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Global Societal Trends

on Sustainable

Development Issues

December 2012

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Sponsors and Partners of The Regeneration Roadmap

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Summary of Findings

The following is a report of findings of a number of public opinion survey questions fielded for

the Regeneration Roadmap via GlobeScan Radar. GlobeScan Radar is a program of

evidence and counsel that draws upon GlobeScan’s unique database of over fifteen years of

tracking of global (20-30 countries) citizen and stakeholder perceptions around business and

its role in society. Please see slide 23 for the methodology.

Increasing concern about social problems, declining concern about the environment

• On a global level, economic problems are viewed as the most serious challenge, although

concern here is declining. Worry about social issues, such as healthcare and education,

however, is escalating whereas concern about environmental issues has fallen sharply.

Economic

• Over the last five years, those in EU countries and emerging nations have been

increasingly concerned about the economy.

• People in Spain, Kenya, and Nigeria are more likely than others to view economic

problems and economic uncertainty as serious challenges.

• Most fast growing economies show a declining concern about poverty.

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Summary of Findings

Social

• Brazilians are increasingly concerned about health care in contrast to the Chinese who

are now less worried about health care than before.

• Concern about education is rising in many emerging countries but also in a number of

countries in North America and the EU.

• Education is viewed as more of a challenge in three of the emerging economies

surveyed—Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria.

Environmental

• People in emerging economies, especially in Brazil, increasingly view environmental

pollution as a serious challenge, but they are rapidly becoming less concerned about

climate change.

• Overall, Latin Americans are the most concerned about environmental pollution and

climate change.

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Globally, poverty and economic problems are seen as the most challenging, followed by social and environmental issues

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is.

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Implications

• Economic issues are paramount. It is clear that while concern about climate change

and pollution may have held steady in the face of rising economic concerns for a time,

economic conditions – particularly in the West – have now eclipsed concerns such as

the environment. Those seeking to engage the public on environmental issues will

need to find new ways to reach them, possibly with more appealing narratives that

address self-interest rather than those that highlight the enormity of the challenge.

• Over the longer term, concern about climate change could remain subdued as long as

economic problems – or at least worries over the economy – remain high. Further

large-scale extreme weather events could alter this scenario, as happened following

Hurricane Katrina in the USA. Meanwhile, issues such as poverty, health and

education may remain front and centre, as budgets come under further pressure –

especially in Europe.

• These patterns are not limited to wealthy countries and the decline in the importance of

economic issues does not have its roots solely in economic immediacy. Indeed, whilst

developing world concerns about climate change have stabilised overall, the proportion

of people describing this issue as “very serious” (as opposed to “somewhat”) continues

to fall in emerging markets. This may reflect on impact of doubts raised about climate

science and/or that some western countries deprioritized this issue on the international

agenda as they grapple with economic problems. It may fall to corporate leaders to

take action on climate.

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Concern about the economy is on a decline but concern about social issues is on the rise; worry about environmental problems has rapidly decreased

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is.

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Economic Issues

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Spain, Kenya, and Nigeria show very high concern with the economy, in contrast to East Asian countries

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. - Economic problems and uncertainty

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Many EU and emerging Markets (Brazil, China, India) are increasingly concerned about economic problems

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how

serious a challenge you think it is. - Economic problems and uncertainty

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Developing countries are most concerned about poverty and homelessness, with Brazil, Nigeria, and Kenya topping the list

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a challenge you

think it is. - Poverty and homelessness

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Most fast growing economies seeing a decline in concern over poverty, with China a notable exception

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a challenge you

think it is. - Poverty and homelessness

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Social Issues

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Brazilians are most likely to see health care as a major challenge

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a challenge

you think it is. - Health care

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Brazilians are increasingly concerned about health care in contrast to the Chinese whose concern has rapidly decreased

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. - Health care

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Education seen as more of a challenge in three of the fastest emerging economies—Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. -Education

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Concern over education is rising in many emerging countries but also in North America and the EU

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. -Education

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Environmental Issues

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Latin Americans are the most concerned about environmental pollution; East Asians, Kenyans, Germans, the least

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. - Environmental pollution

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People in emerging economies, especially Brazil, increasingly view environmental pollution as a serious challenge

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. –Environmental pollution

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Latin Americans are most likely to view climate change as a serious problem; Americans among the least likely

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. – Climate Change

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Developing nations rapidly becoming less concerned about climate change

Q4b_at. I am going to read you a list of possible challenges in our society. For each, please tell me how serious a

challenge you think it is. – Climate Change

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Methodology

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Map of participating countries

Representative samples of approximately 1,000 adults per country in 23 countries (n=24,441).

Some urban-only surveying in certain developing countries.

Face-to-face and telephone interviewing between December 2011 and February 2012.

All figures in the charts are expressed in percentages, unless otherwise noted.

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Methodology and Research Partners