into the “low lived
poverty” category (Figure 3). Instead, threefourths (74%) of citizens experienced
either moderate (38%) or high (37%) lived poverty.
If we define “deprivation”
as experiencing either moderate or high lived poverty, deprivation is more
common in rural areas (75%) than in cities (66%) (Figure 4). Residents in the
Northern Region (57%) are far less likely to suffer deprivation than their
counterparts in the Central (80%) and Southern (73%) regions. High lived
poverty, in particular, is almost twice as high in the South (31%) and three
times as high in the Centre (47%) as in the North (17%).
Deprivation is also
associated with household demographic characteristics. Higher levels of
deprivation are more prevalent among citizens with no formal education (80%),
those without employment (74%-77%), women (77%), and those above age 35 (77%-79%)
(Figure 5).
Deprivation (moderate plus
high lived poverty) declined substantially between 2003 (77%) and 2008 (55%)
but has been rising consistently since then (Figure 6). Moreover, high lived
poverty jumped by 17 percentage points over the past three years after
holding fairly steady between 2008 and 2019, while moderate poverty decreased
by 12 points compared to 2019.
The rate of deprivation
(moderate plus high lived poverty) based on Afrobarometer survey results is
generally higher than the official poverty rate calculated by the National
Statistical Office based on the results of an integrated household survey.
Over the period 2005-2020, the officlal poverty rate has hovered around 51%,
while the deprivation rate dropped between 2005 and 2008 but has been rising
since then (Figure 7). The steady increase in deprivation is not mirrored in
the official poverty trend.
Government performance in
reducing poverty Malawi has had five presidents since 2003. Afrobarometer’s
periodic surveys allow us to compare levels of lived poverty and citizens’
assessments of government performance early and late in each president’s
administration (see Table 1).
Deprivation rates in the
first and final years of governments since 2003 As measured by the combination
of moderate and high lived poverty, deprivation declined under Muluzi's UDF
government (from 77% to 70% between 2003 and 2005) and the first term of
Bingu wa Mutharika’s DPP government (DPP1) (from 70% to 55% between 2005 and
2008) but has risen under all subsequent governments (Figure 8).
Improving living standards
of the poor The performance of the various governments in terms of fighting
poverty can also be compared using citizens’ assessments of how well they
have handled improving the living standards of poor people. Over the period
2008-2022,2 the government received its best ratings during Bingu wa
Mutharika’s first term: In 2008, six in 10 Malawians (60%) said the
government was doing “fairly well” or “very well” at improving poor people’s
living standards (Figure 9). Approval has been dropping steeply since then,
reaching 39% in 2012 (at the end of Bingu wa Mutharika’s second term) and
2014 (after Joyce Banda’s term), then down to 22% in 2017 (during the Peter
Mutharika administration). After a modest rebound to 27% in 2019 (still under
Peter Mutharika), it dropped again, to 15% in 2022, after Chakwera’s first 21
months in office. The upward trend in disapproval aligns roughly with the
upward trend in lived poverty over the past decade.
Conclusion There is a
disconnect between the government’s intentions and rhetoric on poverty
reduction and the lived experiences of Malawians. Using lived poverty as a
measure, poverty reduction only worked between 2003 and 2008, and has not
worked since then. Survey results also show that lived poverty as a measure
aligns with citizens’ assessments of government performance on poverty over
the period. This is reflected in the favourable ratings for the first term of
Bingu wa Mutharika and the unfavourable perceptions of the Peter Mutharika
administration – and, unless the trend is reversed, the even worse grade for
the Chakwera government. One deprivation that almost all governments have
failed to deal with decisively is access to a cash income, a critical resource
with spillover effects for people’s ability to meet all their basic needs.
This speaks to the need for increased production among rural residents, good
produce markets for farmers, employment opportunities for the employable, and
business capital and environment for entrepreneurs. In addition, widespread
experiences of food shortages point to a need for better management of the
agriculture sector and climate-related shocks. (Afrobarometer) 31 October 2022 764-769-43-11/Polls Lesotho
Endorse Equality For Women, Including The Right Of A Princess To Succeed As
Chief
The United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 calls for gender equality and empowerment
of all women and girls, a cross-cutting principle underpinning inclusive
development (United Nations, 2015). Globally, despite positive strides toward
this goal, huge inequalities remain (UN Women, 2022). Gender gaps are perhaps
clearest in political leadership. A report from the World Economic Forum
(2021) highlights the fact that across 156 countries, women hold only 26.1%
of some 35,500 parliamentary seats and just 22.6% of more than 3, 400
ministerial posts. Eighty-one countries have never had a female head of
state. At the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum estimates
that it will take a whopping 145.5 years to attain gender parity in politics.
In Lesotho, the government has made efforts to promote gender parity in
politics by introducing electoral gender quotas (Nyane & Rakolobe, 2021).
At the national level, the “zebra list” model requires political parties to
submit candidate lists on which women alternate with men for the 40
proportional representation seats (out of 120 seats total) in the National
Assembly. At the local level, a quota system requires at least 30% women’s
representation on local councils (Government of Lesotho, 2011). One area in
which glaring gender inequality persists in Lesotho concerns succession to the
chieftaincy: By a High Court ruling citing the Constitution, princesses are
still denied the right to become chief (Lesotho Legal Information Institute,
2013). On other fronts, the country has formulated national legislation and
strategies to address gender gaps under its 2003 National Gender and
Development Policy and its successor, the Gender and Development Policy
2018-2030 (Government of Lesotho, 2018). The legal framework includes the
Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act of 2006, which removed the minority
status of married women; the Land Act of 2010, providing for couples’ joint
ownership of land; the Education Act of 2010, which mandates compulsory
education for all; the Companies Act of 2011, allowing women to be directors
and shareholders of companies without obtaining the consent of their
husbands; and the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. This dispatch reports on a
special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2022)
questionnaire to explore Africans’ experiences and perceptions of gender
equality in control over assets, hiring, land ownership, and political
leadership. (For survey findings related to gender-based violence, see
Malephane (2022).) In Lesotho, strong majorities express support for gender
equality in hiring, land ownership, and political leadership, including the
right of daughters to succeed to the chieftaincy. But sizeable minorities
also consider it likely that female candidates for elective office might
suffer criticism, harassment, or family problems. Overall, a majority of
Basotho disapprove of the government’s performance in promoting equal rights
and opportunities for women and say greater efforts are needed. Key findings § In Lesotho, men trail women in educational achievement,
with less secondary schooling and a greater proportion who lack formal
education altogether. §
Women and men are about equally likely to own a mobile phone, a radio, a
television, a motor vehicle, and a computer, but more men than women report
owning a bank account (42% vs. 37%). §
About eight in 10 Basotho (79%) say women should have the same rights as men
to own and inherit land. A weaker majority (59%) – and only 48% of men
– say women should have the same rights as men to get paying jobs. o Seven in
10 citizens say that in Lesotho today, women and men in fact enjoy equal
rights when it comes to jobs (71%) and land (71%). § Almost
three-fourths (73%) of Basotho say women should have the same chance as men
of being elected to public office. o But while more than seven in 10 (72%)
citizens think a woman will gain standing in the community if she runs for
office, majorities believe it’s likely she will be criticised or harassed by
others in the community (60%) or will face problems with her family (52%). § Nearly
two-thirds (63%) of Basotho – including a slim majority (53%) of men – say
daughters should have the same rights of succession to chieftaincy as sons. § Only about
one-quarter (24%) of Basotho say the government is doing “fairly well” or
“very well” in promoting women’s rights and opportunities. Almost three in
four respondents (73%) say it should be doing more. Education and control of
assets Women lead in educational achievement in Lesotho (Figure 1). Women are
about as likely as men to have post-secondary qualifications (9% vs. 12%) and
are significantly more likely to have secondary schooling (46% vs. 33%).
Proportions with primary schooling are equal, and fewer women than men lack
formal education altogether (4% vs. 13%). Control over household
assets is almost gender-equal. About the same number of women and men own a
mobile phone, a radio, a television, a motor vehicle, and a computer. Women
are slightly less likely than men to own a bank account (37% vs. 42%) (Figure
2).
When it comes to deciding
how household money is spent, slightly more women than men say they make the
decisions themselves (30% vs. 26%), while men are more likely than women to
say they make decisions jointly with their spouse (52% vs. 40%) (Figure 3).
Rights to a job and land
The ability to claim certain rights can be a tool to promote gender equality
– or to maintain inequality. Do Basotho want gender equality when it comes to
jobs and land? And if so, how close to equality are they? Four in 10 Basotho
(41%) endorse the idea that men should be given priority over women in hiring
when jobs are scarce, while six in 10 (59%) reject this form of gender
discrimination (Figure 4). Men (48%) trail women (69%) in insisting on
equality when it comes to jobs. Support for equality in hiring increases with
respondents’ education level, ranging from 42% of those with no formal
schooling to 74% of those with post-secondary qualifications. This view is
also more widely shared among urban residents than their rural counterparts
(63% vs. 55%), and among the wealthy than the poor1 (71% vs. 55%).
A larger majority (79%)
endorse equal rights to own and inherit land. Here, too, men are less likely
than women to believe in equality (72% vs. 85%) (Figure 5).
While majorities say women
should have equal rights to jobs and land, do they currently enjoy equality?
Seven in 10 Basotho say women do have the same opportunities as men to get a
paying job (71%) and to own and inherit land (71%). As demographic breakdowns
in Figure 6 illustrate, views on these two questions vary across key groups
(Figure 6). With regard to hiring, women (69%) and urban residents (69%) are
somewhat less likely than men (74%) and rural dwellers (75%) to agree that
women have equal opportunities. On both indicators, less educated
respondents, those who are poor, and the middle-aged (36-55 years) are more
likely to perceive gender equality as a reality that has been achieved.
Gender equality in
political participation One critical aspect of gender equality is women’s
participation in political leadership, which helps ensure that women’s voices
are heard in policy making. In Lesotho, more than seven in 10 citizens (73%)
say women should have the same chance as men to vie for political office,
rejecting the idea that men make better political leaders and should thus be
given priority as candidates (Figure 7). More women (80%) than men (65%)
endorse equality in politics. People with higher education (78%-82%) are more
likely than their less educated counterparts (61%-65%) to support equality in
politics, as are younger citizens compared to their elders, ranging from 86%
among 18- to 25-year-olds to just 67% among those over age 55.
Aside from being given a
fair shot at winning, a woman may be encouraged to run for public office – or
discouraged from doing so – by other consequences she expects to result from
her candidacy. On the positive side, more than seven in 10 Basotho (72%) say
it is “somewhat likely” or “very likely” that a woman and her family will
gain standing in the community if she runs for elective office (Figure 8).
But six in 10 (60%) respondents consider it likely that others in the
community will criticise her, call her names, or harass her for seeking
public office, while 52% think she might face problems with her family. The
fact that fewer than four in 10 respondents see it as unlikely that a woman
will face community criticism/harassment (36%) or family problems (39%) as a
result of running for office may give some women pause as they consider
throwing their hats into the ring.
