Britons are among the most negative on the economy in the world
With George Osborne’s Budget statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday hoping to bring growth to the UK economy, the news that Britons are among the most negative about the economy in the world – ranking alongside Italy, France and Japan – will come as a blow to the Chancellor. According to new research from Ipsos’s Global @advisor online research conducted in 24 countries, just one in ten (12%) Britons rate the economy as “good” the same proportion (11%) expect the economy to strengthen in the next six months. Only France and Japan are less optimistic about their economic prospects. By comparison to Great Britain, two thirds of Germans and Canadians (64% and 66% respectively) rate their economy as good as do one in five Americans (20%). The most optimistic citizens are those in some of the fast developing nations. Three quarters (73%) of Brazilians expect their economy to get stronger in the next six months as do three in five (61%) Indians. The attitudes of citizens in the two economic powerhouses of China and the USA are very different. While half (49%) of Chinese citizens are optimistic that their economy will strengthen in the next six months, just a quarter (27%) of Americans say the same.
Managing Director of Ipsos Social Research Institute, Bobby Duffy, said:
We know economic optimism can be a pretty good predictor of future economic growth, it is therefore a concern that British optimism is so low in comparison to other nations
Notes to Editors
Global @advisor is a monthly online survey conducted by Ipsos via the Ipsos Online Panel system. The countries reporting herein are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America. A total sample of 18,829 adults were interviewed for this survey: aged 18-64 in the US and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries, were interviewed. Approximately 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+.. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country Census data available and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe, (in the small number of developing countries where access to the internet is limited respondents are more likely to be affluent and well connected than the average member of the population.)
