Category: World Service
Date: 24.01.2006
Printable version
A worldwide opinion survey suggests that people are evenly divided on whether economic prospects are getting better or worse - with Britain among the optimists.
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The poll for Â鶹Éç World Service found that people questioned in 15 countries were upbeat - with those in 17 others believing their nation's economic future was gloomy.
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In Britain, a majority of those questioned saw their personal finances improving (60%) along with prospects for the UK economy (52%).
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But both figures were down from 64% and 57% respectively in a similar survey a year ago.
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Economic optimism - both personal and for their country as a whole - was highest in Canada (64% and 63%).
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In Iraq - despite the continuing violence - the figures were also upbeat: 65% (personal finances improving) and 56% (national).
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Others in the top tier included India (59% and 57%); Finland (56% and 57%); South Africa (54% and 57%) and Australia (61% and 56%).
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Pessimists were headed by Zimbabwe (84% (personal economic situation getting worse) and 90% (national) followed by France (52% and 83%); Italy (54% and 78%) and Democratic Republic of Congo (63% and 79%).
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The polling organisation GlobeScan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) questioned 37,572 people in 32 countries between October 2005 and January 2006.
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Researchers also asked for views about 'big players' on the global economic stage.
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Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's) - which include environmental and social pressure groups - won the highest average "mainly positive" approval (60%), followed by the UN (59%) and World Bank (55%).
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Global companies were the least highly rated on 41%.
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NGO's won high approval from France (80%), with strong backing in Britain (70%) and the United States (64%).
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Support for the United Nations was down by an average seven points on a year ago - in Britain falling from 76% to 66%, in France from 73% to 52% and in the US from 59% to 52%.
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Global companies tended to have the highest "negative" ratings in European countries - Italy (51%), Britain (47%) and France (44%).
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Positive views were most often found in Asia - South Korea (61%), Philippines (60%), Indonesia (53%) and India (41%) - and in Africa - Nigeria (67%), Senegal (51%) and Tanzania (50%).
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GlobeScan President Doug Miller said: "The very positive views on NGO's and the UN and the negative views on global companies are consistent with other research we have conducted."
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The countries polled were: Afghanistan, Agentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, USA and Zimbabwe.
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