Daughters should have the
same rights of succession to chieftaincy as sons Support continues to grow
for giving daughters the same rights as sons to succeed to chieftaincy. More
than six in 10 Basotho (63%) endorse female succession, up from 38% in 2014
and 48% in 2017 (Figure 9), a remarkable shift in attitudes on a culturally
significant issue in Lesotho. Even among men, a majority (53%) now embrace
equal rights of succession for princesses, though they are far less likely
than women (73%) to support this form of equality (Figure 10). Citizens with
no formal schooling (56%) trail those with at least primary education
(63%-64%) in supporting equality for princesses, but support for female
succession is equally strong in rural and urban areas.
Government performance in
promoting equal rights and opportunities Only one-quarter (24%) of Basotho
say their government is doing a “fairly” or “very” good job of promoting
equal rights and opportunities for women (Figure 9). Women (20% approval) and
men (28%) differ significantly in their assessments of the government’s
efforts (Figure 11). Approval ratings are lower in cities (21%) than in
peri-urban and rural areas (26%-27%). Citizens with higher education
(19%-22%) are less likely than those with no schooling (33%) to praise the
government’s efforts to promote gender equality, as are the wealthy (16%)
compared to those experiencing lived poverty (22%-27%).
In line with these
generally poor ratings, close to three in four Basotho (73%) think the
government could do “somewhat more” or “much more” to promote equal rights
and opportunities for women. Slightly more women (75%) than men (71%) want to
see greater efforts from the government on this issue (Figure 12).
Asked what they consider
the most important issue related to women’s rights and equality for their
government and society to address, almost two-thirds (64%) of Basotho cite
genderbased violence. (For survey findings related to gender-based violence,
see Malephane (2022).) Men and women are equally likely to see violence as
the top priority (Figure 13). Unequal opportunities or pay in the workplace
comes in as a distant second (11%), followed by unequal rights of property
ownership and inheritance (9%), too few women in influential positions in
government (7%), and unequal access to education (7%)
Conclusion Basotho
generally perceive gender equality as a reality, including in access to
paying jobs and ownership of land. But a majority of the population report
that women may face criticism and problems with their families if they run
for public office. And only one-quarter of Basotho give the government
positive marks on its efforts to promote equal rights and opportunities for
women. Majorities believe that more needs to be done, particularly in the
area of gender-based violence, which respondents cite as the most important
women’srights issue that the government and society must address. Support
continues to grow for giving daughters the same rights as sons when it comes
to succession to the chieftaincy, suggesting that Basotho appreciate the need
for closing that remaining gender gap. 8 November 2022 WEST
EUROPE
764-769-43-12/Polls Public Image Of Charles
Improves As He Moves From Prince Of Wales To King
The Prince and Princess of Wales are most likely to
be viewed favourably by Britons, and also see increases in their ratings.
Almost 7 in 10 (69%, +5 since March) have a positive opinion of Prince
William, while two-thirds (67%) say the same about Catherine, up from 60% in
March. Princess Anne rounds off the top three with 64% favourable towards the
Princess Royal. Having been seen in the UK several times over the
period of mourning, both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seen significant
increases in the proportion of Britons who are favourable towards them. Now,
Prince Harry is seen positively by 41% of Britons, up from 30% in March,
while 32% feel the same way towards Meghan, up from 24%. However, Britons are
still more likely to have an unfavourable impression of the Duchess (44%). Just over half of Britons are positive towards the
Royal Family as a whole, while 49% are favourable towards Prince Edward, the
Earl of Wessex and 42% say the same for Camilla, the Queen Consort (her
ratings also up 6 points since March). Prince Andrew remains the most likely to be viewed
unfavourably, almost two-thirds (65%) have this opinion and only 13% say the
opposite, little changed from March. Associations with the King
and his family Charles’ more detailed image ratings have also shown
signs of improvement since becoming King. Britons are most likely to see King
Charles II as traditional (38%), a good representative for Britain on the
world stage (28%, up from 21% in May) and capable (27%, up 8pp).Around a
quarter see him as understanding of the problems facing the British people
(24%, also up 8pp) while 1 in 5 each say he is concerned about people in real
need in Britain and out of touch with ordinary people (both 21%).
Looking at the Royal Family as a whole, Britons are
much more likely to associate the UK with tradition because of it (57%) than
any other trait given to respondents. One in 5 (20%) say it makes them think
of the UK as powerful while 15% believe it shows the UK represents an unequal
society. What functions are
important for the Royal Family? Britons are most likely to see representing the UK
at home and abroad as among the most important of the Royal Family’s
functions (71% say this is important) while similar proportions see
maintaining the continuity of British traditions, whichever party is
government (70%) and uniting the people despite political, economic and class
differences (68%) as important functions. Around 6 in 10 say setting a standard of good citizenship
and family life (62%) and ensuring the armed forces owe their allegiance to
the Crown rather than to the government of the day (60%) are important
purposes of the Family. Just over a third (35%) believe an important role is
distracting people from the real functions of the country while a similar
proportion say the same for preserving the class system in Britain (36%).
Just under half believe preserving a Christian morality in Britain is an
important role of the Royal Family. Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief
Executive of Ipsos in the UK, said: King Charles III settles
into his new role with a boost to his favourability ratings after moving from
Prince of Wales to King. In fact, many of the Royals see an improvement in
their public perceptions from earlier this year, including the new Prince and
Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, who along with Princess Anne make
up the top three in the public’s affections. Prince Harry and Meghan, the
Duchess of Sussex also see an increase in favourability, after returning to
the country to join his family to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth
II. 31 October 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/public-image-charles-improves-he-moves-prince-wales-king 764-769-43-13/Polls Half Of Over 65s Are Concerned
About Catching COVID-19 Themselves, Compared To Just A Fifth Of 18-24s, As We
Head Into Winter 2022
As the latest data from the ONS suggests that
the number of
people in the UK with COVID-19 is on the rise again, YouGov research
looks at people’s concerns for the winter, and public attitudes towards
restrictive measures and further vaccines. Whether a place is busy or
not is the primary driver of decisions to wear a mask When it comes to wearing masks, just a quarter of
Britons (27%) are still wearing a face covering at least sometimes when
travelling on public transport, while 39% at least occasionally opt to wear a
mask in public spaces such as shops. However, only 6-7% are wearing a face
mask every time they
go on public transport or visit a public space. For those who wear a mask most or some of the time,
but not all of the time, the main motivation for that decision is how busy
the transport is space is – six in ten (59%) say that they only don a mask if
it is busy. For a further 17% the issue seems to be to organisation, with
respondents suggesting they would wear them more frequently were it not for
forgetfulness. There is significant
support for reintroducing some COVID restrictions The survey also examines public attitudes towards
re-introducing COVID-19 restrictions, both now, and if COVID-19
hospitalisation numbers were to rise this winter. Thinking about the situation as it is at the moment,
there is strong support for both self-isolation for those who test positive for
COVID-19 (75%), and for mandatory testing for those who have symptoms (65%).
Three in five (61%) would also back measures to enforce mask wearing on
public transport. There is less support for the same measure being applied to
indoor public spaces, although the figure is by no means insignificant – half
(49%) would support masks being worn in places like shops and theatres right
now, with 43% opposed. Older people (64% of those aged 65 and above) are
particularly supportive of such a move. There is significantly less support for measures
that would restrict people’s social lives – 42% of Britons would support the
return of social distancing rules, while only half as many (20%) would go
further by backing limits on the number of people you can meet with at any
one time (e.g. the rule of six). Support for all these measures increases in the
event there was an increase in the number of people being hospitalised with
COVID-19 this winter. Masks in public spaces see the biggest jump, with
support for this measure increasing by nine points to 58% under these
circumstances. However, most Britons remain optimistic that the
government will not need to re-introduce such restrictions to control the
spread of COVID-19 this winter, with 6 in 10 (61%) saying that they think
such action is unlikely. There is also broad
support for further COVID booster vaccines The latest wave of booster
jabs are currently being rolled out to those who are deemed to be
vulnerable, or are over the age of 50, but three quarters (75%) of the
British public would support this being extended to everyone this winter. Our
results also suggest that there would be a strong uptake of the vaccine if it
was freely available, with seven in ten (71%) saying that would be likely to
have this booster. As has been seen since the vaccine rollout began,
encouraging compliance among younger people is more difficult. Just half of
18-24 year olds (48%) say they would be likely to have the booster, with more
than a third (36%) saying they are unlikely to take up the offer of a free
vaccine. At the opposite end of the age scale, 89% of those aged 65 and above
would be likely to have the booster, including 82% who are ‘very likely’. November 01,
2022 764-769-43-14/Polls 9 In 10 Britons Worry About
Cost Of Living For The Country
As the prospect of winter starts to set in, along
with increased energy and food prices, very many Britons are worried about
rising cost of living. Nine in 10 (91%) are concerned for the country as a
whole, while 82% are worried about the effect it will have on them personally
and 79% worry for the people in the area they live in (although these are
slightly down from their peak in August, this is only back to the levels of
concern in May, and overall worries remain high).
How are people responding
to rising cost of living? In response to rises in the cost of living, 6 in 10
Britons (60%) say they have stopped themselves from turning their heating on
when they usually would have since the start of the year, while half have
gone out socialising less than they usually would (48%) and 4 in 10 have
switched their regular supermarket to a cheaper one (41%). Just under 4 in 10 have driven their car less (39%)
while a similar proportion of workers have worked more hours in response to
rising cost of living (36%). Around a third have used price comparison
websites to look for a cheaper energy supplier (34%). Around 1 in 4 Britons say they have sold belongings,
used a credit card for essentials (26%), cancelled TV subscriptions (25%) or
even skipped meals (24%). Just under 1 in 5 (18%) have borrowed more money in
response to the rising cost of living while amongst workers 27% have worked
from home more, 13% have taken on a second job and 11% have worked from home
less. Just 7% of Britons have moved in with families, however this increased
to 16% of 18-34-year-olds. Looking forwards to the next 6 months, around 1 in 4
Britons expect to sell some of their personal belongings (26%) as a result of
rises in the cost of living. Among workers, another 1 in 4 (27%) expect
to work more hours at their current job, while 17% think they might even need
to take on a second job as a result of cost of living. Just under 1 in 10
expect to miss payments on energy bills or other household bills (both 9%),
while a similar proportion of those with children think they will need to
reduce their spending on childcare (11%). Fewer think they will take out a
loan/increase personal debt (8%), move to cheaper housing (6%), fall behind
on housing payments (6%), sell a car (5%) or take a lodger/tenant (4%). Four in 10 expect to do none of these (38%),
slightly up on August when 30% expected to take none of these actions. Can people pay their bills
and how are they trying to reduce them? Opinion is split when it comes to paying energy
bills over the last 3 months. While only 27% say it has been easy, 37% say it
has been neither easy nor difficult and 35% have found it difficult. This has
changed slightly since August when a third (33%) said it was easy, 34% said
neither and 32% said difficult. Young people, those with children and
low incomes have found it hardest, with over 4 in 10 in each case saying
paying energy bills has been difficult recently.
