Asians More Optimistic Than Most for Their Countries' Future

A recent Ipsos survey of 25,000 people across 30 countries shows Asians are on average more optimisic for the future of their countries than people from the rest of the world. When asked whether they believe things in their country are headed in the right direction or off on the wrong track, 82 percent of respondents in Singapore said they think the city-state is on the right path, the highest percentage of all the countries included in the survey. In second position came Indonesia, where three quarter of respondents felt their country was headed in the right direction, followed by Malaysia (69 percent), India (62 percent) and South Korea (58 percent). The first non-Asian country, Argentina, came in sixth position with 57 percent.

As our infographic shows, all the Asian countries included in the survey scored higher than the 30-country average, which stood at 41 percent. Amongst the least optimistic countries were France (10 percent), Peru (21 percent), Hungary (24 percent) and Great Britain (24 percent). The survey, which focused on what worries people around the world, found that the most common worries across all 30 countries were crime and violence (mentioned by 32 percent of respondents), inflation (30 percent) and poverty and social inequalities/unemployment (both 28 percent). Ipsos notes that severe flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah in parts of Southeast Asia led to increased level of worry about climate change in the region. Thailand's level of concern about climate change now stands at 26 percent, 11 percentage points higher than the year before.