"Culture Wars" divides nations around the world
Globally, 35% think that their country is divided by “culture wars”, but despite this, there is a wide variation in opinion when looking at individual countries. Here, you can get the most important insights on the survey results.
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According to a recent Ipsos Global Advisor poll, carried out in partnership with the Policy Institute at King’s College London, 35% of a global average believe their country is divided by "culture wars". People in South Africa, India and the US are the nations most likely to agree with the feeling, whereas Germany, Russia and Japan are least likely to feel divided.
In most countries, relatively few (14%) actively disagree with the statement. Instead, the level of 'don’t know's is often notable (19%, while 32% take a neutral position), suggesting this is not a concept that many are familiar with.
Various types of perceived tensions:
When it comes to various types of perceived tensions, the survey found that on average across the 28 countries, people perceive tension or division:
- between the rich and poor (74% say there is at least a fair amount of tension)
- by politics (69%)
- by social class (67%)
- by immigration (66%)
- between those with different values (65%).
There is relatively less tension (but still mentioned by nearly half) seen between cities and those outside cities, between old and young, or by levels of education or between men and women.
There were different patterns for different countries:
- The US is at the top for perceived tension between different ethnicities, with 83% believing there is a great deal or fair amount in the country. South Africa, where 79% feel this way, comes second. China and Japan come last.
- People in South Korea (87%), Chile (86%) and the US (85%) are most likely to say there is tension in their nation between those with more socially liberal ideas and those with more traditional values. China (38%) and Japan (34%) again are at the bottom of the list.
- Chile (84%) and Russia (82%) are ranked top for perceived tensions between the metropolitan elite and ordinary working people. Those in Japan (39%) and China (37%) are least likely to think this.
- Perceptions of tension between men and women are highest in South Korea (80%), followed by around 7/10 in South Africa, Mexico and Brazil.
- Individuals in South Africa (89%) and Belgium (81%) are most likely to think there is tension between immigrants and those born in their country.
- When it comes to the tension between rich and poor people, Chile (91%) and South Korea (91%) are most likely to say it exists in their countries. Those in Japan (54%) and Saudi Arabia (50%) are the least likely to think this tension exists.
People in the 28 countries surveyed were asked to rate their feelings about political correctness on a scale from 0 to 7, with 0 meaning many people are too easily offended and 7 meaning people need to change the way they talk to be more sensitive to those from different backgrounds.
Overall, in most of the countries, most people leaned towards believing we need to change the way people talk:
- Those in Britain, the US and Australia were most likely to think people are too easily offended. However, other nations, such as Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands have, to the same degree, an ambivalent view towards political correctness.
- At the other end of the spectrum, people in Turkey, India and China are most likely to feel that people need to change the way they talk to be more sensitive.
