The urgency expressed by Pope Francis on global poverty and inequality is grounded in harsh reality. 4.4 billion people – 71% of the global population of 6.2 billion – lived on $10 or less per day in 2011, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the most recently available data.
Those surveyed are generally disgruntled about the state of their economy, and many are also pessimistic about the financial prospects of the next generation.
Europeans are consistently more liberal than Latin Americans, Asians, Africans, and Middle Easterners when it comes to judging what things are morally acceptable or not.