Ipsos Update - January 2019

Our latest Perils of Perception survey exposes some of the (mis)perceptions that people across the world hold about their reality. We find widespread overestimations of how many are unemployed and seeking work, the expected number of over-65s in 2050 and the proportion of immigrants that make up their populations in their countries.

This is against the backdrop of the world becoming a “more dangerous place”, according to 74% of respondents of our Global Advisor survey in 27 countries. But this shows a decline in concern from the 81% recorded in 2017.

Still on security and world affairs, Ipsos research for UN Women on gender and displacement looks at the experience of Syrian refugee women, including their heightened levels of economic and personal insecurity, with limited opportunities to work and access to support services.

Turning to the effects of “fake news” on people’s trust in the media, a new Ipsos white paper uncovers a more complex truth about media scepticism than simply being in “crisis”. It finds differences across generations and when comparing traditional and digital media channels.

The universal topic of food is covered in the latest What the Future publication. It asks people in different countries about their expectations for the future access, affordability and quality of food as well as their food preferences and habits.

Staying on the topic of consumer behaviour, our insights from behavioural science provide advice for brands, particularly in consumer-packaged goods, on how to survive in a digital consumer landscape. This involves an understanding of how customer experience and decision-making are changing.

Meanwhile, we look at how to make sense of the information now at our disposal. Our new research paper shows that fusing AI analysis with strategic human curation can provide the right strategy for organisations who find themselves information-rich but knowledge-poor given today’s ever-expanding access to data.

Finally, looking back over 2018, the Ipsos Almanac highlights the year’s social and political trends from a UK perspective. Although a huge 85% of Britons think the country is divided, there is a sense of unity over social and environmental issues; 82% would support more funding for social care and 85% are concerned about plastic waste. And, as the UK prepares to leave the EU, we have been looking at how Britons compare to their European neighbours.