Among those with a mortgage or paying rent, 32%
report an increase in housing costs over the last 3 months, with 36% of those
with a mortgage having seen payments increase and 31% of those who rent
privately, though only 25% of social renters. Looking back over the last 3 months, almost 9 in 10
Britons say they have been turning lights off when leaving a room at least
once a week (88%). Seven in 10 (72%) have been turning electrical goods off
standby when not using at least once a week while two-thirds (66%) are not
turning their heating on when they usual would, and 6 in 10 (61%) trying to
use less hot water at home. Three in 10 (30%) say they have installed a smart
meter into their home as a result of rising cost of living while 29% have
used price comparison sites to look for a cheaper energy supplier. One in 5
(20%) have used savings to pay an energy bill while around 1 in 7 workers
have asked for a pay rise (16%) or set up a payment plan with their energy
supplier (14%, amongst all Britons). Just over 1 in 10 (12%) have already
missed payments on other household bills while the same proportion have asked
their energy supplier to accept a reduced bill payment. Who is trusted to reduce
cost of living? Of those listed in the survey, Keir Starmer is most
likely to be trusted by the British public to reduce cost of living (42%,
little changed from 39% in August), however almost half say they would not
trust him (48%,). Rishi Sunak, the new Prime Minister (though note fieldwork
was carried out the weekend before he was appointed) is trusted by 34% (56%
do not) while 32% would trust Boris Johnson and only 24% trust Jeremy Hunt
(while only 22% would have trusted Penny Mordaunt). Looking at how different people and organisations
will influence the cost of living over the next 6 months, the British public
are most likely to expect Martin Lewis, the financial journalist and
broadcaster, to have a positive influence (54%). Opinion is split regarding
others. Three in 10 (30%) think the Bank of England will have a positive
impact while 26% think it will have little impact and 28% say a negative one.
Similarly, 29% say Keir Starmer will have a good influence, 30% expect him to
make little impact and 25% expect his efforts to have a negative
effect. Around a quarter (27%) expect the incoming Prime
Minister (this survey was conducted between Liz Truss’s resignation and Rishi
Sunak’s appointment as PM) to have a positive influence on cost of living
while 26% expect them to make little difference and 23% believe their impact
will be negative. People feel similarly about the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, 24% positive, 26% to make little difference and 32% negative. Further afield, Vladimir Putin is most likely to be
expected to have a negative influence (70%), while 11% expect him to make
little difference and only 8% expect his influence to be positive. Many
expect Joe Biden to make little difference to UK cost of living (46%) while
13% expect him to positively influence it and 24% think his impact will be
negative. Where does blame lie for
rising mortgage rates? Britons see a range of actors as contributing to the
recent rise in mortgage rates. They are most likely to mention
the Conservative party’s economic policies in government (74%),
decisions made by former PM, Liz Truss (73%) and the state of the
global economy (73%). Just under 7 in 10 (68%) say decisions by the Bank of
England have contributed and a similar proportion say the same for decisions
made by mortgage lenders. Six in 10 (59%) place blame on the Russian invasion
of Ukraine while around half say the Covid-19 pandemic (53%) and Brexit (50%)
are important factors. Looking more specifically at Liz Truss’s government,
three-quarters (76%) say it did a bad job at managing rising cost of living.
Even among 2019 Conservative voters, 8 in 10 (79%) say they handled it
badly. Where should cuts be made
– if anywhere? Britons are most likely to believe overseas aid has
the room to reduce spending (without significant negative impact) in
comparison to other areas of public spending. More than 4 in 10 (43%) say
this has room to be cut, compared to only 15% who think there is space to cut
defence and armed forces spending or benefit payments. Fire services (3%), social care for older people
(4%) and social care for children and vulnerable adults (5%) are seen as
least likely to have room for budget cuts, with similar proportions saying
the same for the police (6%), state pensions (6%) and education (6%). Gideon Skinner, Head of
Political Research at Ipsos, said: Public concern about the
cost of living remains very high, and many Britons are taking action across a
number of areas – in their use of heating, shopping, socialising and the way
they work. The issue is particularly urgent for more vulnerable groups,
such as those on low incomes, who have found it harder to pay their bills or
had to take more drastic steps such as skip meals, but we can see concern and
people feeling the impact across all sections of society. While there
are some signs that worry is not quite at the peak it reached in August, at
an overall level it remains high, and we see in other research that pessimism
about the economy shows little sign of improving, as concerns about the cost
of living crisis begin to translate into worries for the performance of the
economy. 2 November 2022 764-769-43-15/Polls 6 In 10 Britons Are Concerned
About Potential Blackouts This Winter
Should blackouts occur, around half of Britons say
they are prepared to cope with them (49%), however a similar proportion are
not (45%).
When asked about measures adopted by the European
Union, including a voluntary 10% reduction of overall electricity consumption
between 1 December 2022 and 31 March 2023, with a further compulsory 5%
reduction of electricity consumed during peak hours during this period, a
majority of Britons are in favour of adopting the same or similar measures
here. More than half (56%) support the measures while only 11% oppose and 25%
say they neither support nor oppose the option. Keiran Pedley, Research
Director at Ipsos, said: Although a majority of
Britons are concerned at the prospect of blackouts this winter, only around
one in ten think it is ‘very likely’ that they will actually happen. In that
context it is perhaps unsurprising so many feel unprepared if they do.
Therefore, policy makers will have to work hard to help the public prepare
for the consequences should the worst case scenario become a reality. 20 November 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/6-10-britons-are-concerned-about-potential-blackouts-winter 764-769-43-16/Polls Electric Shift In The
Automobile: The French Are Not Convinced
The analysis of the rate of equipment of French
households, in detail, shows that out of 100 households, 82 have one to two
vehicles, 83 have a thermal vehicle, 10 have none and 7 have an electric
vehicle. Of the 1,000 respondents surveyed, 30% have already driven an
electric vehicle at least once. They also make a majority of short trips: 57%
drive less than 20 kilometers per day but 20% more than 50 kilometers per
day. Two-thirds of them (66%) make no more than three trips per year of more
than 400 kilometres round trip. Reading the level of
equipment of the French and their habits, it is easy to say that three
quarters of households are completely eligible for the use of an electric
vehicle, with short daily trips and few long annual trips. Among the French,
electric is presented as a good objective solution and yet, they are a large
majority to think the opposite! Thierry Lalande, Director of Automotive and Mobility France at Ipsos
in France. Fears that reveal a need
for information Only one in ten French people (12%) think that the
electric vehicle meets their needs. And only 7% of respondents say they are
sure that their next purchase will be "electric". The study
highlights three main reasons for their perplexity: a lack of belief in the
sustainability of the phenomenon, intrinsic obstacles, but a lack of knowledge
of infrastructure. More than one in two
French people (53%) consider that the electric car is a fad,
and thus doubt the sustainability of this phenomenon. The French are thus
divided, with another half seeing it as a profound change in the way of
getting around by car (47%). Doubt is found in all
categories of the population. The French are few to follow the decrees of the
European Commission and the news on the subject. They doubt that the electric
vehicle is a sustainable phenomenon, a bit like diesel in its time first
blessed and now hated Thierry Lalande, Director of Automotive and Mobility France at Ipsos
in France. Brakes intrinsicto
the electric vehicle are mentioned as obstacles to purchase. Insufficient
autonomy (mentioned by 37% of the French), not allowing "long-distance
travel", is the first of the criteria that do not make people want to
buy an electric vehicle. Secondly, they mention high purchase (30%) and
operating costs (27%). More broadly, it is the charging
experience that is scary: replacing the battery generates concerns (28%) and 24% of French people
place uncertainty about the possibility of being able to charge their vehicle
(in France or Europe) as their first concern. Finally, 23% mention their
uncertainty about environmental uses. The latter see little or no impact of
electricity in the fight against pollution and climate change. Added to this are
contextual obstacles: 71% of French people do not
believe that the infrastructure (charging stations, battery production, etc.)
will be ready in 2035 to accommodate all-electric. While the reality is
different, half (46% of French people) say they do not have a terminal within
5 kilometers of home, and 16% do not even know it. A difficult understanding
of the link with global warming If the French show a little skepticism, the European
community has anyway imposed the transition to all-electric in 2035 (100% of
new cars sold will be electric). On
this occasion, it established a clear link between global warming, CO2
emissions and the use of thermal vehicles, with electric
vehicles emitting less CO2 over their entire life cycle. The French, meanwhile, do
not seem to establish this link yet. While a very
large majority (92%) say they are concerned about climate change, only 10% of
them see the switch to electricity as an effective measure (this rises to 14%
in Ile-de-France but does not exceed this figure in other regions of France).
By way of comparison, when asked about the actions they consider to be
priorities to reduce their impact on climate change, they first cite saving
water (30%), recycling (29%), using public transport, cycling or walking
(27%), or changing heating systems (22%). Thus, the "switch to
electric" in the automobile is an action at the same level of priority
as avoiding "the purchase of new products" (11%). A positive experience and
great pride among electric vehicle owners Finally, Ipsos asked electric vehicle owners about
their return on investment. Pride, like experience, particularly values
electric. Convinced of their purchase, four out of five buyers are
"proud" to own one (78%). For them, the driving experience is much
better: two-thirds (65%) of buyers believe that their electric car brings
more sensations than a combustion car. A point particularly appreciated by
women (75%), even more than men (61%) 21 October 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/vehicule-electrique-78-des-acheteurs-sont-fiers-davoir-franchi-le-pas 764-769-43-17/Polls 1 In 2 French People
Believe That It Is Not Because A Scientist Specialized In A Subject Shows Him
A Scientific Fact That It Is True
In September 2022, Ipsos and the Sapiens Institute
unveil the results of the second wave of the "Science and Society"
Barometer, two years after the first wave of October 2020. The last two years
have been marked by the Covid crisis and the development of vaccines against
the virus. This crisis has seen the emergence of many debates on the ability
of science and technology to respond to the challenges of the time and
beyond, on the belief in the scientific word. The results of the second wave of the "Science
and Society" Barometer show a positive evolution and testify to an
improvement in trust in science, despite a level of mistrust that remains
high overall and a rather worrying level of adherence to scientific
fake-news. Faced with the challenges
ahead, the French are placing more and more hopes in science For nearly 3/4 of French
people, science and technology are a source of hope in the face of the
problems of the future But if the French consider that science can help
find solutions to the major challenges of our time, on the other hand, they
perceive it much less as a guarantee of improving their lives in the future.
