Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THE WORLD?
September 2023
WHAT WORRIES THE WORLD?
Ipsos’ What Worries the World survey 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.
This global summary report presents the top concerns around the
world, alongside whether people think things in their country are
heading in the right or wrong direction.
@
© Ipsos | What Worries the World
WHAT WORRIES THE WORLD? SEPTEMBER 2023
Inflation is the top concern for the 18th consecutive month with almost four in ten (38%) across 29 countries picking it as a
major issue in their country. Worry about crime & violence has risen to 32% and is at its highest level since before the
pandemic in March 2020, the month before coronavirus was added to the list of issues included in What Worries the World.
Which three of the following topics do you Generally speaking, would you say things in this
Q Q
find the most worrying in your country? country are heading in the right direction, or are
they off on the wrong track?
change vs.
last month
change vs.
last month
Inflation 38% +1 ✓
Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
3 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World
45% 100%
40% 90%
38%
35% 80%
32%
31% 70%
30%
26% 60% 62%
25% 26%
50%
20%
40% 38%
15%
30%
10%
20%
5% 4% 10%
0% 0%
Sep 2022 Nov 2022 Jan 2023 Mar 2023 May 2023 Jul 2023 Sep 2023 Sep 2022 Nov 2022 Jan 2023 Mar 2023 May 2023 Jul 2023 Sep 2023
Coronavirus
Right Direction Wrong Track
Inflation Crime & Poverty & social Financial/politic Unemployment
violence inequality al corruption 17th place this month
Base: Representative sample of c.24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, September 2022 - September 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
4 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World
90%
80%
70%
60%
62%
50%
40%
30%
38%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample of c.24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
70%
38%
60%
32%
50%
40% 31%
30%
26%
20%
26%
10%
0% 4%
Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Inflation Crime & violence Poverty & social Financial/political Unemployment Coronavirus
inequality corruption
Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, 2015 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
40%
38%
35%
30%
25%
20% 19%
15%
10%
5% 4%
0%
Sep 21 Jan 22 May 22 Sep 22 Jan 23 May 23 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample of c.24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, September 2021 - September 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Coronavirus was introduced into the survey in April 2020.
11 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World
1 | INFLATION
12 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
World 32%
Peru 63% One in three (32%) across 29 countries
Chile 60% choose crime & violence as a worry in
Mexico 58% their country.
Sweden 57%
South Africa 57% Concern about crime & violence is at
Argentina 53%
Israel 48% its highest level since before the
Colombia 42% pandemic. Back in March 2020 – the
South Korea 42% month before coronavirus was added
Brazil 41% to What Worries the World as a
US 37% concern – 33% thought it was a top
France 34%
Australia 29% issue.
India 28%
Belgium 26% South Korea has seen the biggest rise
Italy 25% in worry this month, up 18pp. Over four
Germany 24% in ten (42%) say it is one of the top
Indonesia 22%
Thailand 22% issues affecting the country. This
Netherlands 20% comes on the back of a series of
Malaysia 20% violent attacks in the country.
Turkey 19%
Great Britain 18%
Peru is now the most concerned
Japan 18%
Spain 17% country about crime. In September it
Canada 16% has seen a 6pp increase in worry, with
Singapore 8% 63% now choosing it as a concern.
Poland 7%
Hungary 7%
13 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
World 31%
Indonesia 44%
Brazil 43% One in three (31%) across 29 countries
Thailand 43% choose poverty & social inequality as
Netherlands 42% one of the biggest concerns in their
Argentina 41% country. Level of worry is the same as
Hungary 40%
Germany 37% last month but the issue has fallen from
Malaysia 36% second to third place in What Worries
Japan 35% the World after an increase in concern
Peru 35% about crime & violence.
Turkey 34%
South Africa 34%
Colombia 34% Indonesia remains the most worried
Mexico 32% country for the second month in a row,
Chile 31% with 44% picking it as a concern. Brazil
Italy 29% and Thailand rank second and third,
Great Britain 28% with 43% in both markets saying
Israel 28%
Spain 27% inequality is a worry.
South Korea 26%
Australia 26% Netherlands is fourth with worry about
Belgium 26% inequality increasing by 7pp compared
Canada 26%
to last month. It is the country’s biggest
France 25%
Sweden 23% concern with four in ten (42%)
US 20% choosing it as a concern.
