Global Affairs: Key insights, data and solutions

Here’s Ipsos' best and freshest data and actionable intelligence on global issues for business leaders, policymakers and insights professionals

From climate change to economic and geopolitical instability, the 21st century has been defined by complex, interlocking trends at a planetary scale. Here's Ipsos' latest data on these global issues. 

Key takeaways:

  • For many around the world, hope 
    • Only one in four people worldwide (25%) say they are optimistic about the state of the world over the next year. Just one in three (36%) is optimistic about their country. Yet 55% are optimistic about themselves and their families, according to the tenth edition of Ipsos Global Trends. Drawing on nearly 30,000 interviews in 38 global markets, this year’s edition explores how individuals are looking for hope in their own lives as they navigate a turbulent world, and how they look to brands and institutions for support.
  • Facing trade dispute, majority of Americans want the U.S. to make tradeoffs with Canada
    • A new Ipsos poll finds that, as the U.S.’ current trade dispute with Canada escalates, a majority of Americans believe the U.S. should be willing to make tradeoffs with Canada, even if it means it doesn’t get most of what it wants (68%), rather than take a tough stance and insist on getting most of what it wants (25%). A plurality of Americans (46%) feel that the U.S. is more responsible for the current trade dispute with Canada, while just 12% feel that Canada is more responsible and 18% say both countries are equally responsible.
  • What will be the legacy of the hottest summer on record? 
    • Among 750 consumers across the U.S., roughly four-in-ten say the financial strain is their top climate worry, eclipsing property damage, power outages, and health risks. "Is This the Summer that Changed Everything," a new webinar and report from Ipsos, explores climate change and its impact on everything from political stability to consumer behavior. 
  • Eight in ten expect U.S. military involvement in Iran to continue for extended period
    • 83% of Americans say they expect U.S. military involvement in Iran to go on for an extended period of time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 21-24. This view is up 23 percentage points since early March, when 60% said this. Just 12% expect the involvement to end in a matter of weeks. 
  • Concern about military conflicts is on the rise globally
    • Concern about military conflict between nations is on the rise in 2026, according to the What Worries the World report.  The proportion mentioning military conflict between nations across 30 countries is up to 13%, which is 4pp higher than this time last year. North America has also seen increase levels of concern, albeit, not to the same degree: The U.S. (14%) is up 3pp and Canada (12%) has increased 5pp.

More Americans think the world is changing too fast

Two in three (65%) Americans have felt stressed in the last month, and more than eight in ten (83%) say the world is changing too fast. Both of those feelings show a slight uptick from when we last asked a year ago. However, it’s worth noting that those are both the highest levels of agreement we have seen at any point. So another piece of evidence of how stressed America is at the moment, especially as the remainder of the battery is generally flat compared to previous waves. (Read more.)

Most aren't thinking about climate change's impact on their wallet...yet 

Most people are not thinking about what climate change is costing them. Only 39% do, and only 12% think about it “a great deal.” This is a number we’re going to watch, and the fact that younger folks are thinking more about it is a signal. To be sure, it is costing people. Insurance costs, energy costs, food costs… there are real price increases folks are already paying. But again, only 39% say they’re thinking about it that way… so far. (Read more.)

Americans are concerned about the environmental effect of AI data centers

Overall, AI data centers are not popular. Only 27% agree that AI data centers would significantly contribute to economic growth and job creation in their community. Only one in four say that the tech advancements outweigh the potential concerns. (Read more.)

As exhaustion sets in, expectations are shifting on climate change

Three of the last four years have been the hottest on record. Yet the individual desire to act on climate change has fallen over the same period. That tension sits at the heart of this report. What the data tells us is not a story of apathy. People still believe action is needed —in 28 of 31 countries, a majority say individuals must do more. But exhaustion is setting in, and expectations are shifting. Citizens are increasingly looking to governments and businesses to lead. In the U.S., this manifests as a shift toward pragmatic resilience. While extreme weather and the rising costs of energy, housing, and insurance are driving anxiety, they are also aligning Americans around shared values. (Read more.) 

WW3 is now Americans' top apocalyptic worry

It’s perhaps not surprising that the biggest change from the previous wave was a 5-point jump in those fearing World War III, and an equal jump in those fearing total economic collapse in the U.S. (putting those fears No. 2 and 1, respectively). Closely following that is a collapse of the U.S. democracy, which fell 8 points and dropped from the top worry to the third. (Read more.) 

Americans think the economy and foreign conflicts are the most pressing issues facing the nation  

The economy is seen as the most important problem by 16% of Americans, followed by war and foreign conflicts at 14%—a 13-point increase from February amid ongoing U.S. military strikes in Iran. When looking at other issues, there are notable partisan differences. (Read more.) 

Violence, inflation, and poverty top list of global worries

On the global stage, concern about inflation has gradually trended downward, according to Ipsos' What Worries the World report. On average across 30 countries, four in ten say their country’s current economic situation is good, rising to more than three in four in Singapore (78%), India (76%), and Malaysia (78%, which marks an all-time high good economy score). However, concern about crime & violence has steadily trended upwards. (Read more.) 

Americans have deep concerns over challenges facing future generations

Childhood tomorrow could look very different from growing up today. The nature and extent of that concern varies, however: 88% of Democrats worry that kids born today will have to deal with the effects of climate change, far more than Republicans (47%) and the general population (68%). (Read more.) 

Most Americans expect extreme weather events to become more frequent in the near future

According to the latest USA Today/Ipsos poll, a majority of Americans (58%) agree that extreme weather events will become more frequent in the near future. But while  84% of Democrats agree that extreme weather events will increase in the near future, only 38% of Republicans feel the same. Democrats are also much more likely than Republicans to say that weather events like extreme heat, wildfires, and hurricanes have gotten more intense in the past decade. (Read more.)

Consumers doubt brands' environmental claims

According to Ipsos' 2025 People and Climate Change report, only one in five (22%) across 32 countries trusts environmental claims made by companies about their products and services. (Read more.)

Consumers around the world say prices are the largest barrier to making more sustainable choices

Around the world, the perception of high prices continue to deter consumers from sustainable spending. (Read more.)

Global attitudes on the climate are converging

 

 

The macro environment for climate is changing rapidly as worldwide investment in renewables continues to rise and the impacts of global warming become more evident. Our data reflects this: globally, views on the importance of climate action are converging, and have increased in intensity over the past ten years. The key question now is how far — and how fast — people are willing to change their daily lives to reach shared goals. (Read more.)

Perspectives around the world on plastic pollution 

Strong majorities across 32 countries agree with a range of bans on plastics and byproducts, while there’s slightly lower support for putting more onus on governments and manufacturers. (Read more.)

Further reading:

Historical data:

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