The hopes raised by science are now "limited" for many respondents:
only 56% of French people believe that thanks to science and technology, the
generations of the future will live better than those of today (a figure
however up 6 points compared to 2020). And the majority of the
French consider that no field should be prohibited to scientific research: no
more nuclear, than genetics, viruses or genetics They also mostly consider that it is necessary to
continue to carry out research in the fields of stem cells (59%), nuclear
(55%). In a context where nuclear power has returned to the center of
attention, the share of French people wishing that nuclear research continues
is experiencing a significant increase compared to 2020 (+7 points). On
natural or synthetic phytosanitary products too, a majority of French people
want research to continue its work. (51%). Some areas are more difficult to support,
such as genetics in the field of plants (49% want research to continue and
18% would like to stop research but consider that it is not possible). Their confidence in science seems to go even
further: 3/4 of respondents believe that while some innovations may also
involve risks for populations, these innovations must be developed by putting
in place measures to limit the risks (74%). Although it is a source of
hope, science still arouses the mistrust of almost 1 in 2 French people: a
phenomenon on the decline Despite this improvement in the image of science,
nearly one in two French people say they are "increasingly wary of
science and technological innovations, that they have more and more negative
effects on our environment and our health". A proportion that is
nevertheless down compared to 2020 (47%, -7 points). But the French express a
very strong mistrust of the word of scientists A majority of French
people question the independence of scientists at worrying levels 56% of French people consider that scientists are
generally not independent and allow themselves to be influenced by pressure
groups. If this negative perception remains in the majority, there is a
significant decrease (-9 points) and therefore a better perception of the
independence of French scientists. Plus grave, seule une minorité de Français estime
même qu’ils seraient capables d’indépendance face aux laboratoires
pharmaceutiques (seulement 37% estiment qu’ils le sont), au gouvernement
(44%), aux hommes et aux femmes politiques (44%) ou encore aux entreprises
privées en général (45%). Il n’y aurait que face aux ONG qu’ils seraient
capables de se montrer libres, selon une majorité de Français (62%). Et beaucoup doutent de
leur capacité à être transparents, même si ce phénomène est en léger retrait
en 2022 50% of French people consider that scientists cannot
be trusted to tell the truth if their research had negative impacts on
health. 51% believe that disagreements between scientists are primarily
related to the defence of private interests rather than to a difficulty in
deciding (49%), a perception nevertheless down (-7 points compared to 2020). Logically, therefore, many respondents express
doubts about the ability of scientists to be transparent in a number of
areas: this is the case for nuclear (only 50% trust them to tell the truth,
an increase of 6 points), biotechnologies (50%), climate (48%) or genetics in
the field of plants (48%). There are only a few areas in which they are
confident in scientists, such as vaccines (63%, up 6 points compared to 2021)
or renewable energies (65%) and genetics in the field of human health (66%). A worrying phenomenon: for
a majority of French people, a scientific demonstration is worth no more than
their personal opinion To learn about science, the
French have more confidence in their loved ones than in scientific
authorities To learn about complex scientific issues, the French
trust above all (67% of them) their loved ones. Less than 2 out of 3 French
people say they trust scientific authorities (62%), mistrust is even the
majority when it comes to the media (56% do not trust them), pharmaceutical
laboratories (60%) or the government (62%). The power of the
scientific word, challenged by personal experience The loss of legitimacy of the scientific word is
expressed above all in the fact that it is no more valuable than personal
opinion. One in two French people (51%) believes that their personal judgment
is as valuable as the opinion of a scientist. Two out of five French people
trust their personal experience more than scientists' explanations to know
whether a fact is true or false scientifically (40%). The inability of many
French people to spot scientific fake-news is also quite worrying Strong misunderstandings
in the face of certain preconceived ideas: the demonstrated toxicity of GMOs,
the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19 or the reality of
global warming Faced with a quiz on 9 scientific fake-news, a
majority of French people express either erroneous knowledge or a lack of
knowledge of the correct answer. This is the case with the toxicity of GMOs in food,
the vast majority believe that it has been demonstrated (57%, which is false)
and 1 in 4 French people are unable to comment (26%). Only 17% of French
people have the right answer. Similarly for the effectiveness of homeopathy, more
than 1 in 3 French people think that it has been scientifically proven (39%,
which is false) or do not know the right answer. Only 37% know that it has
never been demonstrated. Only 51% of French people know that Professor Raoult
was not right when he said hydroxychloroquine was effective against covid-19
(20% think this is true, 29% do not know). Ditto for the fake news spread by Ségolène Royale
according to which more than 1 in 10 women would be affected by breast cancer
because of pesticides. 37% of French people think it is true and 48% do not
know, only 15% know that it is false. For example, 30% of French people believe that there
is no scientific consensus on the human origin of scientific warming (28% do
not know). Similarly, 1 in 5 French people continue to mistakenly think that
we still do not really know if human activities have an impact on global
warming (13% do not know): only 2/3 of French people have the right answer
(66%). The perception of private
research, an illustration of the paradoxical relationship of the French to
science The private sector, an
indispensable player in research... Four out of five French people (83%) believe that
the public and private sectors can work in good coordination to effectively
help research and three-quarters. 76% even believe that scientific research
will not be able to be effectively supported if the private sector does not
participate much more than today in its financing. ... but which arouses real
mistrust This indispensable nature of the contribution of the
private sector does not mean, however, that the French do not view this
participation of the private sector with suspicion. 83% of French people
believe that while the private sector participates much more than today in
the financing of scientific research, some areas risk being privileged to the
detriment of others less profitable and 75% consider that scientists risk
being subjected to pressures that go against the general interest. In general, the French are wary of the private
sector. While 66% trust the transparency of researchers working for NGOs and
65% trust the transparency of researchers working for public bodies, only 47%
trust the transparency of scientists conducting research for private bodies. 28 October 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/barometre-science-et-societe-vague-2022 764-769-43-18/Polls The Proportion Of Satisfaction
Drops From 51 To 45 Percent, After Ukraine War
For more than ten years, the National Prosperity
Index for Germany (NAWI-D) has been measuring the subjectively perceived
prosperity of the German resident population aged 14 and over on a
representative basis. Inflation drives citizens'
financial worries Germans associate their personal prosperity with a
multitude of criteria that can be summarized under the four pillars of
prosperity of economic, social, individual and ecological prosperity. The
effects of the Ukraine war on the supply of goods and price levels have led
above all to a poorer classification of economic factors – both in the West
German federal states, but above all in East Germany. Large East-West divide in
prevention and consumption The current NAWI-D survey shows that the effects of
the Ukraine war have again led to clearer differences in satisfaction with
their own economic situation between East and West Germans. While at the end
of last year 57 percent of East Germans and 56 percent of West Germans still
saw their jobs or pensions as very secure, these figures are currently only
50 and 55 percent respectively. The declines are more drastic when asked what
can be done with income. When it comes to providing for their own future,
only 37 percent of East Germans are currently very confident that they can
raise the money for this – a decrease of 16 percentage points compared to
December 2021 (53%). In the West, on the other hand, the decline from 52 to
49 percent is quite small. In addition to the poorer pension options, many
citizens also have to live with restrictions in private consumption. In the
East, the proportion of those who can fulfill their material wishes very well
falls from 43 to 29 percent, in the West from 47 to 38 percent. Currently
already noticeable restrictions and the uncertainty about what could happen
in the next few weeks also increase people's general financial fears. In
December 2021, 44 percent of East Germans said they were completely free of
financial worries, compared to only one in three (33%) in the latest survey.
Similarly drastically, albeit at a higher level, the values in the West fall
from 57 to 45 percent. The following table shows the proportions of
respondents who fully agreed with the respective statements in December 2021
and September 2022.
Sharply increased fears of
the future in the East The proportion of East Germans who claim to be
completely free of fears about the future has fallen dramatically since the
end of last year from 49 to currently 29 percent. There has not been such a
decline since 2012, the starting year of NAWI-D – neither after the influx of
refugees in 2015/16 nor after the outbreak of the corona pandemic in 2020. In
western Germany, the proportion of respondents who are very optimistic about
the future is again not falling quite as sharply as in the east from 45 to currently
34 percent. "We don't know when and how the Ukraine war
will end. It is also unclear how the war will really affect supply and prices
in the coming months. Policy measures and their influence on inflation are
also still unknown. Nor can an extension of the war to other countries,
including Germany, be completely ruled out. In addition, there is the still
prevailing corona pandemic. All these factors are currently leading to
general uncertainty among citizens. This is particularly evident in eastern
Germany," says Hans-Peter Drews, developer and head of NAWI-D at Ipsos. 13 October 2022 764-769-43-19/Polls Despite A Shortage Of
Skilled Workers: Germans Are Sceptical About Easing Immigration Rules
Even supporters of the
traffic light coalition majority against easing By far the greatest support for easier immigration
of skilled workers can be found among supporters of the Greens (37%),
followed by supporters of the SPD (24%) and FDP (20%). Another 15 percent of
Green sympathizers are also in favor of a general simplification of
immigration to Germany for non-skilled workers, while among supporters of the
SPD (13%) and FDP (10%), this is an option for almost one in ten. Thus, the
plan to relax the immigration rules among all parties finds a relative majority
(52%) only among the supporters of the Greens, while large parts of the SPD
electorate (33%) and FDP supporters (46%) prefer to maintain the status quo
in the Skilled Immigration Act (Greens 35%). Among SPD (30%) and FDP voters
(24%), there is also a relevant proportion who are in favour of restricting
immigration from third countries, while only 13% of the Greens demand this. Four out of five Union
supporters against easier immigration The sympathizers of the Union are even more critical
of migration. Almost half (47%) are in favour of maintaining the status quo
in immigration policy for skilled workers. Another third (33%) are even in
favour of greater restrictions on immigration. Only 15 percent of Union
supporters welcome the federal government's plan to facilitate the influx of
skilled workers. Only 5 percent of the Christian Democrats believe that the
entry of non-skilled workers should be simplified. Left divided, AfD
supporters clearly positioned against migration Among the supporters of the Left Party, an extremely
polarized picture emerges. Only 17 percent of left-wing voters support the
government's plans to reform immigration law for skilled workers. One in five
(21%) would like to see additional restrictions on immigration rules for non-EU
citizens (21%) that go beyond the status quo. At the same time, no other
party has a higher proportion of respondents who vote for easier immigration
even for non-skilled workers (31%). The least polarization can be found among the
supporters of the AfD. Nine out of ten AfD voters (91%) would either like to
restrict immigration from non-EU countries in general (69%) or at least no
additional relief for the influx of skilled workers (22%). Only 8 percent
support the government's planned reform of immigration law. 18 October 2022 764-769-43-20/Polls Almost Half (46%) Of
Germans Plan To Watch At Least Part Of The 2022 Fifa World Cup
Football fever
significantly higher in other countries Worldwide, as many as 55 percent of respondents
intend to watch the World Cup in Qatar at least partially. Interestingly, the
countries with the highest intentions are all outside Europe. In the United
Arab Emirates (81%), Indonesia (80%), Argentina (79%), Saudi Arabia (78%),
Peru (78%) and Brazil (77%), football fever is greatest in the run-up to the
World Cup. But also in some European countries such as Poland (58%), Italy
(55%), Spain (55%), Ireland (54%) or Great Britain (52%), people are
significantly more likely than in Germany to indicate their intention to
watch individual games. Interest in the World Cup is lowest in Hungary (28%),
Canada (25%) and the USA (24%). Football connects Title win forecasts:
Cautious optimism in Germany The chances of winning the German national football
team are not particularly optimistic in this country. While 44 percent of
Germans were still confident of victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, this
year not even one in four respondents (23%) believes that the DFB team will
win the title. Worldwide, 13 percent of the German team trust to win the World
Cup final. Remarkably, in every other country surveyed, the
chances of victory for one's own nation are rated significantly higher than
the global average. While this difference is only 10 percentage points in
Germany, "patriotic optimism" is particularly widespread in
Argentina and Brazil. In Argentina, three-quarters of respondents (73%)
believe their national team will win the title – 63 percentage points more
than the global average (10%). In Brazil, two-thirds (66%) believe the
Seleção will win their sixth World Cup title, compared to 45 percentage
points less globally (21%). 16 November 2022 764-769-43-21/Polls 1 In 4 People In Spain
Would Support Raising Taxes On Non-Renewable Energy To Fight Climate Change
On Sunday, November 6, COP27, the 2022 United
Nations Climate Change Conference, began in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, a meeting
in which world leaders will meet – until November 18 – to address climate
issues and ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a global context of
energy crisis, war in Ukraine and inflation. Main results
The most and least popular
measures to fight climate change Reflecting growing awareness of climate change, an
average of nearly 7 in 10 citizens across 34 countries are willing to accept
new policies that encourage the adoption of sustainable technologies, such as
solar panels or electric vehicles. Spain is the third European country that
supports this type of incentive and discount policies (67%), behind Hungary
(78%) and Italy (68%).
