Children in that age group account for 11.9 percent of the entire population, the lowest level in the world, according to the ministry. The figure was 0.1 percentage point down from the previous year.

The percentage has now dropped for 47 straight years.

On the other hand, people 65 or older account for 28.9 percent of the population, up 0.3 percentage point from the previous year.

Although the government has long vowed to battle the demographic change, the numbers show that Japan’s declining birthrate and the graying of society have progressed further.

The ministry released the numbers to mark Children’s Day, a national holiday, on May 5.

Among those under 15 years old, 7.65 million are boys and 7.28 million are girls.

Japan has 3.24 million children between 12 and 14, and 2.65 million who are 2 years old or younger, the data showed.

The younger the age, the smaller the ratio of the overall population.

In 1950, children under 15 accounted for 35.4 percent of the population because of the first baby boom.

But the ratio started declining.

In 1997, people 65 or older made up 15.7 percent of the population, exceeding the 15.3 percent for those under 15.

The ministry compared Japan’s ratio of children with those in other countries with populations of 40 million or more.

Japan’s percentage was the lowest, although the ministry said it was difficult to do a strict comparison because the timing of the countries’ population surveys was different.

South Korea’s ratio was the second lowest, at 12.2 percent as of July 1, 2020, followed by Italy, at 13.3 percent as of July 1, 2018, and Germany, at 13.6 percent as of Jan. 1, 2019.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 5, 2021

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14342995

689-691-43-69/Country Profile

JAPAN3

SUMMARY OF POLLS

ASIA

(China)

The Population Of China Increased By 5.38 Percent To 1.41 Billion In 2020 Census Compared With An Increase Of 5.84 Percent To 1.34 Billion In The 2010 Census

With growth having slowed ever since a one-child policy was introduced in the late 1970s, the 2020 results of the country’s once-a-decade census, published on Tuesday, showed the population of mainland China increased 5.38 percent to 1.41 billion. That compared with an increase of 5.84 percent to 1.34 billion in the 2010 census, and double-digit percentage rises in all of China’s previous six official population surveys dating back to 1953.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 11, 2021

(Japan)

Japan’s Population Of Children Under 15 Shrank By 190,000 From A Year Earlier

Japan’s population of children under 15 shrank by 190,000 from a year earlier to an estimated 14.93 million as of April 1, the 40th consecutive year of decline, internal affairs ministry data showed.Children in that age group account for 11.9 percent of the entire population, the lowest level in the world, according to the ministry. The figure was 0.1 percentage point down from the previous year.The percentage has now dropped for 47 straight years.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 5, 2021

44 Percent Of Japanese People Are In Favor Of Revisions In Constitution

The Asahi Shimbun began the annual survey on how the public views proposals for amending the Constitution, a key agenda pushed by Shinzo Abe, who was prime minister from December 2012 to September 2020. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, is also seeking revisions. The Constitution, drafted during the U.S.-led postwar occupation of Japan, has never been revised since it went into force in 1947.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 3, 2021

(India)

Two In Five (19%) Indians Have Shown Willingness To Buy Pre-Owned/Second-Hand Cars

As the vaccination drive began in India and Covid was believed to be under control early this year, three in ten (29%) urban Indians said they were planning to buy a car, the data reveals. However, the second wave of the pandemic has disrupted their planning and only one in five (22%) out of them are likely to go ahead with their plan of buying a car, while some (13%) have completely given up their plan or have switched the category of the vehicle; to a two-wheeler now instead of a car (10).

(YouGov India)

May 11, 2021

Nearly Two-Thirds Of Urban Indians (64%) Are Worried They May Become Seriously Unwell Or Die Due To COVID

YouGov’s Covid19 Public Monitor has been tracking the public sentiment around the virus since last year when the pandemic first broke out in the world. In May 2020, at the outset of the pandemic, only 45% of urban Indians were worried about their personal health getting affected due to covid. A year later as India faces a much deadlier wave of the virus with limited healthcare facilities; this number has gone up to 64%.

(YouGov India)
May 21, 2021

(Pakistan)

3 In 10 Pakistanis Concerned About Digitally Sharing Their Personal Information

According to a Gallup Pakistan Survey in Pakistan (and similar surveys done by WIN International across the world), 30% Pakistanis agreed that they are concerned about sharing their personal information. When asked about the necessity of sharing personal information, 24% Pakistanis think that sharing personal information is necessary nowadays. 43% Pakistanis (27% globally) are not fine with the privacy practices of most data collectors asking for their personal information. As far as awareness about digital rights and personal data privacy is concerned, 46% Pakistanis are not aware of what happens with their personal information after they share it with a data collector.

(Gallup Pakistan)

May 18, 2021

(South Korea)

New Prime Minister Of South Korea Kim Bu-Gyeom "Conformity" 38% Vs "Nonconformity" 26%

As a result of a survey of 1,000 adults on the 11th to 13th days before the appointment of Prime Minister Kim, by Gallup Korea (±3.1% points in the 95% confidence level of the sample error), 38% of respondents said that Prime Minister Kim is suitable for the post of Prime Minister. More than 26% of respondents said they didn't. 36% declined to comment. The response that it was appropriate both before and after the personnel hearing was more than the response that it was inappropriate. In the April 20-22 survey immediately after the Prime Minister's nomination, 34% of'conformity' and 18% of'nonconformity'. In this survey, after the personnel hearing, opinion reservations decreased, and both conformity and nonconformity consensus increased.

(Gallup Korea)

2021.05.14

Public Verification Of Personnel Hearings, 'Morality' 76 Percent Vs 'Policy Ability Only' 19 Percent

Only 19% of respondents chose'private verification for morality and public verification for policy capabilities'.5% reserved their opinion. When asked whether morality and policy ability should be prioritized when verifying candidates at the personnel hearing,'morality' and'policy ability' were tied at 47% each. In particular, those in their 20s and 30s who gave priority to'policy ability' were 65% and 62%, respectively, higher than those of other age groups.

(Gallup Korea)

2021-05-14

MENA

(Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

MENA Advertiser Of The Month (April): Vimto

This Ramadan, Vimto came up with a campaign that helped the brand win YouGov's Advertiser of the Month. Data from YouGov BrandIndex shows the percentage of adults in KSA who saw Vimto’s ad during the month of April shot up by 11 points from 19% (April 1) to 30% (April 30). The campaign attracted participation from across KSA which helped the Ad Awareness score of the brand to shoot up from 19% on April 1 to 30% on April 29.

(YouGov MENA)
May 10, 2021

(UAE)

Global Village Has Emerged As The Top Mover This Year, With A Change In Score Of +14.2 Compared To Ramadan 2020 In UAE

YouGov BrandIndex data shows Global Village has emerged as the top mover this year, with a change in score of +14.2 compared to Ramadan 2020. Despite ongoing Covid19 operating procedures in place, Global Village decided to extend its open season into Ramadan this year. This extension, coupled with it being the silver jubilee (25^th year) season, saw it promote its 25^th world record-breaking event, which clearly reached a wide audience in Ramadan.

(YouGov MENA)
May 20, 2021

AFRICA

(Mauritius)

87 Percent Mauritians Think Social Media Makes People More Informed About Current Affairs

While a small share of citizens believe that the use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp makes people more susceptible to fake news and intolerance, a large majority say social media informs them about current events and helps them have an impact on political processes. The share of Mauritians who use social media every day has more than doubled over the past six year, from 32% in 2014 to 69% in 2020. Overall, citizens believe the effect of social media on society is positive.

