Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Americans are different when compared with the citizens of other wealthy nations. Americans are more religious and more likely to believe individuals control their own destiny. They also are more inclined than most to say military force is a necessary component of international affairs and are more likely to think their own culture is superior […]
Publics around the world express egalitarian views about gender roles in education and, to some extent, political leadership. Overwhelming majorities in the 47 countries surveyed say it is equally important for boys and girls to receive an education. Views about women in politics are more mixed – majorities in 35 of the 47 countries included […]
Updated May 27, 2014 The original version of this report included public opinion data on the connection between religion and morality in China that has since been found to have been in error. Specifically, the particular survey item that asked whether one needed to believe in a higher power or God to be a moral […]
People around the world approve of key elements of economic globalization and believe that free trade and free markets are good for their countries. At the same time, however, many say that globalization entails some economic, environmental and cultural downsides. Support for free markets has increased; most publics endorse a capitalist approach to economics, even […]
Solid majorities in the 12 countries surveyed across Western and Eastern Europe express positive opinions about France, Germany, and Great Britain. Germany and Great Britain also receive favorable ratings from most Americans, but opinions about France are decidedly mixed in the United States. The survey also finds that opinions of NATO are mixed in Eastern […]
Rising Incomes a Big Reason, But Not the Only One
Levels of personal satisfaction vary considerably across the world. People in the economically advanced countries of Western Europe, Canada and the United States are relatively happy with their lives. For example, when asked to place themselves on a “ladder of life,” where zero represents the worst possible life and 10 the best possible life, 72% […]
Overall, many publics are somewhat more satisfied with the state of their countries than they were five years ago. In the 35 nations where trends are available, the number of people satisfied has increased in 21, declined in nine, and remained basically unchanged in five. The greatest improvement is found in Bangladesh, where 75% currently […]
Opinion about Russia varies widely throughout the world, with some of the most striking differences evident among nations formerly tied to the Soviet Union. In Ukraine and Bulgaria, positive opinions of Russia surpass negative sentiments by wide margins. But the balance of opinion is decidedly negative in Poland. And while most people in the Czech […]