When offered the chance to choose one out of six different causes for inequality — government economic policies, workers’ pay, the educational system, trade, the tax system and the poor’s work ethic — people around the world generally agree that the gap between the rich and the poor is a product of failed government policies and inadequate wages.
Publics across the globe see the threat of religious and ethnic violence as a growing threat to the world’s future, with concern especially strong in the Middle East.
As they continue to struggle with the effects of the Great Recession, most people in advanced economies are pessimistic about the financial prospects of the next generation. In contrast, emerging and developing nations are more optimistic that the next generation will have a higher standard of living.