Welcome to the Ipsos Almanac
Welcome to the Ipsos Almanac – our annual review of how the events, trends and surprises of the last 12 months will shape what happens next.
Against a backdrop of unexpectedly stubborn inflation, the ever-present reality of climate change, and more than 100 ongoing conflicts around the world, our teams dissect the complexities of today’s polycrisis, a dynamic which has arguably worsened this year.
We have much to reflect on. The consumer narrative illustrates a shift towards value brands, as cost-of-living pressures bite. The balance between international brands and those with domestic pedigrees is increasingly delicate. Globalisation is still seen as a good thing, yet the pull of nostalgia remains strong – as we yearn for the comfort of bygone eras.
As our latest Ipsos Global Trends report shows, this has been a year which saw the consensus on climate change collide with reality. Seven in ten of us expect that climate change will have a severe effect on where we live during the coming decade. But people – and their governments – are clearly becoming more cautious in their attitudes. The sense of urgency for taking immediate action is not quite what it was.
When it comes to politics, a year which started with the number of populist leaders at a 20-year low ends with the electoral success of Javier Milei in Argentina and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. The lack of trust in politicians – and indeed in political systems more generally – is palpable. Watch out for even more turbulence in 2024, a year which sees more than 2 billion people going to the polls in more than 60 elections around the world.
This was the year that artificial intelligence seized the limelight, as ChatGPT made its triumphant entry onto the scene. Generative AI brings with it so many possibilities for us all to be more efficient and more creative; here at Ipsos we have our new Ipsos Facto tool which is already making a positive impact on the work we do with our clients. Yet the undercurrent of unease is palpable, ranging from worries that AI may further accelerate the spread of disinformation to fears that it will take our jobs.
Despite the divisiveness of our times, Ipsos' findings still speak to a commonality that binds us: most of us are happy with our lives, and the families and communities we are part of provide enduring anchors. There remains more that unites us than divides us.
In that spirit, join us as our experts from around the world explore today’s uncertain narrative from a variety of different angles. We have lots to think about!
The Ipsos Almanac Podcast
To take a deeper look at the defining themes of 2023, our Global CEO Ben Page was joined by Phil Tinline (author of “The Death of Consensus”) to discuss whether polarisation is quite as profound as is sometimes supposed, and whether the polycrisis may actually help to engender new consensus around concerns that are shared around the world.