(Afrobarometer)

5 May 2021

(Gambia)

63 Percent Gambians Get News From Television And 55 Percent Get From Social Media

An overwhelming majority of Gambians say the media is in fact free to do its work without government interference. The Gambia’s media environment has become somewhat less restrictive in recent years, including a 2018 Supreme Court decision that the criminalization of defamation is unconstitutional. The 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranked the Gambia 85th out of 180 countries in media freedom, up two spots from the previous year.

(Afrobarometer)

4 May 2021

(Tunisia)

Half Of Tunisian Citizens 49 Percent Are In Favor Of Press Freedom

According to the survey, most citizens are in favor of filtering press publications when they are false or hateful in nature. The survey therefore revealed that most citizens believe that the media and journalists“sometimes” or even “often” disclose information which they know to be false. Yet half of citizens believe that the government should be able to ban any publication of content that it disapproves of, though a downward trend.

(Afrobarometer)

May 7, 2021

WEST EUROPE

(UK)

Three In Four (76%) Religious People Indicated A Likelihood To Donate To A Charity

Asked about their likelihood to donate to a charity in the next three months, three in four (76%) religious people indicated a likelihood to do so, demonstrating a significantly higher propensity than the irreligious and non-practising group (56%). The difference may be at least partially explained by the fact that 17% of people in the religious group cited their religious belief as a motivation towards donating directly to a charity.

(YouGov UK)

May 05, 2021

One In Eleven NHS Workers Plan To Leave Healthcare Sector After Pandemic

YouGov’s research shows little difference between roles within the NHS, with 9% of staff in patient-facing roles saying it is unlikely for them to remain in the sector, as do 8% of those in non-patient-facing positions. However, the figure is higher among male NHS workers, one in seven of whom (14%) think it is unlikely they will work in the healthcare sector when the pandemic ends, twice that of women (7%) who said the same.

(YouGov UK)

May 05, 2021

Two In Five People Point To Housing (44%) And Crime (43%) As The Most Urgent Problems To Be Tackled By New Mayor

Londoners are heading to the ballot boxes today to elect or re-elect the next mayor. YouGov data shows that two in five people point to housing (44%) and crime (43%) as the most urgent problems to be tackled, while just over a third (36%) say it’s the economy. These issues are followed by health (32%), the environment (24%) and transport (18%). These issues largely match the main candidates’ pledges, with current mayor Sadiq Khan promising to build more council homes, crack down on crime and lower the cost of commuting.

(YouGov UK)

May 06, 2021

Four In Ten Britons Satisfied With Their Local Council, But Most In The North Of England Feel They Get Less National Spending Than Other Areas

Britons are more likely to say they’re satisfied than dissatisfied with the way their local council runs things, according to a new Ipsos MORI poll. The poll was conducted with 8,352 people aged 16+ across the United Kingdom. The survey reveals that two in five (40%) say that they’re satisfied with the way their local council runs things while a quarter (25%) say they’re dissatisfied.

(Ipsos MORI)

7 May 2021

Three Quarters Of British Women (76%) Say Men In Society Don’t Pull Their Weight In Keeping Women And Girls Safe

Three quarters of women (76%) say men in society don’t pull their weight in keeping women and girls safe. Men tend to agree (63%), although a fifth (20%) consider their gender overall to be doing enough – almost three times the number of women who think so (7%). Seven in ten women (69%) also say the government’s efforts are lacking, compared with 59% of men. A majority of women (62%) similarly feel the police aren’t doing enough, while around half of men (52%) agree.

(YouGov UK)

May 10, 2021

Towards The End Of Last Year, Over Half Of The Public (53%) Said The Covid-19 Pandemic Had Negatively Affected Their Mental Wellbeing

Data from YouGov Direct conducted during Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 reveals that Britons are most likely to believe that low availability of public services play the biggest role in preventing people from accessing treatment. Two in five say capacity issues such as long wait times (40%) are the largest barrier to seeking help, with social stigma coming a distant second (22%). NHS England data from April 2021 revealed that the number of people on waiting lists for all NHS treatment was at 4.7 million people – the highest number since records began in 2007.

(YouGov UK)

May 14, 2021

Three In Ten Britons Feel Less Certain About Government’s Guidance For Which Activities You Should And Shouldn’t Do And Say It’s Either Not Very (19%) Or Not At All Clear (9%)

Critics are now attacking Boris Johnson for a reopening approach marked by “confusion”, which includes allowing travel but ministers saying you shouldn’t do it, and legalising hugging but advising “cautious cuddling”. But are the Britons as confused as commentators insist? Not according to the public themselves. Two thirds of people say the government’s guidance for which activities you should and shouldn’t do is very (19%) or fairly (48%) clear. Around three in ten feel less certain, however, and say it’s either not very (19%) or not at all clear (9%).

(YouGov UK)

May 20, 2021

41% Of 18-24 Year Olds Now Say Britain Should Have An Elected Head Of State

Attitudes among young people to the monarchy have changed substantially since 2019. YouGov data from a number of our 2021 polls on the monarchy so far shows that 41% of 18-24 year olds now say Britain should have an elected head of state, while only 31% would like to see the monarchy continue. The results, which are likely to be cause for concern for Buckingham Palace, come after a turbulent start to 2021, with Harry and Meghan’s controversial Oprah interview in March and Prince Philip’s passing in April.

(YouGov UK)

May 21, 2021

Charging An Electric Car Vs Refuelling A Petrol Car, 14% Think It’s Better; 13% Think It’s The Same, And 64% Think It’s Worse

For all the positivity around the features of electric cars, a major sticking point for Britons when it comes to EVs is the hassle associated with charging a car compared to filling it up with petrol. A comfortable majority of the public thinks battery-powered vehicles are more inconvenient to run than petrol cars (64%), while just 14% think petrol cars are worse in this area. This extends to aesthetics: in terms of exterior design, three-quarters say they look the same or better (76%); when asked about interior design, four in five (80%) think they’re superior, while just 7% think they look inferior.

(YouGov UK)

May 21, 2021

(Denmark)

Home And EDC Are Real Estate Chains Get The Most Attention In Denmark

When it comes to attention, home and EDC share first place. An average of 18.4% of Danes have thus heard positive or negative mention of these chains through advertising, news, word-of-mouth or friends and family over the past year. In third and fourth place are Nybolig (15.3%) and danbolig (13.2%). From the four big real estate chains, there is a distance down to chains like Estate and Realmæglerne, which are fighting for fifth place with an attention score of resp. 6.2% and 6%.

(YouGov Denmark)
May 5, 2021

(Germany)

Every Third German Feels More Stressed In 2021 Than Before Corona, People With Children Most Often

A survey from the end of April 2021, compared to April 2020, showed that people in times of Corona feel more stressed this year than they did a year ago. At that time, 17 percent said they felt more stressed than before, in 2021 31 percent said they were more stressed, 14 percentage points more than a year ago. 51 percent currently do not notice any change in their stress level due to Corona.