The responsibility of
climate change education The study also seeks to address who is responsible
for informing and educating the public about actions that need to be taken to
combat climate change. Globally, on
average, 59% think it falls directly to central government, followed by local
governments (43%) and news outlets (34%), although there are
notable differences between countries.
4 November 2022 764-769-43-22/Polls 52% Of Italians Have Basic
Knowledge Of Personal Finance Topics
How many Italians know the difference between a
share and a bond? And how many know what "inflation" and
"diversification" mean? On the occasion ofthe Month of Financial Education, YouGov
has launched a study to assess the level of knowledge of the main issues of
personal finance by the Italian population.
October 24, 2022 Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/10/24/gli-italiani-e-leducazione-finanziaria/ NORTH
AMERICA
764-769-43-23/Polls 30% Americans See A Third Xi Term As A Major Problem
For The U S; Other Concerns About China Have Grown
Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to secure
a third
term in office during the country’s 20th
Communist Party congress, a gathering held every five years that began in
Beijing on Oct. 16.
For Americans, however, the potential for a third
term for Xi is not among the most pressing concerns when it comes to China,
according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only three-in-ten Americans say it is a very serious
problem for the United States if Xi assumes a third term as China’s leader.
Larger shares express concern about the other issues asked about in the
survey, which was conducted Oct. 10-16 among 5,098 U.S. adults. How we did this Since March, there have
been some changes in Americans’ views of the key challenges for the U.S. when
it comes to China.
The public is now 8 percentage points more
likely than in March to say that tensions between mainland China and
Taiwan are a very serious problem for the U.S. The increase follows House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August, a trip that made her the
highest-ranking U.S. lawmaker to visit in 25 years and led to strong Chinese
criticism and military maneuvers, among
other responses. China’s military power is also of growing concern to
Americans. The public is 7 points more likely than in March to see China’s
military capacity as a very serious problem. Beyond China’s
military drills in the Taiwan Strait following Pelosi’s visit, China
has been expanding its naval
capacity and has bolstered its presence in the Pacific thorough
recent security
pacts and the creation of artificial
islands. The sense that economic competition with China is a
very serious problem for the U.S. has similarly intensified since March. The
share of Americans who express concern about competing with China
economically has grown by 6 points since then. President Joe Biden signed
the CHIPS and Science Act into law in August and recently announced further measures to curb China’s
access to and ability to produce advanced computer chips, citing concerns
about U.S. competitiveness and national security. Roughly half of
Americans were also concerned about China’s growing technological power in
a separate
Pew Research Center survey in 2021. While China’s partnership with Russia remains a top
concern for Americans, the public is 5 points less likely than in March to see this as a very
serious problem for the U.S. The earlier survey was fielded just a few weeks
after Russia’s
military invasion of Ukraine. The share of Americans who see China’s human rights
policies as a very serious problem for the U.S. is unchanged from March.
As has often
been the case, older Americans are more concerned than younger Americans
about each of the items asked about in the Center’s new survey. For example,
those 65 and older are 32 percentage points more likely than those ages 18 to
29 to see China’s military power as a very serious problem for the U.S., and
these older Americans are 12 points more likely than the youngest adults to
say the same about China’s policies on human rights. Similarly, Republicans and independents who lean to
the Republican Party are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to
see most issues in the bilateral relationship as very serious problems. This
is true across five of the six problems posed in the Center’s new survey; the
one exception is China’s policies on human rights, which similar shares of
Republicans and Democrats see as a very serious problem for the U.S. (43%
each).
On many issues, conservative Republicans stand apart
from moderate and liberal Republicans. Conservative Republicans, for
instance, are the most likely to describe China-Taiwan tensions as a serious problem
for the U.S. (54%), while moderate and liberal Republicans (40%) differ
little from conservative and moderate Democrats (41%) or liberal Democrats
(42%). Americans with at least a college degree are also
slightly less likely than those with less schooling to see some of these
problems as very serious for the U.S. The educational gap is largest when it
comes to Xi assuming a third term as the leader of China: College graduates
are 8 points less likely than nongraduates to see this as a very serious problem
(25% vs. 33%). There are no differences of opinion by education on the
question of the China-Russia partnership or tensions between mainland China
and Taiwan. Majority of Americans say
the U.S. should continue political visits to Taiwan
When asked if the U.S. should continue to have
high-level politicians visit Taiwan even if it harms bilateral relations with
China, 54% of Americans say it should. In contrast, 38% say the U.S. should
prioritize relations with China rather than sending politicians to Taiwan. Men are more likely than women to favor diplomatic
visits, as are Americans with a college degree relative to those with less
schooling. (Women and those with less education were more likely to skip this
question.) There are no significant partisan differences in
Americans’ opinions of how the U.S. should approach future diplomatic travel
to Taiwan. Republicans are as likely as Democrats (56% each) to prioritize
U.S. officials visiting Taiwan. But there are marked differences between
conservative Republicans and moderate and liberal Republicans on this
question, as well as between more moderate and conservative Democrats and
liberal Democrats. In fact, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats
are about equally likely to say the U.S. should continue to send high-level
politicians to Taiwan (61% vs. 64%), while moderates in each party are
considerably less likely to hold this view (48% of moderate and liberal
Republicans say this, as do 49% of moderate and conservative Democrats). Americans who think tensions between mainland China
and Taiwan are a very serious problem for the U.S. are more likely than those
who say they are less serious to think high-level visits should be pursued (63% vs. 49%). OCTOBER 19, 2022 764-769-43-24/Polls About Two-Thirds Of U S Adults
(65%) Say That Individual Racism Against Black People Is More Of A Bigger Problem
Than Structural Racism
Americans tend to view racism by individuals as a
bigger problem for Black people in the United States than racism in the
nation’s laws. Black Americans themselves, however, are more likely to say
racism in U.S. laws is the larger problem, according
to a fall 2021 Pew Research Center survey.
How we did this Among Black Americans, views on this question are
very different. About half of Black adults (52%) say that racism in U.S. laws
is the bigger problem for Black people in the country, while 43% say the
greater issue is racism by individuals. And just 3% of Black adults say that
there is no discrimination against Black people in the U.S. today. Republicans’ and Democrats’ attitudes on this topic
also vary. While majorities in both parties say that racism by individuals is
a bigger problem for Black people than structural racism, Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats and Democratic
leaners to hold this opinion (73% vs. 59%). Democrats, in turn, are much more
likely than Republicans to say that racism in U.S. laws is the bigger issue
(38% vs. 7%, respectively). And Republicans are much more likely than
Democrats to say that there is no discrimination against Black people in the
U.S. today (19% vs. 3%). Majorities across age groups say that racism by
individual people is the bigger problem for Black people in America than
structural racism. Around six-in-ten adults under 50 (59%) hold this view, as
do about seven-in-ten adults 50 and older (72%). Still, younger adults are more likely than their
older counterparts to say that structural racism is a bigger problem than
individual racism for Black Americans. A third of adults ages 18 to 29 and
27% of those ages 30 to 49 say this, compared with smaller shares of those
ages 50 to 64 (19%) and 65 and older (17%). The institutional changes
Black adults want to see About six-in-ten Black Americans (63%) say racism is
an extremely big
problem for Black people living in the U.S., and large shares see
institutional change as necessary for Black people to be treated
fairly, according
to the fall 2021 survey.
About nine-in-ten Black adults say multiple aspects
of the criminal justice system need at least minor changes to ensure fair
treatment for Black people. Nearly all say either a minor change, major
change or complete overhaul is necessary for policing (95%), the courts and
judicial process (95%), and the prison system (94%). In fact, roughly half of Black adults say policing
(49%), the courts and judicial process (48%), and the prison system (54%)
need to be completely rebuilt for
Black people to be treated fairly. Smaller shares say the same about the
political (42%), economic (37%) and health care (34%) systems. Still, most are skeptical change will happen.
Two-thirds of Black adults say changes to the prison system (67%) and the
courts and judicial process (65%) that would ensure fair treatment for Black
people are a little or not at all likely in their lifetime. About six-in-ten
(58%) say the same about policing. Only about one-in-ten say changes to
policing (13%), the courts and judicial process (12%), and the prison system
(11%) are extremely or very likely. NOVEMBER 15, 2022 764-769-43-25/Polls Most Americans Say It’s Very
Important To Vote To Be A Good Member Of Society
Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) say it’s very
important to vote in elections to be a good member of society – more than say
the same about any of the other activities included in a Pew Research Center
survey conducted earlier this year.
How we did this
Although Republicans and Democrats differ
in some views of election rules and procedures, there are no partisan
differences in the perceived importance of voting. Around seven-in-ten
Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party (73%) and a
similar share of Republicans and GOP leaners (70%) say voting is very
important to being a good member of society. Past Pew Research Center
surveys have
found a similar pattern. Republicans and Democrats also don’t differ when it
comes to the importance of following what is happening in U.S. politics.
