What Worries the World – April 2026

Important note from the editor: Starting this month, the sample composition in India has switched from mixed methodology to online-only. Due to this methodology change, there are no month-over-month or year-over-year comparisons for India in this edition of our report.

World Worries: Long-Term Trends

Q: Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country?

Focus on the U.S.

This month’s edition includes a special focus on the mood in the United States. With the Iran war entering its third month we also feature a detailed look at how levels of concerns about military conflict are changing. We asked Alec Tyson, Senior Vice President, Ipsos in the US, and co-author of America 250, his perspective:

Economic Situation Change

Q: How would you describe the current economic situation in your country? Net "good"

Across 30 countries, 36% of people describe the current economic situation in their country as “good”.

The conflict in the Middle East seems to be shaping people’s perceptions to their economy, particularly in Europe and APEC.

France has hit a new low after the proportion saying the nation’s economy is “good” fell 5pp from last month to 7%. This is the lowest it has been in over 10 years.

Similarly, Great Britain’s score dropped 4pp to 17%, the lowest it has been since November 2022 (15%).