(YouGov Germany)

May 7, 2021

Every Second Cyclist Wears A Protective Helmet At Least Now And Then When Cycling

Spring and summer are just around the corner - time to cycle again more often. The majority of Germans (63 percent) have their own bike, most of them a city bike (28 percent), and 14 percent own a cross bike or mountain bike. 10 percent of the German respondents state that they own an e-bike. 36 percent of Germans do not own a bicycle, including more women (40 percent) than men (31 percent). This was the result of a current survey in cooperation with Statista.

(YouGov Germany)

May 5, 2021

26 Percent Germans Praised The Government's Handling Of The Crisis In April 2021

At the beginning of 2021, the proportion of those who rated the federal government's handling of the crisis negatively was higher than the proportion of those who voted positively for the first time: in January 2021, 49 percent had a negative and 46 percent a positive image. According to current YouGov Corona Tracker data, a reversal of this trend can currently be seen: After only a quarter of all respondents (26 percent) praised the government's handling of the crisis in April 2021, the lowest value since the tracker began, attested in May 39 percent of the government is good practice.

(YouGov Germany)
May 21, 2021

(France)

This Month, The President Of The France Recovers 1 Point Of Favorable Opinions From The French (31% Of Favorable Opinions)

This month, the President of the Republic recovers 1 point of favorable opinions from the French (31% of favorable opinions) . In detail, the Head of State is making progress with all fringes of opinion except the moderate Left and the Far Right. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron gains 10 points from supporters of the Far Left (18% of favorable opinions), 5 points from supporters of the Center (82% of favorable opinions) and 2 points from supporters of the moderate Right. (36% favorable opinions). It loses, on the other hand, 2 points with sympathizers of the moderate Left (29% of favorable opinions) and of the Far Right (8% of favorable opinions).

(YouGov France)

May 7, 2021

A Quarter Of 18-25 Years Old Say They Have Had Suicidal Thoughts Since The Start Of The Crisis (27%)

This distress experienced by young people since the start of the health crisis is all the more worrying as more than a quarter of them say they have had suicidal thoughts since the start of the crisis (27%), a proportion that has increased from 4 points in 9 months. Students and young people currently looking for a job appear to be particularly concerned (31% and 35% respectively).

(Ipsos France)

May 10, 2021

45% French Believe That Major Beauty Brands Do Not Care Enough About The Diversity Of Their Consumers

In terms of offer, consumers are largely satisfied with the diversity of the beauty sector , 77% of them saying they easily find products that match their physical characteristics.

When it comes to communication, things are more complicated: 51% are not represented in brand communication , especially men ( 59% of them), undoubtedly because they are targeted by far fewer products, but also the oldest ( 62% of 55- 75 years old) 45% believe that major beauty brands do not care enough about the diversity of their consumers.

(Ipsos France)

May 18, 2021

(Italy)

9 May, Europe Day: The European Union In The Perception Of Italians

On 9 May the European Union celebrates Europe Day , in memory of the Schumann Declaration, which set the tone for the first European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). More than seventy years later, this anniversary remains unrecognized in Italy: only 5% of Italians know how to place this day among the May holidays (against over 90% who know how to place the Labor Day), a percentage that rises however 11% among young people aged 18-24. Only 10% say they are generally aware of Europe Day and its meaning, plus 25% who have heard of it.

(YouGov Italy)

May 7, 2021

8 Out Of 10 Italians And Italians Agree: Excess Doses Of The Anti-Covid 19 Vaccine Must Be Shared

8 out of 10 Italians and Italians agree: excess doses of the anti-COVID 19 vaccine must be shared, because only by eradicating the virus everywhere will the pandemic be put to an end. This emergency situation requires a response that goes beyond borders and national income differences (85%), with immunization that gives priority to the categories of people most vulnerable and at risk in the face of the threat of the virus (83%).

(YouGov Italy)
May 11, 2021

(Spain)

40% Of Spaniards Do Not Agree With The Changes In The Measures Implemented In Their City After The Fall Of The State Of Alarm

Young people between 18 and 34 years old are the group of the population that is most in favor of the changes in the measures (42% in both cases), compared to the rest of the population, where the most negative age group towards the arrival of This new normal would be between 45 and 54 years of age (46% do not agree with the new measures).

(YouGov Spain)
May 13, 2021

Four Out Of Every Five Spanish Respondents (45%) Rejects The Fact That They Can Return To Stadium Fans

Last Wednesday, May 12, the return of the public to the stands of the professional football stadiums was approved. This measure will be valid only for communities in phase 1, with a cumulative incidence of less than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. With this new measure, stadiums will be able to accommodate 30% of their capacity as long as they do not exceed 5,000 spectators, they must wear a mask and maintain a safety distance, among other rules.

(YouGov Spain)

May 20, 2021

(Hungary)

Only one in five Hungarians is vaccinated

Thanks to improving epidemic data and rising vaccination rates, the population is moving more freely and letting their children into the community, interacting with others. The rate of wearing a face mask was 87%, with a lower level most recently seen in November. The 73% mention of frequent hand washing against infection is the lowest in the history of the research series . The outlook for public transport and the event market is mild, with domestic tourism improving significantly over the past month.

(Ipsos Hungary)

May 20, 2021

NORTH AMERICA

(USA)

Three-Quarters Of White Evangelical Protestants (75%) Say They Disapprove Of The New President’s Performance So Far

Seven-in-ten religiously unaffiliated adults (71%) say they approve of how Biden is handling the job of president, compared with three-quarters (76%) who said they disapproved of Trump’s performance in April 2017. At the other end of the spectrum, three-quarters of White evangelical Protestants (75%) say they disapprove of the new president’s performance so far, which is about equal to the share who approved of Trump’s performance four years ago (73%).

(PEW)

MAY 4, 2021

70% Of U.S. Social Media Users Never Or Rarely Post Or Share About Political, Social Issues

Only 9% of adult social media users say they often post or share things about political or social issues on social media, according to newly released results from a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 8-13, 2020. Some 70% of social media users say they never (40%) or rarely (30%) do so.

(PEW)

MAY 4, 2021

Just 11% Of Republicans And Republican-Leaning Independents Say Trump’s Accounts Should Be Permanently Banned From Social Media

Americans are split on whether former President Donald Trump should be barred from social media. Some 49% of U.S. adults say Trump’s accounts should be permanently banned from social media, while half say they should not be. But views are deeply divided along partisan lines, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. And then – just like today – most Republicans (78%) said social media companies’ decisions to ban Trump’s accounts following the riots were the wrong thing to do, while a vast majority of Democrats (89%) supported these decisions.

(PEW)

MAY 5, 2021

About Six-In-Ten Americans Say Abortion Should Be Legal In All Or Most Cases

Today, a 59% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 39% think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. These views are relatively unchanged in the past few years. The latest Pew Research Center survey, conducted April 5 to 11, finds deep disagreement between – and within – the parties over abortion. In fact, the partisan divide on abortion is far wider than it was two decades ago.

(PEW)

MAY 6, 2021

Around Half Of Americans (48%) See Gun Violence As A Very Big Problem In The Country Today

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2021. That’s comparable to the share who say the same about the federal budget deficit (49%), violent crime (48%), illegal immigration (48%) and the coronavirus outbreak (47%). Only one issue is viewed as a very big problem by a majority of Americans: the affordability of health care (56%). Another 24% of adults say gun violence is a moderately big problem. About three-in-ten say it is either a small problem (22%) or not a problem at all (6%).