Around four-in-ten in each party (37% of Republicans and 40% of Democrats)
say it’s very important to follow politics to be a good member of society. When it comes to the importance of following current
events in other countries, Democrats are somewhat more likely than
Republicans (26% vs. 18%) to say it’s very important. Democrats are also more
likely than Republicans to say joining demonstrations is very important (17%
vs. 8%), while Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say attending
religious services regularly is very important (30% vs. 15%). Partisan divides are widest when it comes to the
perceived importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine and making choices to
reduce the effects of climate change. In both cases, Democrats are more than
40 percentage points more likely than Republicans to see it as very important
to being a good member of society. As Pew Research Center has
previously found, the partisan gap in the perceived importance of getting
a COVID-19 vaccine is the largest in the United States out of 19 countries
surveyed this year. Climate change is also a key dividing line, with
Democrats far more likely than Republicans to see
it as a major threat. Older and younger Americans diverge over what they
see as very important for being a good member of society. Generally speaking,
older people are more likely than younger people to find nearly all of the
activities asked about to be very important. When it comes to voting, for
example, 86% of those ages 65 and older say it’s very important, compared
with around half (47%) of those under 30. On only two activities – making
choices that help reduce the effects of climate change and joining
demonstrations about issues people think are important – are older and
younger people about equally likely to say it’s crucial for being a good
member of society.
Americans with at least a college degree or more
education are more likely than those without a college degree to see voting
and getting a COVID-19 vaccine as very important. The opposite is true when
it comes to attending religious services regularly, and there are no
educational differences when it comes to the perceived importance of the
other activities asked about in the survey. 2020 voter turnout was
highest among those who see voting as very important Do Americans who see voting as very important to
being a good member of society actually follow through and vote? A separate
analysis of 2020 turnout data suggests that the answer is yes.
Among those who say it’s very important to vote in
order to be a good member of society, the vast majority (79%) cast a ballot
in the 2020 election. Among those who say it’s somewhat important to vote to
be a good member of society, far fewer (43%) cast a ballot in 2020. And
around three-in-ten of those who see voting as either not too important (33%)
or not important at all (30%) opted to vote in 2020. Of course, there are many
reasons why some Americans may not have cast a ballot in 2020, even
if they generally see voting as an important civic duty. NOVEMBER 4, 2022 764-769-43-26/Polls 45% Of Americans Say US
Should Be A ‘Christian Nation’
Growing numbers of religious and political leaders
are embracing
the “Christian nationalist” label, and some dispute the idea that the
country’s founders wanted a separation
of church and state. On the other side of the debate, however, many
Americans – including the leaders
of many Christian churches – have pushed back against Christian
nationalism, calling
it a “danger” to the country.
Most U.S. adults believe America’s founders intended
the country to be a Christian nation, and many say they think it should be a
Christian nation today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey
designed to explore Americans’ views on the topic. But the survey also finds
widely differing opinions about what it means to be a “Christian nation” and
to support “Christian nationalism.” For instance, many supporters of Christian
nationhood define the concept in broad terms, as the idea that the country is
guided by Christian values. Those who say the United States should not be a Christian nation, on the
other hand, are much more inclined to define a Christian nation as one where
the laws explicitly enshrine religious teachings. At the same time, a large majority of the public
expresses some reservations about intermingling religion and government. For
example, about three-quarters of U.S. adults (77%) say that churches and
other houses of worship should not endorse candidates for political offices.
Two-thirds (67%) say that religious institutions should keep out of political
matters rather than expressing their views on day-to-day social or political
questions. And the new survey – along with other recent Center research – makes clear that there is far more
support for the idea of separation of church and state than opposition to it
among Americans overall. This raises the question: What do people mean when
they say the U.S. should be a “Christian nation”? While some people who say
the U.S. should be a Christian nation define the concept as one where a
nation’s laws are based on Christian tenets and the nation’s leaders are
Christian, it is much more common for people in this category to see a
Christian nation as one where people are more broadly guided by Christian
values or a belief in God, even if its laws are not explicitly Christian and
its leaders can have a variety of faiths or no faith at all. Some people who
say the U.S. should be a Christian nation are thinking about the religious
makeup of the population; to them, a Christian nation is a country where most
people are Christians. Others are simply envisioning a place where people
treat each other well and have good morals. Combining the results of the new survey with
an earlier
Center survey on the relationship between religion and government conducted
in March 2021 helps to show the distribution of these differing viewpoints.
Thousands of respondents took both surveys, so it is possible to see how they
answered multiple questions. Among those who say the U.S. should be a Christian
nation, roughly three-in-ten (28%) said in March 2021 that “the federal government
should declare the U.S. a Christian nation,” while half (52%) said the
federal government “should never declare any particular religion as the
official religion of the United States.” Similarly, among those who say in the new survey
that the U.S. should be a Christian nation, only about a quarter (24%) said
in the prior survey that the federal government should advocate Christian
religious values. About twice as many (52%) said the government should
“advocate for moral values that are shared by people of many faiths.” And three-in-ten U.S. adults who want the U.S. to be
a Christian nation (31%) said in the March 2021 survey that the federal
government should stop enforcing the separation of church and state. More
took the opposite position, saying the federal government should enforce that separation
(39%).
At the same time, however, people who believe the
U.S. should be a Christian nation are far more inclined than those who think
it should not be a Christian nation to favor officially declaring Christianity
to be the nation’s religion, to support government advocacy of Christian
values, and to say the government should stop enforcing separation of church
and state. Furthermore, the new survey finds that nearly
eight-in-ten people who say the U.S. should be a Christian nation also say
the Bible should have at least some influence on U.S. laws, including
slightly more than half (54%) who say that when the Bible conflicts with the
will of the people, the Bible should prevail.
And about a third of U.S. adults who say the U.S.
should be a Christian nation (32%) also think the fact that the country is
religiously diverse – i.e., made up of people from many different religions
as well as people who are not religious – weakens American society. Those who
want the U.S. to be a Christian nation are far more inclined than those who
do not want the U.S. to be a Christian nation to express this negative view
of religious diversity. Still, among those who say the U.S. should be a
Christian nation, there are roughly as many people who say the country’s
religious diversity strengthens American
society as there are who say it weakens society (28% vs. 32%). And cumulatively, the survey’s results suggest that
most people who say the U.S. should be a Christian nation are thinking of
some definition of the term other than a government-imposed theocracy.
Indeed, in response to a question that gave
respondents a chance to describe, in their own words, what the phrase
“Christian nation” means to them, nearly half (48%) of those who say the U.S.
should be a Christian nation define that phrase as the general guidance of
Christian beliefs and values in society, such as that a Christian nation is
one where the population has faith in God or Jesus Christ, specifically.
Fewer people who say the U.S. should be a Christian nation explain that they
mean the country’s laws should be based on Christianity (6%). Those who say the U.S. should not be a Christian nation are much
more likely than those who say it should be one to say that being a Christian
nation would entail religion-based laws and policies (30% vs. 6%). Others who
oppose Christian nationhood use negative words to describe the concept, such
as that a Christian nation would be “strict,” “controlling,” “racist,”
“bigoted” or “exclusionary” toward people of other faiths (21%). (For
additional discussion and details of the results of the survey’s open-ended
question about the meaning of the term “Christian nation,” see Chapter
3.) In your own words, what
does the phrase ‘Christian nation’ mean to you? Examples of responses
among those who say … … the U.S. should be a
Christian nation
… the U.S. should NOT be a Christian nation
In addition to the questions that asked about being
a “Christian nation,” the
survey asked other respondents about their familiarity with the term
“Christian nationalism.”1 Overall,
the survey indicates that more than half of U.S. adults (54%) have heard
nothing at all about Christian nationalism, while 14% say they have heard a
little, 17% have heard some, 9% have heard quite a bit and 5% have heard a
great deal about it. Altogether, 45% say they have heard at least a
little about Christian nationalism. These respondents received a follow-up
question asking whether they have a favorable or unfavorable view of
Christian nationalism. (Those who said they had heard nothing at all about
the term were not asked for their opinion on it.) Far more people express an
unfavorable opinion than a favorable one (24% vs. 5%), though even among
respondents who say they have heard at least a little about Christian
nationalism, many don’t express an opinion or say they don’t know enough to
take a stance.
In an open-ended question asking about the meaning
of “Christian nationalism,” upward of one-in-ten Americans say the term
implies some form of institutionalization or official dominance of
Christianity, such as theocratic rule or a formal declaration that the U.S.
is a Christian nation with Christian inhabitants. At the same time, many
Americans who say they hold a favorable view
of Christian nationalism describe it in ways that suggest it promotes
morality and faith without necessarily being in a position of formal, legal
dominance. Overall, however, Americans’ descriptions of Christian nationalism
– especially among those who have an unfavorable opinion
of it – are more negative than positive. (See an accompanying interactive
feature for a selection of
responses to this question.) These are among the key findings of a new Pew
Research Center survey, conducted Sept. 13-18, 2022, among 10,588 respondents
who are part of the Center’s American
Trends Panel. The survey is the latest entry in the Center’s long-running
effort to gauge the public’s perceptions and attitudes related to religion in
public life – including their views about how much influence religion has in
American society and how much it ought to have. The survey also contained
several questions about religion and the Supreme Court.
The high court’s last session produced a number of
decisions with implications for religion, including the historic
case that overturned Roe v. Wade as well as rulings that favored
a high
school football coach who led Christian prayers after games and
allowed public
funding for private religious schools. The new survey finds a big jump in the share of
Americans who say they think the Supreme Court is friendly toward religion.
Today, roughly a third of U.S. adults (35%) say the court is friendly to
religion, up sharply from 18% who said this in 2019, when the Center last
asked this question. About four-in-ten U.S. adults (42%) say the Supreme
Court’s recent decisions have helped the interests of Christians in the
United States, compared with 15% who say they have hurt Christians. And 44%
of U.S. adults say Supreme Court justices have relied on their religious
beliefs too much in their recent decisions, versus 13% who say they have
relied on these beliefs too little. Both of these questions were asked for
the first time as part of the new survey.
The survey also finds a small but noticeable uptick
in the share of respondents who say religion is gaining influence in American
life – from 20% in 2019 to 23% today. And the share of Americans who say it
has become harder to be a person of strong religious faith over the last
decade declined from 54% in 2014 (when the Center last asked this question)
to 47% today. Still, with religiously unaffiliated Americans rising
steadily as a share of the U.S. population, the share of people who say
religion is losing influence in American life continues to far exceed the
share who say religion’s influence is growing (by a 74% to 23% margin). And
those who say it has gotten harder to be a deeply religious person in the
U.S. continue to outnumber those who say it has become easier (by a 47% to
13% margin). And over the past year, there is no sign that any
religious group analyzed in the survey has increasingly come to view their
side as “winning” on the political issues that matter most to them. Indeed,
majorities in every religious group analyzed in the study – ranging from 62%
of Black Protestants to 78% of White evangelical Protestants – say their side
has been losing more often than winning on the political issues that matter
to them. This also includes people who are religiously unaffiliated (those
who describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular”).
