Economic ratings across 34 countries are more negative than positive
A median of about two-thirds of adults (64%) rate their country’s economic situation poorly.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
A median of about two-thirds of adults (64%) rate their country’s economic situation poorly.
Across 34 countries, a median of 65% said in 2019 they felt pessimistic about reducing the gap between the rich and poor in their country.
Spain’s public is concerned about democracy, inequality and their children’s financial future. But views of the economy have rebounded overall.
Most Indians are satisfied with their country’s direction and the economic prospects of the next generation despite dissatisfaction over issues including unemployment and the efficacy of elections.
Japanese feel better about their economy than at any time in nearly two decades. But they also believe average people are worse off than before the Great Recession and worry about their children’s futures.
Despite some ups and downs over the past several decades, today’s real average wage in the U.S. has about the same purchasing power it did 40 years ago. And most of what wage gains there have been have flowed to the highest-paid tier of workers.
The fortunes of the middle classes across Western Europe are moving in different directions. Some nations are experiencing both growing incomes and expanding middle classes, while other nations are witness to stagnant or declining incomes and shrinking middle classes, a new Pew Research Center analysis of 11 Western European countries has found. But in a few other countries studied, the middle-class shares are decreasing even as incomes overall are rising.
From 1991 to 2010, the middle class expands in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, but, as in the United States, shrinks in Germany, Italy and Spain
The American middle class is smaller than middle classes across Western Europe, but its income is higher.
Many people in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are concerned about their countries’ political and economic systems. Yet, there is considerable optimism about the future.
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