The online community focused on two primary subjects last week – the passing of singer Michael Jackson and the continuing unrest in Iran. The reaction to the King of Pop’s death, along with stunning video of an Iranian woman referred to as “Neda,” demonstrated again not only the power of social media but the range of its use.
Views on Democracy, Religion, Values, and Life Satisfaction in Emerging Nations
The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey found that people who have achieved middle class income status are generally more inclined to embrace key democratic principles than those who are less well-off. In many countries surveyed, more middle-income than lower-income earners considered honest multiparty elections, a fair judicial system, a free press, free speech, and freedom […]
Across countries and regions, the middle class is more likely to embrace more secular and more tolerant principles. Among the 13 countries in this study, religion was generally less important in the personal lives of middle class respondents, and they were less likely to say that believing in God is a prerequisite for a moral […]
Overall, the Pew Global Attitudes analysis of middle-income countries found a linkage between economic prosperity and life satisfaction. To gauge life satisfaction, respondents were asked to place themselves on a “ladder of life,” where zero represents the worst possible life and 10 the best possible life. Middle-class respondents consistently gave more positive ratings to their […]
Various studies have shown that as individuals are lifted out of poverty, concern about issues outside of day-to-day survival – such as environmental protection – increase. The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey found that, in several countries, the middle class reported greater concern about global warming and was more likely to identify pollution as a […]