Three-quarters (74%) of unaffiliated U.S. adults (sometimes called “nones”)
say their side has been losing. (For additional discussion of the public’s
view of whether their side has been winning or losing in politics, see “Growing
share of Americans say their side in politics has been losing more often than
winning.”)
Views about how major
parties, Biden administration approach religion
In addition to asking about the Supreme Court’s
stance toward religion, the survey also asked similar questions about the
country’s two major political parties and the Biden administration.
Republicans and Democrats mostly agree that the Republican Party is
“friendly” toward religion; 61% of Republicans and independents who lean
toward the Republican Party say this, as do 60% of Democrats and Democratic
leaners. Partisans differ sharply, however, in their
perceptions of the Democratic Party. Six-in-ten Democrats say their party is
“neutral” toward religion, and roughly three-in-ten say their party is
friendly toward religion. Just 8% of Democrats view the Democratic Party as
“unfriendly” toward religion. In sharp contrast, most Republicans (61%) say
the Democratic Party is unfriendly toward religion, while 27% say it is
neutral and just 10% say it is friendly. Majorities in most religious groups say the
Republican Party is friendly toward religion, although Black Protestants (32%
of whom view the GOP as friendly to religion) and Hispanic Catholics (47%)
are two exceptions. White evangelicals, meanwhile, are the only religious
group in which a majority views the Democratic Party as unfriendly to
religion (64%).
Opinions about the Biden administration’s approach
to religion resemble views toward the Democratic Party. Most Democrats say
the Biden administration is neutral toward religion, while a sizable minority
say it is friendly and just 5% say it is unfriendly. By contrast, most
Republicans (57%) say the White House is unfriendly toward religion, while
three-in-ten say it is neutral and just one-in-ten say it is friendly. A plurality of all U.S. Catholics (44%) say the
Biden administration is neutral toward religion, while 29% say it is
unfriendly and 25% say it is friendly to religion. (Biden is the
nation’s second
Catholic president.) Partisanship, religion and
views of U.S. as ‘Christian nation’
The survey finds that White evangelical Protestants
are more likely than other Christians to say the founders intended for
America to be a “Christian nation,” that the U.S. should be a Christian
nation today, and that the Bible should have more influence over U.S. laws
than the will of the people if the two conflict. But these sentiments also are commonplace among
other Christian groups – and by no means exclusive to White evangelicals. For
example, half of Black Protestants say the Bible should have more influence
on U.S. laws than the will of the people if the two conflict. About half of
White Protestants who are not evangelical say the U.S. should be a Christian
nation. And roughly six-in-ten Catholics say they believe the founders
originally intended for America to be a Christian nation. Perhaps not surprisingly, the view that the U.S.
should be a Christian nation is far less common among non-Christians than
among Christians, as is the view that the founders originally intended for
the U.S. to be a Christian nation (though 44% of non-Christians express the
latter view). But non-Christians are more likely
than Christians to say they currently see the U.S. as a Christian nation (40%
vs. 30%).2 Three-quarters of Republicans (76%) say the founders
intended for the U.S. to be a Christian nation, compared with roughly half of
Democrats (47%). Republicans also are at least twice as likely as Democrats
to say that America should be a Christian nation (67% vs. 29%) and that the
Bible should have more influence over U.S. laws than the will of the people
if they conflict (40% vs. 16%). Americans of different ages also differ on these
questions, with older Americans much more likely to express the desire for
America to be a Christian nation. For example, 63% of Americans ages 65 and
older say the United States should be a Christian nation, compared with 23%
of those ages 18 to 29. Other
studies consistently find that older Americans are far more likely
than younger ones to identify as Christians. Other key findings
include:
OCTOBER 27, 2022 AUSTRALIA
764-769-43-27/Polls Solar Energy Systems On Households
Have More Than Doubled Since 2018 – Now At Nearly A Third Of All Households
(32.3%)
There were big increases in ownership of Solar
Energy Systems, which can be used for rooftop solar, or to heat pools or hot
water in 2019 and 2020, although growth has levelled off over the last two
years as the penetration of Solar Energy Systems approached one-third of all
households. On a State-by-State basis there are more households
in NSW (885,000) with Solar Energy Systems than anywhere else followed by
Queensland (756,000), Victoria (728,000), WA (439,000) and SA (332,000). Household ownership of
Solar Energy Systems from 2018-22 (Rooftop, heated pool or hot water)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), July 2021 –
June 2022 (n=65,321). Base:
Australian households. SA and WA have the highest
rates of Solar Energy System penetration – over 40% of households The ownership rates are significantly lower in
South-Eastern Australia with under a third of households in Tasmania (30.2%),
Victoria (27.7%) and New South Wales (26.6%) owning Solar Energy Systems. A primary reason which explains the lower rates of
households with Solar Energy Systems in NSW and Victoria is the higher
density living and far higher number (and proportion) of apartments, flats,
units, semi-detached terraces and townhouses that people in Sydney and
Melbourne live in. Household ownership of
Solar Energy Systems by State (Rooftop, heated pool or hot water)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), July 2021 –
June 2022 (n=65,321). Base:
Australian households. As a comparison well over a quarter
of people in New South Wales (28.8%) and nearly a quarter of people in
Victoria (24.7%) live in flats, units, apartments, semi-detached terraces or town houses compared
to only 18.5% of people in Western Australia and just 17.3% of people in
South Australia. In contrast there are far higher rates of farm
ownership and farm workers in both Western Australia and South Australia and
farmers are amongst the most likely of all households to have Solar Energy
Systems to provide electricity or heat the pool or hot water. Michele Levine, CEO of Roy
Morgan, says Solar Energy has enjoyed a huge boost in recent years as
significant government support via subsidies and rebates has seen the
installation of millions of new Solar Energy Systems for electricity and
heating around Australia: “Over the last four years
the installation of Solar Energy Systems around Australia has boomed, up from
1.32 million (14% of households) in 2018 to over 3.2 million (32%) in June
2022. “The rapid uptake of this
important renewable energy source has been powered by generous subsidies and
rebates for installation. The cost of a ‘Home Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System’ starts at
around $3,500 for a
basic installation but there are significant rebates available for the installation
of Solar PV Systems in several States including Victoria and New South Wales. “Although there are more
Solar Energy Systems installed in New South Wales (885,000) than any other
State the level of penetration in Australia’s largest State is the lowest of
any State at just 26.6% of all households. “The star performers have
been South Australia (44.5% of households) and Western Australia (43%) with
nearly half of all households installing Solar Energy Systems in these two
large, sparsely populated, and sun-drenched States. “A key reason for the high
take-up of Solar Energy Systems in Western Australia and South Australia in
comparison to the more heavily and densely populated NSW and Victoria is the
different types of housing stock in these States. “There are far more people
living in flats, units, apartments, semi-detached terraces and town houses in
New South Wales (28.8%) and Victoria (24.7%) than in Western Australia
(18.5%) or South Australia (17.3%). Unsurprisingly, the penetration of Solar
Energy Systems in this type of housing is far lower than stand-alone housing. “Because of these
constraints the level of Solar Energy System penetration in higher population
density States such as New South Wales and Victoria will never reach the same
levels as in more sparsely populated States. “However, even despite
these constraints, there are still millions of Australians in standalone
houses that have yet to take up the opportunity to install Solar which remain
as opportunities for the solar energy installation industry.” October 18, 2022 764-769-43-28/Polls PayPal And BPAY Are
Australia’s Most Frequently Used Digital Payment Services – Although Afterpay
Is More Well-Known
The latest Roy Morgan Digital
Payments Report shows PayPal and BPAY are Australia’s most
frequently used digital payment services – with each service used by over 9
million Australians in the year to September 2022. Following closely behind in terms of awareness is
PayPal with over 15.5 million Australians (73%) aware of the online payment
platform and BPAY, known by over 14.6 million people (68.9%). The only other digital payment service for which
over half of Australians are aware is Zip which has reached 13.1 million
people (61.6%) followed by Apple Pay on 9.9 million (46.7%). Awareness and usage (in an
average 12 months) of digital payment services – September 2022
Source:
Roy Morgan Single Source, October 2021 – September 2022, n = 65,989. Base: Australians 14+. Roy Morgan CEO Michele
Levine says the wide variety of digital payment services available today
appeal to very different consumers and even though the relatively new
‘Afterpay’ is more well-known than any other it is the older services PayPal
and BPAY that are far more widely used: “Roy Morgan’s latest Digital Payments Report reveals ‘buy-now-pay-later’ services, such as
Afterpay, Zip, Latitude Pay and Humm, are the most well-known type of digital
payment services in the market – now over 17.6 million (83.1%) Australians
know of these services. However, only 4.1 million Australians (19.4%) have
used a ‘buy-now-pay-later’ service in the year to September 2022. “In contrast, around 15.9
million Australians (74.9%) are aware of ‘online payment platforms’ such as
PayPal, Visa Checkout and Masterpass. Despite this significantly lower
awareness of ‘online payment platforms’, their cut-through is far higher and
nearly half of Australians, 10.3 million (48.5%), used an online payment
platform in the year to September 2022. “This difference is
starkly illustrated when considering the three most popular digital payment
services – ‘buy-now-pay-later’ market leader Afterpay, the most well-known
‘online payment platform’ PayPal and long-running ‘bill payment service’ BPAY
– which just over a year ago merged with eftpos and the New Payments Platform
(NPP) Australia to form Australian Payments Plus. “Over 17.2 million
Australians (81.3%) say they have heard about Afterpay, compared to 15.5
million (73%) for PayPal and 14.6 million (68.9%) for BPAY. But although
extensive advertising can drive awareness among a large majority of the
population there has to be a compelling reason for adoption and use. “The usage of the more
traditional digital payment services PayPal and BPAY far exceeds that of
Afterpay at a rate of around 3:1. Now 9.8 million (46.1%) used PayPal and 9.3
million (43.8%) used BPAY in the year to September 2022 compared to only 3.2
million (15.2%) that used Afterpay. “A large factor in the
huge difference in the usage of the three services can be put down to time in
the market. Both PayPal and BPAY launched in the late 1990s, over 20 years
ago, while Afterpay has only been in the market for under a decade since
launching in 2014. “A look at the trends over
the last four years shows usage of Afterpay has increased by over 9% points
to 15.2%, PayPal is up by 6% points to 46.1%, and usage of BPAY has actually
declined since 2018. These trends show the market for digital payment
services is more competitive than ever. “To learn more about
Australia’s fast-changing and increasingly crowded digital payments
eco-system Roy Morgan’s latest Digital Payments Report provides a wealth of detail on the awareness
and usage trends for over 20 digital payment services including some
well-known, some well used and some well-loved – we measure them all. “The digital payment
services Roy Morgan measures include PayPal, BPAY, Afterpay, Apple Pay, Zip,
Google Pay, Post billpay, Visa Checkout, masterpass, Western Union, Latitude
Pay, Humm, Openpay, Klarna, fitbit pay, Garmin Pay, paywear, Samsung Pay,
Commbank Tap & Pay, ANZ, NAB Pay, Bankwest Halo and Cryptocurrencies such
as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Ripple and Cardano.” October 25, 2022 764-769-43-29/Polls Australian Unemployment Increases
To 9.2% In October As Final COVID-19 Restrictions End
In October unemployment increased 1.1% points to
9.2%, according to the latest Roy Morgan employment series data. The increase
in unemployment was due to a decline in full-time jobs which drove overall
employment down, although part-time employment hit a record high.