(PEW)

MAY 11, 2021

Immigration Was A Top Focus Of Early Biden Coverage, Especially Among Outlets With Right-Leaning Audiences

The topic of immigration (which included all references to immigration, including broader trends and changes in law, as well as stories about the border with Mexico) accounted for about twice as many stories from outlets with right-leaning audiences (20%) as from news outlets with left-leaning audiences (8% of stories) and those with ideologically mixed audiences (10%). (Details about how news outlets were grouped can be found here.) Indeed, among those outlets with right-leaning audiences, immigration was the No. 1 topic among stories related to the new administration, well ahead of both the economy (14%) and health care (13%).

(PEW)

MAY 12, 2021

12% Of Us Jewish Adults Say They Attend Religious Services Weekly Or More Often, Compared With 27% Of The General Public And 38% Of Us Christians

12% of U.S. Jewish adults say they attend religious services weekly or more often, compared with 27% of the general public and 38% of U.S. Christians. And 21% of Jewish adults say religion is very important in their lives, compared with 41% of U.S. adults overall and 57% of Christians. Orthodox Jews – who make up 9% of all U.S. Jews – are a notable exception. They are among the most highly religious groups in U.S. society by these measures.

(PEW)

MAY 13, 2021

69% Of Adults Ages 20 To 29 Who Had Graduated From College During The Previous Spring Were Employed, Lower Than The Share Of 2019 Graduates Who Were Employed In October Of That Year (78%)

The labor force participation rate for recent college graduates – or the share of people employed or actively looking for a job – also dropped from 86% to 79% during this one-year period. As has been widely documented, the broader labor market took a significant hit during the pandemic. Among all Americans ages 16 and older, the employment rate declined from 61% in October 2019 to 58% in October 2020, and the labor force participation rate declined from 63% to 62%.

(PEW)

MAY 14, 2021

About Four-In-Ten (41%) Americans Say News Organizations Are Growing In Their Influence

When Americans were asked to evaluate the media’s standing in the nation, about four-in-ten (41%) say news organizations are growing in their influence, somewhat higher than the one-third (33%) who say their influence is declining, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted March 8-14, 2021. The remaining one-quarter of U.S. adults say they are neither growing nor declining in influence.

(PEW)

MAY 17, 2021

A Third Of Large US Newspapers Experienced Layoffs In 2020, More Than In 2019

Large-market newspapers – those with a Sunday circulation of 250,000 or more – were the most likely to suffer layoffs in 2020, with more than half of them experiencing staff cuts. That is unlike 2019, when cuts were roughly similar across the different tiers of circulation groups studied. Meanwhile, digital-native news outlets saw a slight uptick in layoffs in 2020 compared with 2019.

(PEW)

MAY 21, 2021

45% Of US Jewish Adults, And An Additional 37% Say Caring About Israel Is Important, But Not Essential

Israel, the world’s only Jewish-majority country, is a subject of special concern to many Jews in the United States. Caring about Israel is “essential” to what being Jewish means to 45% of U.S. Jewish adults, and an additional 37% say it is “important, but not essential,” according to a new Pew Research Center survey that was fielded from Nov. 19, 2019, to June 3, 2020 – well before the latest surge of violence in the region. Just 16% of U.S. Jewish adults say that caring about Israel is “not important” to their Jewish identity.

(PEW)

MAY 21, 2021

(Canada)

Liberals (38%) in the Driver’s Seat over Conservatives (29%) as Vaccination Rollout Hits its Stride

If the election were held tomorrow, 38% of decided voters would vote for the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau, unchanged since Ipsos/Global News post-budget survey last month. Three in ten (29%) would vote for Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party, up 2 points since last month. Two in ten (21%) decided voters would cast their ballot for their local NDP candidate, led by Jagmeet Singh, also up 2 points. Yves-Francois Blanchet and the Bloc would receive 6% of the vote nationally, down 1 point (or 30% of the popular vote within in Quebec).

(Ipsos Canada)

18 May 2021

Seven In Ten (70%) Canadians Believe Summer 2021 Will Be A Disappointment Given The Ongoing Covid Restrictions

Given the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions that have been implemented throughout the country, a strong majority (70%) of Canadians agree (21% strongly/49% somewhat) that this summer will be a disappointment, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. Those residing in Ontario and Atlantic provinces are the most likely to agree that summer 2021 will be a disappointment, while those in Quebec are least likely to agree (75%, 75% vs 62%). Perhaps not surprising, those who have not been vaccinated are more likely to agree that this summer will be a disappointment compared to those who have been vaccinated (74% vs 67%).

(Ipsos Canada)

20 May 2021

AUSTRALIA

(New Zealand)

New Zealand Government Lead Over Opposition Down To 14% In April – Smallest Lead Since January 2020

The governing parties are now 14% points ahead of the Parliamentary opposition National/Act NZ/Maori Party on 41%, up 6% points since March. Support for National has now recovered to its highest since last year’s election, up 6.5% points to 29.5%, and is the highest for exactly a year since April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Roy Morgan)

May 03 2021

(Australia)

Movement In The Sydney, Melbourne And Adelaide Cbds Drops In Late April After Hitting Covid-19 Highs Over The Easter Holidays

Since school holidays ended average 7-day movement levels have declined across all Capital City CBDs including the Melbourne CBD (down 9% points to 43%), Sydney CBD (down 11% points to 48%), Brisbane CBD (down 12% points 63%) and Hobart CBD (down 16% points to 61%). The largest declines in average movement were seen in the Adelaide CBD (26%-point decline to 72%) and the Perth CBD which experienced a sharp 31%-point decline to 53% average movement as the city entered a snap three-day lockdown over the three-day ANZAC Day weekend.

(Roy Morgan)

May 03 2021

Australian Employment Hits A Record High Above 13 Million In April – Unemployment Down, But Offset By Rising Under-Employment

13,291,000 Australians were employed, up 542,000 from March driven by an increase in part-time employment, up 413,000 to a record high 4,757,000. Full-time employment was up 129,000 to 8,534,000. Unemployment dropped in April to its lowest since early March 2020 (pre-pandemic): 1,307,000 Australians were unemployed (9.0% of the workforce), down 332,000 from March. There were fewer people looking for both full-time work (down 75,000 to 593,000), or part-time work (down 257,000 to 714,000).

(Roy Morgan)

May 06 2021

A Huge Majority Of 93% Of Australians Said They Are More Likely To Buy Products Made In Australia

A huge majority of 93% of Australians said they are more likely to buy products made in Australia – up from 87% a year earlier. The big ‘loser’ during 2020 was Chinese-made goods with only 21% of Australians saying they’d be more likely to buy products made in China, a 9% points drop from 2019.

(Roy Morgan)

May 10 2021

Roy Morgan Business Confidence Hits 7-Year High Of 125.3 In April – Up 48.4 Pts (+62.9%) On A Year Ago

Business Confidence is now 11.6pts above the long-term average of 113.7 and nearly two-thirds, 65%, expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months and an increasing majority of 59.5% of businesses said the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’. Business Confidence has now averaged 122.7 during the first four months of 2021, the best start to a year for the Index for a decade since 2011 – during the middle of the ‘Mining Boom’.

