Less than half of Australians (41 per cent) consider their national government good at planning for the long-term future, while 47 per cent rate businesses similarly. The major challenges facing people provide businesses and institutions a clear mandate to offer plans and solutions, according to the latest and largest Ipsos Global Trends 2023 survey.
Australian key findings included:
In Australia, we see some trends mirror global trends in some cases and differently in others:
• A growing tension between global and local. We are less likely to view globalisation as good for us personally (50 per cent vs 62 per cent global average) but have a similar proportion seeing it as good for Australia (66 per cent). So while there is a tension between global and local, in Australia there is also some tension between individually good and the greater good.
• We are concerned about environmental disaster but less so than many around the globe (72 per cent vs 80 per cent global average). Like the rest of the world we are split on whether scientists really know what they are talking about on environmental issues (49 per cent agree that scientists don’t know vs 45 per cent disagree).
• Ipsos Global Trends shows Australians have clear expectations of brands and business, as do others across the globe. Most Australians surveyed believe business can be a force for good, with 81 per cent agreeing that brands can make money and support good causes at the same time (vs 80 per cent global average)– yet at the same time, 60 per cent don’t trust business leaders to tell the truth (vs 53 per cent global average). And six in ten say they try to buy products from brands that act responsibly, even if it costs more (59 per cent vs 64 per cent global average).
• Amid rising demand for the regulation of big tech, six in ten (locally and globally) fear that technical progress is destroying our lives – again most of us (78 per cent) also say we can’t imagine life without the internet (vs 71 per cent global average); like what we see at the global level, this encapsulates the cognitive polyphasia so many of us experience in thinking about technology. In Australia, we are even more resigned to losing some privacy because of what new technology can do (87 per cent vs 81 per cent global average).
• Again, similar to the global findings, we are confident about our own prospects, despite a gloomy global outlook. In fact, Australia is one of the more optimistic nations. Our optimism bias is clear; only 29 per cent are optimistic for the world overall for the coming year, but 70 per cent consider themselves happy (vs 57 per cent global average), and two thirds (67 per cent) are optimistic about how 2023 will pan out for themselves and their family (vs 59 per cent global average).
“Navigating through the ‘Twitchy Twenties’ means detail matters,” says Ben Page (lead image), global CEO of Ipsos. “How can brands, governments and individuals work together to solve the multiple crises facing global society and build on the personal hope and optimism we see?”
Ipsos Global Trends 2023 provides the data needed to make decisions for a range of plausible future scenarios. Ipsos shares the macro forces that will shape the next decade, reviews the changes it sees in its global trends framework and suggests ways to react and build resilience.
The Ipsos report tells a story from the topline data. For a deeper dive into demographic differences, regional analysis and sector- or market-specific insights please contact us for a custom analysis of this incredibly rich data source.
