New GlobeScan-ERM-Volans research among 610 sustainability experts in 57 countries tracks how significant the backlash against the sustainability agenda, including ESG, is by region from 2024 to 2026. North America remains the most affected region at 84 percent, but Europe has climbed steadily from 59 percent in 2024 to 77 percent in 2026, while perceived backlash remains elevated in Latin America and is gradually rising in Asia-Pacific.
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New GlobeScan research among 610 sustainability experts in 57 countries finds that 59 percent say the current approach to sustainability must be radically revised, up from 56 percent in 2025. A further 36 percent want modest revision, and only 4 percent say the current approach works well as it is. With 95 percent calling for change of some kind, patience with incremental progress is running out.
New GlobeScan research in 33 markets in 2026 finds near-universal demand for AI regulation. Support barely varies by region, from 89 percent in Latin America to 86 percent in Europe, and the most AI-optimistic publics, China (90%) and India (89%), want stronger rules as firmly as the most skeptical.
As the debate over AI’s dangers intensifies and calls to slow development grow louder, new GlobeScan research across 33 markets in 2026 finds the world’s two AI superpowers holding opposite views. In China, 83 percent of people agree that the benefits of AI outweigh its risks; in the USA, just 48 percent do, and more people now disagree than agree.
New GlobeScan research across 33 markets in 2026 finds one climate crisis experienced as very different realities. Six in ten people in Latin America (60%) say they are greatly affected by climate change, more than double those saying so in North America (29%). Africa and the Middle East (39%), Asia-Pacific (37%) and Europe (33%) sit in between, and the sharpest contrasts are inside regions: 54 percent in France and 53 percent in Italy after a summer of fires and heat, against 17 percent in Sweden and the Netherlands.
New GlobeScan research across 15 markets tracked since 2012 shows that 86 percent of people now agree that today’s social, environmental, and economic challenges represent a bigger crisis than humanity has ever faced before, up from 75 percent in 2012. Disagreement has almost halved over the same period, pointing to a public that increasingly sees the current moment as unprecedented.
New GlobeScan data show that four in five Corporate Affairs practitioners anticipate societal expectations for purposeful organizational leadership to increase over the next three years, despite a more challenging environment for discussing purpose and sustainability.
New GlobeScan and BSR research explores how sustainability professionals perceive sustainability to be viewed within their organizations. Survey respondents believe sustainability teams see sustainability as a driver of long-term business strategy and innovation, while senior leadership is more likely to view it through a risk management and compliance lens.
New BSR and GlobeScan research shows sustainability professionals expect Asia-Pacific, the European Union, and China to play increasingly influential roles in shaping the sustainability agenda over the next three years, while the United States is expected to have less influence. The findings point to a more geographically distributed future for sustainability.
New GlobeScan and BSR research shows that 71% of sustainability leaders expect at least one corporate sustainability commitment to be scaled back, as companies make hard choices and prioritize a narrower set of sustainability goals.
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Corporate sustainability priorities have changed dramatically since 2016. New GlobeScan research shows regulatory requirements now surpass reputation as the leading driver of sustainability action, reflecting growing compliance pressures and stakeholder expectations.
New GlobeScan research compares soccer fans in the USA, Canada, and Mexico across key sustainable behaviors, revealing distinct strengths in avoiding packaging, recycling, and reducing single-use plastics.
New GlobeScan research shows that the main barriers to employee participation are organizational, with lack of decision-making power standing well ahead of all other constraints.
New GlobeScan and Ashoka research shows that when employees can personally help improve their company’s social and environmental impact, motivation, loyalty, and sense of purpose all increase.
New GlobeScan research finds World Cup soccer fans are more likely than the general public to buy from responsible brands, choose reusable packaging, and purchase natural or organic products.
Global survey data shows sharp differences in how seriously people view corruption, with implications for trust, fairness, and business accountability.
New global data reveals a sharp divide in Gen Z perceptions of AI risks across leading AI powers, with high concern in the USA and much lower concern in China.
New GlobeScan data show that Corporate Affairs leaders globally now view Governance issues as a greater reputational risk than Environmental or Social factors, marking a significant shift in the ESG risk hierarchy.
New GlobeScan data reveal that most Corporate Affairs teams lack confidence in their readiness to manage deepfake and AI-driven misinformation incidents, even as AI rises to the top tier of global business risks.
New GlobeScan data show geopolitical instability, AI and macro-economic pressures emerging as the most significant concerns for global businesses in 2026.
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GlobeScan research shows that global retail investors continue to view economic inequality and climate change as major investment risks and link responsible investment with stronger returns.
New GlobeScan data show which global threats the public see as most urgent, highlighting climate change, conflict, and poverty in an increasingly insecure world.
GlobeScan research shows that consumers around the world expect large companies to push governments to do more to protect water, with expectations highest in regions facing acute water stress.
GlobeScan research shows consumers rank water pollution as the world’s most serious environmental issue, outpacing climate change and resource depletion.