(Roy Morgan)

May 11 2021

Inflation Expectations Virtually Unchanged At 3.7% In April – Far Higher For Unemployed (4.5%) Than Full-Time Employees (3.4%)

Inflation Expectations are now 1% point below their long-term average of 4.7% but have increased by 0.5% points since reaching a record low of only 3.2% in August 2020. This is far higher than Australians employed either part-time on 3.9% (up 0.5% points) or full-time on 3.4% (up 0.8% points). Interestingly, Australians who are employed part-time but want more work, the under-employed, have Inflation Expectations of 4.4% (up 0.8% points) – almost as high as the unemployed.

(Roy Morgan)

May 11 2021

5.68 Million Australians (26.9% Of Those Aged 14+) In The March Quarter 2021, Intend To Take A Holiday During The Next 12 Months

Of these travellers there were 5.24 million set on taking a domestic holiday and a further 340,000 planning an overseas holiday – although according to this week’s Federal Budget the international borders are set to remain closed for holidaymakers until early next year. There were a small number of prospective travellers who couldn’t decide whether their holidays would be domestic or international.

(Roy Morgan)

May 14 2021

In 2020 Just 14% Of Australians Aged 14+ Attended Live Entertainment Activities Such As Theatre, Rock, Pop Or Music Concerts

Only 5% of Australians attended live theatre in an average three months in 2020, down from 14% in 2019, and just 5% went to rock, pop or music concerts, compared to 10% in 2019. Attendance at other activities including theatre restaurants, music festivals, jazz, classical, blues, ballet or opera performances also plunged during 2020. The re-opening of Australia that has occurred in 2021 and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines this year should lead to a boost in attendance at live entertainment activities although the threat of outbreaks means it is unlikely to approach the levels of 2019 just yet.

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

Australians Have Nearly 175 Million Days Of Annual Leave Due – Up Over 23 Million Days From Early 2020

The accrued annual leave of nearly 175 million days is a record high total of accrued annual leave and represents an increase of 23.7 million (+15.7%) on the 151.2 million days of accrued annual leave Australians had available prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now over 6.69 million Australians (52.2% of paid workers) have at least 2 weeks of annual leave due, up from 6.14 million prior to the pandemic, while fewer than 1.38 million (10.8%) have less than 2 weeks due compared to over 1.54 million (12.6%) pre-pandemic.

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

In 2020 Only 24% Of Australians Said They’d Be More Likely To Buy Clothes If They Knew The Clothes Were ‘Made In China’, Down 7% Points From 2019

In 2020 only 24% of Australians said they’d be more likely to buy clothes if they knew the clothes were ‘Made in China’, down 7% points from 2019. The same trend was evident for Chinese-made electrical goods with 23% (down 5% points from 2019) of Australians saying they’d be more likely to buy the product if they knew it was ‘Made in China’, mobile phones on 22% (down 4%), footwear on 17% (down 6%) and sporting goods on 14% (down 3%).

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

A Closer Look At The European Criteria For Grocery Purchases Shows That The Main Criteria Are Product Quality (88%) And Good Prices (82%)

A closer look at the European criteria for grocery purchases shows that the main criteria are product quality (88%) and good prices (82%). Sustainable development is less important (53%), but there are differences between countries. Italians (72%), Turks (72%) and Spaniards (70%) consider the sustainability of products more important, while Norwegians (29%), Danes (39%) and Finns (41%) consider it less important.

(YouGov Finland)

May 4, 2021

Source: https://yougov.fi/news/2021/05/04/eurooppalaiset-kuluttajat-ovat-muuttaneet-ostotott/

Ideological Divisions Over Cultural Issues Are Far Wider In The U.S. Than In The UK, France And Germany

When it comes to the importance of being born in the country, around a third on the U.S. right (32%) think it is very important for being American, compared with no more than 24% of those on the right in any other country. Similarly, those on America’s ideological right (57%) are more likely than their counterparts in France (47%), Germany (39%) and the UK (29%) to say that sharing national customs and traditions is very important to national identity.

(PEW)

MAY 5, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/05/ideological-divisions-over-cultural-issues-are-far-wider-in-the-u-s-than-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/

Nearly Half (46%) Of Consumers In 17 Global Markets Use Zoom To Communicate Regularly

Since the advent of COVID-19, Zoom has become more than just a workmate, becoming in some markets even a verb (“Let's Zoom!”) Or a real synonym for “video call”. Now, as parts of the world slowly emerge from restrictions and more people return to the office, YouGov data shows just how popular Zoom is and how it compares to other competing services. Nearly half (46%) of consumers in 17 global markets use Zoom to communicate regularly, while about three in ten (29%) use Microsoft Teams and a quarter (25%) use Skype.

(YouGov Italy)

May 10, 2021

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2021/05/10/global-data-la-popolarita-di-zoom-rispetto-ad-altr/

About Three Out Of Four Adults Globally Agree That In Order To Enter Their Country, Travelers Are Required To Have Covid-19 Vaccine Passports

78% agree that travelers must have a vaccine passport in order to travel into their country. The countries that agree most are Malaysia (92%) and Peru (92%).73% agree that vaccine passes would be effective in making travel and major events safe; a majority in each country agrees - from 84% in China and Argentina to 52% in Hungary. 55% agree that vaccine passports should be required in shops, restaurants and offices in all countries. Those who support this most are India, where 78% agree, and those who support it least are in Poland (55%), the United States (52%) and Belgium (52%).

(Ipsos Denmark)

11 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/da-dk/den-globale-befolkning-stotter-op-om-coronapas-til-internationale-rejser

The Majority Of Nordic Countries State That They Eat Healthier In The Form Of More Vegetables (31%) And Less Alcohol (26%) And Sugar (24%)

Across the Nordic countries, the majority state that they eat healthier, eg in the form of more vegetables (31%) and less alcohol (26%) and sugar (24%), Many have also cut back on meat - primarily beef (17%), pork (17%) and processed meat (16%). In all four countries, the intake of snacks has increased - but mostly in Denmark and Norway, where a quarter (24% and 23% respectively) state that they have eaten more snacks during lockdown. It is especially women, the younger part of the population and households with children who have increased their snack intake.

(YouGov Denmark)

May 16, 2021

Source: https://yougov.dk/news/2021/05/16/hvordan-har-et-ar-med-corona-pavirket-vores-madvan/

In UAE And Saudi, The Intent To Travel Domestically Or Within The MENA Region Increased Slightly

Data from the study shows six in ten surveyed respondents (59%) in the UAE and Saudi Arabia said they took a leisure trip (domestic or international) in 2020. In 2021, an appetite for travel has improved, and more than seven in ten (72%) residents said they have already or intend to travel this year. This is one of the highest rates in the world.

(YouGov MENA)
May 17, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/05/17/appetite-travel-recovers-middle-east-majority-resi/

45% Of The Global Population Is Concerned About Sharing Their Personal Information Digitally

More than half of people in the American continent (54%) feel concerned about sharing their information digitally. The share of concerned people in other areas of the world remains significant: in the APAC region, 45% are concerned about sharing personal information digitally, and in Europe 43%. Interestingly, the Africa region experienced a very significant drop of 22 points compared to last year (from 50% to 28%).

