Inequality, joblessness are top threats in 2015, World Economic Forum experts say
Growing economic inequality, increasing joblessness, global pollution and severe weather events are among the world’s most pressing threats experts say.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Six years after the beginning of the Great Recession, amid an uneven global economic recovery, publics around the world remain glum. In most nations, people say their country is heading in the wrong direction and most voice the view that economic conditions are bad,
People in emerging economies are considerably more satisfied with their lives today than they were in 2007.
Our 2014 Global Attitudes survey in 44 countries asked which among five dangers was considered to be the “greatest threat to the world.” Many in the Middle East said religious and ethnic hatred was the greatest threat, while Europeans tended to choose inequality. Africans are more concerned with AIDS and other infectious diseases, while scattered countries, many with good reason, chose the spread of nuclear weapons or pollution and environmental problems as the top danger.
On balance, global views of China are positive, although ratings for the Asian power vary significantly across nations and regions.
With a strong economy and steady increases in its military budget, China has seen its stature grow in the eyes of the global public. Majorities or pluralities in most countries now believe China either has surpassed or will in the future surpass the U.S. as the world’s leading superpower.