Singapore 20%
India 18%
Poland 17%
14 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
4 | FINANCIAL/POLITICAL CORRUPTION
World 26%
Indonesia 54% Financial/political corruption is the
South Africa 51% fourth biggest concern in our What
Peru 51%
Malaysia 50% Worries the World survey with one in
Hungary 46% four across 29 countries choosing it as
Thailand 45% a concern.
Chile 36%
Colombia 36% As well as being the most concerned
South Korea 34%
Mexico 31% country about inequality, Indonesia also
Israel 31% has the highest level of concern about
Poland 30% corruption. It is the country’s biggest
Brazil 29% worry with 54% picking it as an issue.
Argentina 27%
India 26%
US 23% More than one in two also choose
Spain 20% corruption as a top concern in South
Belgium 19% Africa, Peru and Malaysia.
Singapore 17%
Great Britain 16%
Hungary completes the top five, with
Japan 14%
Turkey 13% 46% considering corruption a worry.
Canada 12% Last month, Thailand was the third
Netherlands 11% most concerned country about
Australia 10% corruption, but it has now fallen to sixth
Germany 10%
after a 7pp decline.
Italy 10%
France 7%
Sweden 5%
15 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
5 | UNEMPLOYMENT
World 26%
South Africa 64%
India 39% One in four (26%) across 29 countries
Colombia 38% choose unemployment as one of the
Indonesia 38% biggest concerns in their country. This
Italy 38% level of concern is unchanged from last
Spain 38%
Singapore 34% month.
Malaysia 34%
Peru 33% At a global level, worry is the same as
Mexico 33% it was 12 months ago (26%) but is 4pp
South Korea 32% lower than two years ago and is 14pp
Argentina 31%
Chile 30% lower than September 2020.
Thailand 27%
Brazil 26% South Africa is the most concerned
Turkey 25% about unemployment, with 64%
Australia 24% choosing it as a worry. South Africans
Japan 20%
Hungary 16% have been the most worried about jobs
Belgium 16% since April 2021.
US 16%
Canada 15% India is the second most worried
Great Britain 13%
country (39%), with Colombia,
Israel 12%
Sweden 12% Indonesia, Italy and Spain all following
Germany 10% behind (each on 38%).
Poland 9%
France 9%
Netherlands 5%
16 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
7 | CLIMATE CHANGE
World 19%
Japan 32% One in five (19%) choose climate
Canada 31% change as one of the biggest worries in
Singapore 31% their country and it ranks seventh out
Australia 29% of 18 worries in our survey.
Netherlands 29%
Italy 28%
Indonesia 27% Over recent years, there has been a
Germany 27% slight rise in concern each September
Great Britain 27% on the previous year, as the northern
Spain 26% hemisphere exits summer. This time
France 24% last year, global concern was 18%, in
US 23%
Belgium 20% 2021 it was 16%.
South Korea 20%
Sweden 18% This month, Japan is the most
Poland 17% concerned country with one in three
Mexico 17% (32%) picking it as an issue.
Chile 13%
Thailand 12%
Turkey 12% Spain sees its record level of concern
Hungary 11% for climate change this month with 26%
Colombia 11% choosing it as a worry. This beats the
Brazil 10%
country’s previous high last September
India 10%
Peru 10% of 25%.
Malaysia 9%
South Africa 9%
Israel 5%
Argentina 3%
17 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
World 7%
Poland 29% Military conflict between nations ranks
Japan 18% 15th out of 18 concerns in our What
Israel 16% Worries the World survey, between
Germany 15% terrorism and maintaining social
Sweden 12% programmes.
South Korea 12%
Netherlands 10%
Great Britain 7% 7% across 29 countries say it’s one of
France 7% the biggest issues affecting their
Italy 7% country.
India 6%
Belgium 6%
US 6% Global concern has stayed moderately
Thailand 6% flat. At the beginning of this year, 8%
Australia 6% cited it as a concern and last year’s
Hungary 6% was also 8%
Singapore 4%
Canada 4%
Spain 4% Poland is the most concerned country
Indonesia 3% about this issue. Three in ten (29%)
Colombia 3% say it is a major issue in Poland, up
Malaysia 3% 2pp on last month’s score.
South Africa 2%
Turkey 2%
Mexico 2% The least concerned countries about
Brazil 1% military conflict are in LATAM, taking all
Peru 1% five spots at the bottom of the ranking.
Argentina 1%
Chile 1%
18 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Country Comparison
17 | CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
World 4%
Thailand 11% Concern for coronavirus has reached a
Japan 9% new level this month. Only 4% say it is
Malaysia 9%
Singapore 8% an issue in their country, which is the
Indonesia 7% lowest score since it was added to
India 7% What Worries the World in April 2020.