(WIN)

17 May 2021

Source: https://winmr.com/sharing-personal-information-digitally-almost-half-of-the-global-population-is-concerned/

Globally, About Three In Four Adults (78%) Are In Favor Of Requiring A Vaccination Passport For Travelers

Globally, about three in four adults (78%) are in favor of requiring a vaccination passport for travelers wishing to enter their country. They are slightly less numerous in France: seven out of ten are in favor (including 40% 'very favorable') , a similar proportion with the United States and the Germans. A majority is in any case convinced of its effectiveness in making travel and major events more secure in terms of health (73% worldwide - France is a little below 65%) .

(Ipsos France)

May 17, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/passeport-vaccinal-7-francais-sur-10-favorables-des-inquietudes-fortes-sur-le-partage-des-donnees

Ipsos’s Global Consumer Confidence Index Shows A Month-To-Month Gain Of Nine-Tenths Of A Point, Sitting Just 2.3 Points Below Its Pre-Pandemic Level Of January 2020

Eight countries have a National Index above 50: China (72.6), Saudi Arabia (65.7), the U.S. (59.5), Sweden (57.3), Australia (56.6), Great Britain (54.2), India (53.0) and Germany (52.4). Only two countries have a National Index below 35: Turkey (30.0) and Argentina (34.4). Once again, the three countries in the survey showing the highest levels of month-over-month growth (the U.S., Israel, and Great Britain) are also those leading in vaccination rollout as per Oxford University data.

(Ipsos Egypt)

19 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-eg/global-consumer-confidence-eighth-month-row

About Six-In-Ten American Adults (62%), Including Majorities In Nearly Every Demographic Group, Support Increasing The Minimum Wage To $15 An Hour

Most Americans favor raising the federal minimum wage, which has been $7.25 an hour since 2009. About six-in-ten adults (62%), including majorities in nearly every demographic group, support increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Even among the 38% of Americans who oppose a $15 minimum, most say they’d support a smaller increase, according to an April Pew Research Center survey.

(PEW)

MAY 20, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/20/the-u-s-differs-from-most-other-countries-in-how-it-sets-its-minimum-wage/

ASIA

689-691-43-01/Poll

The Population Of China Increased By 5.38 Percent To 1.41 Billion In 2020 Census Compared With An Increase Of 5.84 Percent To 1.34 Billion In The 2010 Census

BEIJING--China’s population growth in the decade to 2020 slumped to the least in official records dating back to the 1950s, fueling pressure on Beijing to ramp up incentives to couples to have more children and avert an irreversible decline.

That compared with an increase of 5.84 percent to 1.34 billion in the 2010 census, and double-digit percentage rises in all of China’s previous six official population surveys dating back to 1953.

The number meant China narrowly missed a target it set in 2016 to boost its population to about 1.42 billion by 2020. In 2016, China replaced its one-child policy--initially imposed to halt a population explosion at the time--with a two-child limit.

In recent months, China’s state media has been increasingly bleak on the outlook, saying the population may start to shrink in the next few years. The United Nations predicts the number of people living in mainland China will peak in 2030 before declining.

But in late April, the Financial Times newspaper said the population actually fell in 2020 from a year earlier, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

The 2020 number was actually slightly higher than the 1.4005 billion in 2019 estimated in a smaller official survey released in February last year.

China has long worried about its population growth as it seeks to bolster its economic rise and boost prosperity.

One bright spot in the census data was an unexpected increase in the proportion of young people--17.95 percent of the population was 14 or younger in 2020, compared with 16.6 percent in 2010.

FALLING BIRTH RATE

From 2016 to 2019, the annual birth rate mostly declined with the exception of 2016. China has yet to disclose the birth rate for 2020.

“A sharp decline in the number of births is a sure thing, and all kinds of evidence support this claim,” said Huang Wenzheng, a demography expert at the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think-tank.

“It doesn’t take published census data to determine that China is facing a massive drop in births,” Huang said. Even if China’s population didn’t decline in 2020, the expert said, “it will in 2021 or 2022, or very soon.”

Urban couples, particularly those born after 1990, value their independence and careers more than raising a family despite parental pressure to have children.

Surging living costs in China’s big cities, a huge source of babies due to their large populations, have also deterred couples from having children.

According to a 2005 report by a state think-tank, it cost 490,000 yuan ($74,838) for an ordinary family in China to raise a kid. By 2020, local media reported that the cost had risen to as high as 1.99 million yuan--four times the 2005 number.

“Having a kid is a devastating blow to career development for women at my age,” said Annie Zhang, a 26-year-old insurance professional in Shanghai who got married in April last year.

“Secondly, the cost of raising a kid is outrageous (in Shanghai),” she said, in comments made before the 2020 census was published. “You bid goodbye to freedom immediately after giving birth.”

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 11, 2021

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14346249

689-691-43-02/Poll

Japan’s Population Of Children Under 15 Shrank By 190,000 From A Year Earlier

The percentage has now dropped for 47 straight years.

On the other hand, people 65 or older account for 28.9 percent of the population, up 0.3 percentage point from the previous year.

Although the government has long vowed to battle the demographic change, the numbers show that Japan’s declining birthrate and the graying of society have progressed further.

The ministry released the numbers to mark Children’s Day, a national holiday, on May 5.

Among those under 15 years old, 7.65 million are boys and 7.28 million are girls.

Japan has 3.24 million children between 12 and 14, and 2.65 million who are 2 years old or younger, the data showed.

The younger the age, the smaller the ratio of the overall population.

In 1950, children under 15 accounted for 35.4 percent of the population because of the first baby boom.

But the ratio started declining.

In 1997, people 65 or older made up 15.7 percent of the population, exceeding the 15.3 percent for those under 15.

The ministry compared Japan’s ratio of children with those in other countries with populations of 40 million or more.

Japan’s percentage was the lowest, although the ministry said it was difficult to do a strict comparison because the timing of the countries’ population surveys was different.

South Korea’s ratio was the second lowest, at 12.2 percent as of July 1, 2020, followed by Italy, at 13.3 percent as of July 1, 2018, and Germany, at 13.6 percent as of Jan. 1, 2019.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 5, 2021

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14342995

689-691-43-03/Poll

44 Percent Of Japanese People Are In Favor Of Revisions In Constitution

Photo/Illutration

Voters were nearly equally divided on whether the Constitution should be revised, according to a survey by The Asahi Shimbun.

The survey, conducted ahead of Constitution Day on May 3, showed 45 percent backed constitutional revisions, up from 43 percent in last year’s survey, while 44 percent said changes were unnecessary, down from 46 percent.

The gap between the two camps was the narrowest since the 2013 survey.

The Constitution, drafted during the U.S.-led postwar occupation of Japan, has never been revised since it went into force in 1947.

War-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution has long been a target of those who want changes, including Abe.

According to the survey, 61 percent supported the article as it is, more than double the 30 percent who were in favor of revising it.

In the 2020 survey, 65 percent were opposed to revising Article 9, while 27 percent backed an amendment.

Fifty-five percent of voters in their 30s were in favor of constitutional revisions, the largest group by age. Voters in their 70s or older were the least enthusiastic about amendments, with only 35 percent backing revisions.

In the survey, respondents were asked to choose up to three reasons from among eight provided.

Among pro-revision voters, the most common reason selected for their stance was “a lack of sufficient provisions concerning defense,” at 58 percent, followed by the Constitution is “getting old,” at 46 percent, and “it does not reflect the national characteristic because it was imposed by the United States,” at 35 percent.

