Ipsos Predictions 2025

Economically, rising prices, inflation and unemployment are the top concerns. Environmentally we see strong majority predictions for rising global temperatures and extreme local weather events.

Ipsos Predictions 2025

Despite the global cost of living crisis and conflicts around the world fewer people globally - and in Australia - feel that 2024 was a bad year. However, positivity for the new year is yet to return to pre-COVID levels.  Globally, people's economic outlook remains relatively unchanged on most measures for 2025 compared to what we saw last year, according to the new Ipsos Predictions Poll.

Key Australian findings

In Australia, the key findings were as follows:

• Just under two in three (63%) Australians in the Ipsos survey said: “This year was a bad year for my country”, with this measure trending down over a number of years since its peak of 92% in 2020.
• Again, things were more positive on the personal front with 52% saying: “This year was a bad year for me and my family”.  This measure hasn’t moved far in the last 3 years.
• Optimism about the year ahead has increased slightly compared to last year, 71% think that next year will be a better year than this year (vs 68% in 2023) although 47% think the global economy will be stronger next year than it was this year (vs 48% in 2023).
• Expectations are for the economy to worsen in 2025. A strong majority expect prices to rise faster than incomes (84%), while most also expect rising inflation (70%), unemployment (68%), and interest rates (60%).
• On the environmental front, 77% expect average global temperatures to rise, 72% expect more extreme weather events next year than this year,  and 41% think parts of Australia will become unliveable because of an extreme weather event.
• Australians continue to be torn regarding technology with two thirds (66%) saying ‘AI will lead to many new jobs being list in my country’, 38% believing AI will ‘lead to many new jobs being created and 58% believing smartphones will be banned from schools.
• In terms of world security there is a great deal of pessimism with just under half of us (46%) believing nuclear weapons will be used in 2025, while very few of us see an end to the war in Ukraine (17%) or conflicts in the Middle East (14%).

Ipsos Australia Content Director, Jamie Stinson, said: “The findings from this year’s Ipsos Predictions survey aren’t overly surprising.  Yes we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with optimism which was then quickly dampened by the global cost of living crisis as well as increasing interest rates and inflation.  Australians have being doing it tough for a couple of years and perhaps are now a little wary about looking ahead with too much optimism, particularly as although inflation is slowing, it is hanging around and there is no clear sign of interest rates turning in the opposite direction just yet.  As we approach another summer there is probably many who are also concerned about what challenges the weather might bring over the next few months.”