Australia 7%
US 6% That first month in April 2020, 63% said
Mexico 6%
Canada 6% it was a top issue in their country. In
Great Britain 5% September 2021, it was still the top
South Korea 4% concern in our What Worries the World
Brazil 4% survey.
Spain 3%
Netherlands 3%
Peru 3% Even at the beginning of this year,
Sweden 3% coronavirus ranked tenth in our list of
Germany 3% global concerns. At the time Malaysia
Italy 3% was the most concerned country with
Poland 3%
37% choosing it as an issue.
France 3%
South Africa 3%
Turkey 2% Eleven per cent of people in Thailand
Belgium 2% picking coronavirus as a worry is
Colombia 2% enough to make it the most concerned
Hungary 1%
country globally.
Israel 1%
Chile 1%
Argentina 1%
19 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
ECONOMIC
FOCUS
The following section draws on some of this data to provide extra context to
this month’s What Worries the World report. It shows how the public rate the
current economic climate in their country.
@
© Ipsos | What Worries the World
Read more about perceptions of the economy in the
CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION Ipsos Global Consumer Confidence survey and explore
the data in the Ipsos Global Economic Indicator portal.
Q How would you describe the current economic situation in your country?
World 36% 64%
Singapore 75% 25% Good Across 29 countries, Singapore remains
India 74% 26% the most positive about its current
Indonesia 66% 34% Bad
economy, with three-quarters of people
Malaysia 54% 46% (75%) describing it as “good”.
Netherlands 53% 47%
Thailand 46% 54%
Australia Thailand (+9pp) and Malaysia (+8pp)
45% 55%
Mexico 44% 56% have seen the biggest increases in
Belgium 42% 58% positive economic perception this
Brazil 41% 59% month. South Africa (+7pp to 25%) has
US 40% 60% also seen a rise, recording its highest
Israel 38% 62% score since April 2022 (also 25%).
Germany 36% 64%
Spain 35% 65% Meanwhile, after four months of stability
Canada 35% 65% and recovery, Sweden’s “good”
Poland 33% 67%
Sweden economy score has fallen 9pp. Peru and
31% 69%
Great Britain 28% 72% Germany have also seen a 7pp decline
Italy 28% 72% this month.
France 28% 72%
Colombia 26% 74% A 3pp rise from last month sees Belgium
South Africa 25% 75% record its highest “good” economy score
Chile 22% 78% since February 2022 (both 42%).
Peru 17% 83% Positive economic perceptions have
Turkey 17% 83% risen more in Belgium over the past 12
Hungary 17% 83%
Japan months than in any other country in our
14% 86%
South Korea 14% 86%
survey.
Argentina 5% 95%
22 ‒ © Ipsos | What Worries the World Base: Representative sample of 24,732 adults aged 16-74 in 29 participating countries, August 25th 2023 - September 8th 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Filter: Country: World | Current Wave: Sep 23
Positive economic
perceptions have risen more
CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION: BELGIUM over the past 12 months in
Belgium than in any other
Q How would you describe the current economic situation in your country? country in our survey (+16pp
(% ‘Very good’ or ‘Somewhat good’) vs. September 2022).
Belgium
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 42%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 500 adults aged 16-74 in Belgium, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
36%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 1000 adults aged 16-74 in Germany, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
38%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 500 adults aged 16-74 in Israel, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
44%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 500 adults aged 16-74 in Mexico, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
25%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 500 adults aged 16-74 in South Africa, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
Sweden
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 31%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 500 adults aged 16-74 in Sweden, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sep 13 Sep 14 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 23
Base: Representative sample c. 1000 adults aged 18-74 in US, 2013 - 2023.
Source: Ipsos Global Advisor. Global score is a Global Country Average. See methodology for details.
The “Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the Weighting has been employed to balance demographics and ensure
countries where the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population
population size of each country and is not intended to suggest a total according to the most recent census data.
result."
The sample consists of approximately 1000+ individuals in each of
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility
Israel, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the US, and approximately 500+ interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and
individuals in each of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, of 500 accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on
Malaysia, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.
Korea, Thailand and Turkey.
The samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1
Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple
Spain, Sweden, and the US can be taken as representative of these responses, or the exclusion of don't knows or not stated responses
countries’ general adult population under the age of 75. The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.