The three most common answers chosen by respondents against revisions were: “the Constitution brought peace to Japan,” at 71 percent; “there is no major problem with the Constitution that needs to be revised,” at 41 percent; and “the Constitution has taken root among the public,” at 40 percent.

Asked if they thought about the supreme law in their daily life, 68 percent of all respondents chose “not at all” or “not so much,” while 30 percent chose “often” or “sometimes,” the survey showed.

It also found that 61 percent of respondents in favor of revisions do not give much thought or pay close attention to the Constitution, while 39 percent said they do.

The survey also showed the text of Article 9 and asked the voters for their views.

In the 2013 survey, 52 percent were opposed to revising Article 9, while 39 supported changes.

But in the following surveys, including the latest one, more than 60 percent of respondents rejected amendments to the article.

Asked to choose from among four answers to the question of whether momentum is building for revisions, 19 percent chose “significantly” or “to some extent.”

In comparison, 76 percent picked the remaining two answers: “not at all” or “not so much.”

The ratio of respondents who think momentum is gathering for constitutional revisions was 22 percent in 2019, 21 percent in 2020 and 19 percent in 2021.

The comparable figures for those who feel otherwise was 72 percent in 2019, 76 percent in 2020 and 76 percent in 2021.

The LDP is pushing to add an article to the Constitution that allows the Cabinet to issue a directive under a state of emergency and temporarily restrict people’s rights during contingencies, rather than waiting for the Diet to enact a law.

When voters were asked about the emergency article for the first time in the 2019 survey, and given three answers to choose from, 55 percent picked Japan should “respond to emergencies without revising the Constitution.”

The figure in the latest survey was 54 percent.

Thirty-three percent chose “the Constitution should be revised to deal with emergencies,” up from 28 percent in 2019.

Six percent in the latest survey selected “there is no need to revise the Constitution in the first place” in relation to emergencies.

The survey was conducted between early March and mid-April by sending questionnaires to 3,000 eligible voters selected randomly across the nation. Valid answers were received from 2,175 respondents, or 73 percent of the total.

(Asahi Shimbun)

May 3, 2021

Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14342228

689-691-43-04/Poll

Two In Five (19%) Indians Have Shown Willingness To Buy Pre-Owned/Second-Hand Cars

The coronavirus-induced economic slowdown impacted many industries and businesses, including the automotive sector. India's second COVID wave might derail the country’s economic recovery, adding to the worries of carmakers. YouGov’s latest study looks into the impact of the pandemic on the auto industry and reveals how car purchase plans have changed post the second wave.

Others experienced changes in the form of postponement of their plan to buy a car (29%), change in their budget (27%) or change in the car type that they planned to buy (19%). Interestingly, two in five (19%) respondents have shown willingness to buy pre-owned/second-hand cars, which is a positive sign for pre-owned car dealers.

Not only plans, but the second wave of the pandemic has also even disrupted the timelines to buy a car. Initially, almost two in five (37%) consumers were planning to make a purchase within three months. However, with the second wave hitting the country, this number has fallen to 19%.

Most people seem to have pushed their car buying decisions to a later period and are looking to purchase a car somewhere between 4-6 or 7-12 months from now.

Likewise, there have been changes in the car types that people want to purchase now, with many turning towards more value-conscious options. Before the second wave, hatchbacks were the most popular cars people wanted to buy, followed by premium hatch cars.

Preferences have changed post the second wave of the pandemic and entry-level sedans (Dzire, Amaze, Tigor, Altroz, etc) have seen the greatest shift in demand between the two periods. From 13% who were planning to buy this model earlier this year to 21% looking to buy this type of car now. On the other hand, premium sedans have seen a decline (from 11% to 5%).

Premium hatchbacks and MUVs have also seen a growth in preference by 3% each.

Within the SUV segment, the demand for compact (11%) mid (7% vs 6%) & premium SUVs (6%) remained static.

Although people admit to their plans getting affected by the pandemic, their reasons to change their plans vary. A large majority of people are waiting for the situation to improve (43%), hence, delaying their plans to buy a car by few months.

28% have suffered financially (job/health) to stick with their planned purchase while a third are holding back as they want to save money for unforeseen situations

Some (31%) have voiced their inability to use a vehicle because of staying home for an extended period as the reason to change their plan.

Commenting on this, Sanjeev Jha of YouGov India, said, “The pandemic has brought about marked changes in consumers’ car buying plans in India. The outbreak has affected customers’ finances, driving a conservative outlook in them and diverting them to more immediate needs. As consumers wait for the situation to improve, auto manufacturers will have to understand changing consumer preferences and devise innovative strategies to offer cost-effective or better financing options to them.

Regular understanding of the changing plans of customers will help the automakers efficiently plan their production and inventory management at the dealers’ end. The players in the pre-owned car market should reach out to the prospective customers aggressively and offer the safety of a car at a pocket-friendly price.”

(YouGov India)

May 11, 2021

Source: https://in.yougov.com/en-hi/news/2021/05/11/most-urban-indians-wanting-buy-car-have-delayed-th/

689-691-43-05/Poll

New Prime Minister Of South Korea Kim Bu-Gyeom "Conformity" 38% Vs "Nonconformity" 26%

The response that it was appropriate both before and after the personnel hearing was more than the response that it was inappropriate. In the April 20-22 survey immediately after the Prime Minister's nomination, 34% of'conformity' and 18% of'nonconformity'. In this survey, after the personnel hearing, opinion reservations decreased, and both conformity and nonconformity consensus increased.

It is also peculiar that the opinion of'conformity' is predominant in the characteristics of most respondents. The response that it is suitable for all regions and age groups predominated. In particular, Gallup pointed out that "public opinion in Gwangju, Jeolla, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk is often opposed, but for candidate Kim Bu-gyeom, it is remarkable that 40% of candidates are suitable for both regions."

The characteristics of the respondents with the predominance of nonconformity were the support of the people (45%), ideological conservative tendencies (37%), and negative evaluators for the performance of the presidential duties (38%). At 29%, it was not a pattern that was largely focused on inadequacy.

76% of "personnel hearings need to be publicly verified not only of abilities but also of morality"

Together with Democratic Party representative Song Young-gil, speaking at the Supreme Council Meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 14th. Representative Song insisted that the personnel hearing should be a two-track verification of competence and morality, but the public opinion surveyed that 71% opposed it. News 1

Responding to the proposal that "a two-track personnel hearing should be conducted to verify the candidate's ability to be public and morality to be privately verified," 76% of the survey respondents indicated that "the candidate's morality and policy ability should both be publicly verified." 19% of respondents said, "Let's keep the morality verification private and the policy capability verification public."

The two-track proposal for a personnel hearing was discussed with the opposition parties at the end of last year, and President Moon Jae-in also expressed similar opinions in the recent 4th anniversary special speech. However, unlike the political world, this proposal is far from the sentiment of the people.

In the same questionnaire,'morality' and'policy ability' were tied at 47%, respectively, to the question of whether morality and policy ability should be prioritized when verifying candidates at a personnel hearing.

However, even if only those who answered that competency verification should be prioritized over morality in this question, 69% of the respondents said that "morality should also be publicly verified" for the personnel hearing method was found to be far more dominant.

