Two years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, the chiefs of the world’s most powerful regulatory bodies met in Basel, Switzerland to agree new standards for banking institutions. These included requirements for banks to hold much greater capital reserves to protect against future ‘credit crunches‘ – and while banks were this week given four extra years to raise these reserves, critics say the effect of these measures will be to reduce their ability to lend. However, GlobeScan’s most … “Developed nations looking to banks to do more to help mend the global financial system”
As 2013 begins, the leadership of various international bodies is changing, with Ireland assuming the presidency of the EU, a clutch of nations joining the UN Security Council, and the UK taking charge of the G8. Despite the shifts in power apparent in the global system, the G8 remains a formidable grouping, and British Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to put free trade at the heart of the British G8 Presidency. In some respects Mr Cameron has chosen his … “Global public supports free market, less favourable to global business—can CSR heal wounds?”
With European ministers meeting this week to hammer out a deal on reduction of Greece’s debt, and persistent rumours of bailouts for some others in the Mediterranean region, Europe’s economic crisis continues to feature prominently in the news agenda. As GlobeScan’s most recent opinion polling shows, this clearly reflects the worries of its citizens. Spanish citizens best encapsulate the crisis narrative, with unemployment, the economy and political problems cited most often as the most pressing problems facing the country. Here, … “Economic problems and unemployment dominate global concerns”
As high-level talks at the Doha Climate Conference got underway this week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned humanity was locked in a “race against time” against global warming. However, GlobeScan’s most recent opinion polling shows that the global public’s concern about the climate continues to fall sharply. After rising for much of the last decade, the proportion of people describing climate change as a “very serious” issue dropped in the wake of the failed 2009 Copenhagen intergovernmental summit, and … “As Doha conference gets underway, climate concern falling sharply”
The media is one of the institutions that has suffered the greatest decline in public trust over recent years, according to GlobeScan’s long-term tracking. One country where trust in the fourth estate has been in particularly short supply is the UK, and events this week have placed the media’s problems firmly back in the spotlight. Public outcry was sparked by revelations 18 months ago that a major British tabloid, the News of the World, had hacked the voice-mail of murdered … “Britons likely to favour government in media intrusion controversy”
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute released a report this week claiming that income inequality in America has become drastically worse over the past thirty years. Yet GlobeScan’s most recent opinion polling shows that not only are Americans relaxed about society’s wealthiest, they do not perceive inequality to be a major problem. The matrix presented here shows how views towards inequality and personal wealth compare in countries around the world. Those shown nearer the … “China and India share relaxed Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards wealth”
With figures released this week indicating that the Eurozone has tipped back into recession, companies across the continent are desperately seeking to maintain their market share and revenues, even as household budgets slide. In August, Unilever’s head of European operations, Jan Zijderveld said “poverty is returning to Europe” and that companies were going to have to learn to adjust to that reality. GlobeScan’s most recent public attitudes tracking certainly shows that, while economic concern may have retreated from its 2008 … “Opportunity among the bleak times for business in Europe?”
When German Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to Britain this week, she brought a plea for greater British engagement with Europe. Since Prime Minister David Cameron vetoed moves towards a new European treaty last December, the Eurozone has agreed greater steps toward political and economic union as it battles to save its currency, even as British parliamentarians have called for a reduction in the EU’s budget—illustrating the increasingly Euroskeptic tone of political discourse in the UK. In such an environment, commentators … “Brixit—Is Britain a Mid-Atlantic Island, or a Part of Europe?”
As Hurricane Sandy slammed into the eastern seaboard of North America, the US presidential contest was entering its home stretch. The material damage caused cannot be denied, but analysts have also occupied themselves with two further questions: most immediately, how might Sandy affect the election and, more widely, does the explanation for Sandy’s unusual strength lie in climate change? Looking back at trends in GlobeScan’s public opinion polling after Katrina provides us with some interesting reflections on both of these … “Sandy: In the shadow of Katrina”
Despite the recent strong signs that boom years may be coming to an end, the past two decades have seen unprecedented economic growth in many nations in the developing world. Previous GlobeScan polling has seen this reflected in generally higher levels of economic optimism among citizens, greater trust in institutions, and a much more upbeat assessment of the performance of the corporate world. It is something of a surprise therefore that GlobeScan’s most recent global polling also shows that people … “More than two in three globally believe humanity faces its greatest ever crisis, as economic fears abound”