Australian employment dropped
237,000 to 13,468,000 in October. The decrease was driven by a drop in
full-time employment, down 309,000 to 8,572,000, although part-time employment
increased to a new record high, up 72,000 to 4,896,000 as all COVID-19
restrictions came to an end in mid-October. Unemployment rises in October as drop in employment
forces many people to look for work: 1,362,000 Australians were unemployed (9.2% of the workforce) in October,
an increase of 160,000 from September with more people looking for part-time
work, up 170,000 to 837,000 although there were slightly fewer people looking
for full-time work, down 17,000 to 525,000. Under-employment was virtually unchanged in October
at near record high of 1.55 million: In addition to the unemployed, 1.55 million
Australians (10.5% of the workforce) were under-employed – working part-time
but looking for more work, down 8,000 from September. In total 2.92 million Australians (19.7% of the
workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in October, up 152,000 on
September – the highest overall figure for over 18 months since February
2021. Compared to early March
2020, before the nation-wide lockdown, in October 2022 there were more than
850,000 more Australians either unemployed or under-employed (+4% points)
even though overall employment (13,468,000) is around 600,000 higher than it
was pre-COVID-19 (12,872,000). Roy Morgan’s under-employment
figure of 10.5% is over 4% points higher than the ABS
estimate of 6.0% for September. However,
the ABS figures for September show there were 568,400 workers who worked
fewer hours than usual due to illness, personal injury or sick leave compared
to an average of 478,000 for the month of September over the five years from
September 2017 – September 2021. This difference in the numbers of
people who worked fewer hours due to illness, personal injury or sick leave,
which can be put down to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, equates to a
difference of 90,400 in September 2022 above the average for the month of September for the
previous five years. If these workers are added to the approximately 846,000
workers the ABS classifies as under-employed this creates a total of 936,400
– equivalent to 6.6% of the workforce. When the ABS unemployed (3.5% of the workforce,
499,400 workers) and this larger than usual level of under-employed (6.6% of
the workforce, approximately 936,400 workers) are combined these figures add
to 1.44 million workers, around 10.1% of the workforce. Roy Morgan Unemployment
& Under-employment (2019-2022)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – October
2022. Average monthly interviews 5,000. Michele Levine, CEO Roy
Morgan, says the end of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-October will have a
profound impact on the labour market going forward as those contracting
COVID-19 are no longer forced into mandatory isolation or eligible for
government COVID-19 payments: “The latest Roy Morgan
employment estimates for October show the workforce contracting by 77,000 in
the month as overall employment fell by 237,000 to 13,468,000. The drop was
driven by a decline in full-time employment of 309,000 to 8,572,000 although
part-time employment increased for the fourth month in a row, up 72,000 to a
record high of 4,896,000. “The drop in overall
employment also led directly to a rise in unemployment, up 160,000 to
1,362,000, equivalent to 9.2% of the workforce There is an even larger cohort
of 1,554,000 Australians now under-employed, equal to 10.5% of the workforce.
Taken together overall unemployment and under-employment is now at 2,916,000
(19.7%) – the highest it has been since February 2021. “The ending of COVID-19
restrictions in mid-October means Australians contracting COVID-19 are no
longer required to undertake a mandatory isolation period of five days at
home. The ending of the mandatory period of isolation means businesses are
now less likely to hire additional employees to fill vacancies created by the
forced periods of isolation. “Throughout this year the
over 10 million cases of COVID-19 have heavily distorted the employment
situation due to the government rules on mandatory isolation. The early indicators
from this month’s employment estimates show overall employment falling which
may be the first indication of businesses adjusting to the ending of COVID-19
restrictions by letting go of employees hired as ‘cover’. “Although these results
suggest the end of mandatory COVID-19 restrictions will lead to less pressure
for businesses to hire workers as cover, the strong labour market throughout
2022 provides a counter argument that any drop in employment is likely to
only be temporary. “Looking forward the
current month is the first since February 2020 during which COVID-19 related
restrictions will not have a direct impact on the labour market. However,
other influences such as increasing inflation, interest rates and supply
chain challenges caused by extreme weather events are set to be key factors
driving employment outcomes during the upcoming year.” 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 866,037 Australians aged 14 and over between January 2007 and
October 2022 and includes 7,404 telephone and online interviews in October
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 – October
2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000. Roy Morgan Research cf.
ABS Unemployment Estimates
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2000 – October
2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source April 1995 – October
2022. Average monthly interviews 4,000. November 14, 2022 Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9104-australian-unemployment-estimates-october-2022 MULTICOUNTRY
STUDIES
764-769-43-30/Polls 58% Of Global Citizens Claim
To Think Of Their Mental Health Often, A Study Among 34 Nations
Today
(October 10) is World Mental Health Day.
This year’s theme being, Mental Health in an unequal world. How often do
citizens think about their mental wellbeing? Interestingly, 7 in 10 urban
Indians polled (70%) claimed to be thinking about their mental wellbeing
often; while 58% of global citizens claimed to think often. Portugal was the
highest at 82%, with most thinking about their mental wellbeing. How often think about
mental health.
"The
prolonged pandemic of two years was a strain on mental health with increased
stress, of the illness lurking and affliction, and of course, the collateral
impact on jobs, finances etc., which is bringing Mental Health into the focus
and how mental wellbeing too should be addressed," said Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India. Gauri Pathak, Country Service Line Leader, Healthcare, Ipsos
India, echoed similar views, "People
have witnessed high levels of uncertainty and insecurity during the pandemic.
This has led to increase in mental health issues. At the same time there has
been a lot of focus on creating awareness and acceptance about mental health
too." Mental Health
Issues have been impacting urban Indians Urban Indians are dealing
with a host of issues, which have been largely impacting their day to day
lives. 37% said, they felt stressed to the
point where it had an impact on how they live their daily lives; 36% felt stressed to the point where
they felt like they could not cope/ deal with things; 34% felt depressed to the point that
they felt sad or hopeless almost every day for a couple of weeks or more; 33% felt stressed to the point they
could not go to work for a period of time and 24% seriously considered suicide or
self-hurt. "Mental
Health impact has been quite severe for a significant number of urban Indians
and they have been confronting a lot of issues which can be eased by
communicating or medical help. Notably, a number of respondents are sharing,
earlier it was considered a taboo to even mention it due to stigma attached
to the topic and misinterpretations," added Adarkar. "The
impact of mental health challenges, e.g. stress, depression on the lives of
urban Indians have been quite significant. While these issues impacted their
day to day life, they also skipped work and social gatherings. There is a
strong need for employers to understand the sensitivity of this issue and
support employee mental wellbeing," added Pathak. Remedial
measures taken Urban Indians claimed to
have taken some concrete steps to alleviate their mental health issues.
Physical
Health vis-à-vis Mental Health 3 in 4 urban Indians (75%)
think about their physical wellbeing often. No stark differences seen
between perception and experience. While at the global level
the difference was glaring 76% perceived both physical and mental health
being equally important, but only 33% claimed the system treated both on the
equal footing. 41% believed physical health was prioritized. 10 October 2022 Source:
https://www.ipsos.com/en-in/7-10-urban-indians-think-about-their-mental-wellbeing-often-ipsos-global-mental-health-survey-2022 764-769-43-31/Polls YouGov Survey Of 11
Western Countries Has Revealed That Halloween Is Perceived Skeptically In All
Of Them
The stereotypical image of Halloween is a far cry
from its original Christian religious observances of praying for the souls of
the deceased. However, this does not mean that current traditions cannot
be respected. But do Westerners think that corporations have too much
influence over the popular annual event?
Italians are the least likely to consider it as a
"real" celebration, with just 6% (lowest percentage among all
countries). As many as 85% of Italians, in fact, perceive Halloween as
an event that is celebrated only because it is marketed. In none of the
other countries surveyed do more than 13% of people see it as a real
celebration. However, the Halloween influence seems to be
spreading among the younger generation. In all countries, young adults
(aged between 18 and 34) are more likely than others to think that the event
is celebrated more because it is a real celebration. With the exception
of the United States, where the results are relatively consistent across all
age groups.
October 27, 2022 Source:
https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/10/27/halloween-come-viene-percepito-nei-paesi-occidenta/ 764-769-43-32/Polls The Majority Of Global Consumers
(60%) Prefer To Go To A Physical Store For Purchase Of Food Products, Asked To
The Consumers Of 18 Markets
But for other FMCG
goods? What do consumers prefer? There are many advantages of buying in-store, such as
touching the products, easily comparing them with each other and the
immediacy of the purchase, then taking the purchased product home immediately
rather than waiting for the order to be processed and
delivered. However, when it comes to other consumer goods, consumers
seem to be less enthusiastic about buying in-store. Not surprisingly, older consumers show a preference
for shopping in physical stores rather than online. In fact, 55+
consumers are more likely to say they prefer to purchase medicines in person
(46% vs 55% of all global consumers) and health/beauty products (35% vs 31%). The data also shows variations based on the place of
residence of consumers: in fact, consumers in Canada (39%), Mexico (35%) and
the United Arab Emirates (36%), prefer to buy health/beauty products in
physical stores compared to global consumers. As far as over-the-counter medicines are concerned,
French (63%), Spanish (59%), Canadian (57%) and Australian (55%) consumers
are the most likely to state that they prefer to buy in-store. Those in
Sweden (29%), Germany (37%), the United Arab Emirates (37%) and the United
States (40%) are among the least likely to say they prefer buying medicines
in person. November 3, 2022 Source:
https://it.yougov.com/news/2022/11/03/global-preferenza-di-acquisto-di-farmaci-e-prodott/ 764-769-43-33/Polls Globally, 31 Percent Of Consumers
Like To Take Risks In The Stock Market, A Study In 24 Countries
Stock trading or trading, i.e. securities, ETF,
foreign exchange, etc. see many consumers worldwide as a good
investment. Taking risks in the stock market can lead to financial
success, but there are also risks.
In contrast, risk appetite is highest in South
Africa, with more than half of South African consumers (53 percent) willing
to take financial risks. In India, too, consumers are very active on the
stock exchange, 49 percent of Indians are very willing to take risks, and
consumers in the United Arab Emirates are also rarely afraid of risky trading
on the stock exchange (42 percent). November 11, 2022 Source:
https://yougov.de/news/2022/11/11/deutsche-sind-risikoscheu-der-borse/ |
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