Americans Are Just as Likely to Say Their Country Is on the Wrong Track as Are People in Other Countries

Washington, DC, September 6, 2019 — A majority of citizens across 28 nations feel their country is on the wrong track (58% on average), according to the latest installment of What Worries the World, an Ipsos study. The proportions of Americans who believe their country is off on the wrong track (58%) and in the right direction (42%) are exactly the same as the global average. People in Great Britain (78%), France (77%), South Africa (74%), Belgium (74%) and Spain (73%) show the highest levels of pessimism about the direction of their country. At the other end of the spectrum, most of those surveyed in China (94%), Saudi Arabia (78%), India (73%) and Malaysia (60%) express optimism.

What Worries the World is a monthly online survey of adults aged under 75 in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States. 

• Globally, the top worries are: unemployment (32%), poverty and social inequality (32%), crime and violence (31%), financial/political corruption (30%) and healthcare (26%).
• Americans share some of these same worries. The top five concerns in the U.S. include healthcare (at the #1 spot with mentions by 38%), crime and violence (27%) and financial and political corruption (24%). However, Americans tend be more concerned than global citizens by immigration control (37% vs. 15%) and moral decline (24% vs. 15%) while they tend to be less worried about poverty and social inequality (19%, ranking #8 for the U.S.) and unemployment (10%, ranking #13 for the U.S.).

Globally, the top five worries are:

• Unemployment: 32% globally say it is one of the three issues they find most worrying for their country. Among the 28 countries surveyed, concern with unemployment is most widespread in South Korea (64%), South Africa (62%) and Italy (59%) and least so in Germany (8%) and Poland (9%).
• Poverty/Social Inequality: A top concern for 32% globally, it is most widely cited in Russia (60%), Serbia (52%) and Hungary (49%), and least so in Saudi Arabia (17%) as well as Sweden and Poland (both 18%).
• Crime & Violence: Mentioned by 31% globally as a key concern, it tends to worry citizens of Mexico (66%), South Africa (62%) and Peru (60%) the most. In contrast, the level of concern with crime and violence is relatively low in Russia (7%), Hungary (11%) and Saudi Arabia (13%).
• Financial/Political Corruption: A top concern for 30% globally, it is mentioned by more than half of those surveyed in South Africa (60%), Russia (57%) and Peru (56%). It is a relatively minor concern in Sweden (8%), Germany (10%) as well as in Japan and Great Britain (both 13%).
• Healthcare: Mentioned by 26% globally, it is cited a top worry for over two thirds in Hungary (69%) and about one in two in Poland (54%) and Brazil (45%). In contrast, few are especially worried about healthcare in South Korea (2%), Turkey (4%) as well as Malaysia and Argentina (both 7%).

The five major worries in the United States are:

• Healthcare: cited by 38% in the U.S. vs. 26% globally, healthcare is the top issue in the U.S. while it ranks only at #5 globally.
• Immigration Control: cited by 37% in the U.S. vs. 15% globally (making it only the #8 issue in a three-way tie), immigration control is a greater worry in the U.S. than it is in any of the other 27 countries surveyed. The only ones that come close are Germany (31%), Italy (30%) and Sweden (also 30%).
• Crime and Violence: cited by 27% in the U.S. vs. 31% globally. It is the #3 worry both in the U.S. and globally.
• Financial/Political Corruption: cited by 24% in the U.S. vs. 30% globally. It ranks as the #4 worry both in the U.S. and globally.
• Moral Decline: cited by 24% in the U.S. vs. 15% globally, moral decline is a bigger concern in the U.S. than in other countries surveyed except China (31%), Japan (28%), Malaysia (28%) and Serbia (26%). It only ranks #8 globally, in a tie with immigration control and climate change.

About the Study

The survey was conducted in 28 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. The 28 countries included are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America.

For this study, 19,520 interviews were conducted between June 21 and July 5, 2019 among adults aged 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Israel, South Africa and Turkey and 16-74 in all other countries. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.

In 17 of the 28 countries surveyed internet penetration is sufficiently high to think of the samples as representative of the wider population within the age ranges covered: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain and United States.  The remaining 11 countries surveyed: Brazil, Chile, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey have lower levels of internet penetration and so these samples should instead be considered to represent a more affluent, connected population.  These are still a vital social group to understand in these countries, representing an important and emerging middle class. 

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Vice President, U.S. Public Affairs
[email protected]
 

Nicolas Boyon
Senior Vice President, U.S. Public Affairs
[email protected]

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