(Gallup Korea)

2021.05.14

Source: https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/A2021051412010000940

689-691-43-06/Poll

Public Verification Of Personnel Hearings, 'Morality' 76 Percent Vs 'Policy Ability Only' 19 Percent

When Gallup Korea asked 1,000 men and women over the age of 18 on the 11th to 13th of the year, 76% of respondents chose'open verification of both morality and policy capabilities'.

Only 19% of respondents chose'private verification for morality and public verification for policy capabilities'.5% reserved their opinion.

In the same survey in November of last year, 71% of'open verification of all policies' and 23% of'public verification of policy capabilities only' yielded similar results.

When asked whether morality and policy ability should be prioritized when verifying candidates at the personnel hearing,'morality' and'policy ability' were tied at 47% each.

In particular, those in their 20s and 30s who gave priority to'policy ability' were 65% and 62%, respectively, higher than those of other age groups.

New Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom goes to work

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seung-Doo Kim = New Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom is on the morning of the 14th to work at the Sejong-ro Government Complex in Seoul.President Moon Jae-in approved the appointment of Prime Minister Kim at 7 am on the same day.2021.5.14 kimsdoo@yna.co.kr

When asked about the suitability for the appointment of the new Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, 38% of the voters answered that it is'suitable' and 26% answered that it is'not suitable'.36% declined to comment.

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1% with a 95% confidence level.

(Gallup Korea)

2021-05-14

Source: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210514062000001?input=1195m

689-691-43-07/Poll

Nearly Two-Thirds Of Urban Indians (64%) Are Worried They May Become Seriously Unwell Or Die Due To COVID

Nearly two-thirds of urban Indians (64%) are worried they may become seriously unwell or die due to Covid, YouGov’s latest data reveals.

Until last year, people were most concerned about a long-lasting negative impact of the virus on society as well as their finances getting severely affected due to the pandemic. Many were concerned about their friends or family becoming seriously unwell or dying (56%) or their children’s education (50%) suffering due to the crisis. Concerns about losing their jobs or their personal health were much less- at 45% each.

With more people contracting the virus this year, concerns over personal health have intensified over the year; with a 19-percentage point increase between the two periods (from 45% in May’20 to 68% in May 21). Similarly, fear about losing a loved one has also increased by 12- percentage points during this time. Given the current situation, it seems there is a greater focus on worries surrounding one’s family and personal health than concerns over one’s finances or job.

This increase in worry corresponds with the public’s failing confidence in the government and health system.

In May last year, trust in the various institutions was high and a large majority of urban Indians said they trusted the healthcare professionals (87%), the government (83%), and the media (67%) on the Covid-19 situation. A year later, trust has gone down for each, but confidence in the government has taken the biggest hit, going down by 24%.

Desperate to battle the crisis, citizens have turned towards vaccines. Data from YouGov’s Public Monitor shows 67% felt comfortable taking the vaccine in January when it was first rolled out. After the second wave hit the country in February, there has been an increase in the number of people who either have already or are willing to take the vaccine- at 76% as of May 2021.

Although people are gearing up to take the vaccine, the current shortage of doses could add to their worries and we may have to wait to see how public opinion changes in this regard.

(YouGov India)
May 21, 2021

Source: https://in.yougov.com/en-hi/news/2021/05/21/concerns-about-personal-health-soar-india-battles-/

689-691-43-08/Poll

3 In 10 Pakistanis Concerned About Digitally Sharing Their Personal Information

WIN International, the world’s leading association in market research and polling, has published the Annual WIN World Survey (WWS – 2020) exploring the views and beliefs of 26,433 individuals among citizens from 34 countries across the globe about the privacy of digital information. The survey for Pakistan was conducted by Gallup Pakistan during 5^th to 15^th November 2020. The sample size was 1103 respondents and CATI methodology was used.

(Gallup Pakistan)

May 18, 2021

Source: https://gallup.com.pk/post/31737

MENA

689-691-43-09/Poll

MENA Advertiser Of The Month (April): Vimto

Vimto is a drink that has been dear to many Arab hearts for years, especially during Ramadan. It is the choice for many who prefer Vimto for breaking their fasts at Iftar. Vimto is also known for its innovations in flavours, including dates-flavoured drink, and ads - sharing videos of celebrating Ramadan virtually with family during the lockdown.

To celebrate Ramadan, the beverage brand released DIY videos of used Vimto bottle. The campaign asked Vimto fans to decorate the used bottles and post pictures tagging Vimto’s social media pages with hashtags #VimtoCreations and #SweetMeetings.

The campaign attracted participation from across KSA which helped the Ad Awareness score of the brand to shoot up from 19% on April 1 to 30% on April 29.

As Vimto's marketing brains would wish, the campaign appeared to also have a positive impact on the brand’s Impression and Recommendation scores too. At the start of the month, 16% of adults in KSA indicated they had a positive impression of Vimto – that figure shot up to 24% by April 30. Vimto’s recommendation score, which tracks the percentage of people who would recommend a brand to others, rose to 22% (April 30) from 14% (April 1).

(YouGov MENA)
May 10, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/05/10/mena-advertiser-month-april-vimto/

689-691-43-10/Poll

Global Village Has Emerged As The Top Mover This Year, With A Change In Score Of +14.2 Compared To Ramadan 2020 In UAE

Ramadan 2020, the first Ramadan in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic saw reduced marketing activity from many brands as budgets were slashed. By comparing Ad Awareness scores for the Ramadan period this year vs the previous year, YouGov have identified some interesting trends in terms of whose communications are reaching more of the adult population in the country.

The top 10 list has been compiled using the Ad Awareness score- which measures whether a respondent has seen any advertising for the brand in the past 2 weeks.

YouGov BrandIndex data shows Global Village has emerged as the top mover this year, with a change in score of +14.2 compared to Ramadan 2020.

Despite ongoing Covid19 operating procedures in place, Global Village decided to extend its open season into Ramadan this year. This extension, coupled with it being the silver jubilee (25^th year) season, saw it promote its 25^th world record-breaking event, which clearly reached a wide audience in Ramadan.

The Ramadan campaign had a positive impact on the brand’s Ad Awareness, raising its score from 20.6 during Ramadan 2020 to 34.8 during Ramadan 2021.

Notably, the list of top movers is dominated by destinations and leisure & entertainment venues all vying to attract customers back to their properties after a challenging year. Given Ramadan typically sees families spending more time together, it’s not surprising that these family destinations have been pushing their message to visit out strongly during this period.

Additionally, online retailer, Noon.com was the second-best improver, with a change in score of +11.1. Aligning with the spirit of Ramadan, the e-retail giant extended daily deals and discounts, giving up to 75% off on groceries and household items, especially useful for households hard hit by the pandemic.

It seems UAE residents have responded to the communications as the brand noted a significant improvement in its Ad Awareness this festive season vs the previous year.

Talabat.com is the third-best improver, with an Ad Awareness bump of +7.9. The leading food-delivery platform partnered with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) to launch ‘Ramadan Heroes’ campaign with the aim of providing iftar meals to those in need. The virtual charity endeavor struck a chord with people and helped the brand enhance its Ad Awareness this Ramadan.

Similarly, Starbucks joined the festivities by introducing Ramadan cups as a seasonal edition. The holiday cups seem to have attracted customers’ attention, raising the brand’s Ad Awareness by +6.7 compared to last Ramadan.

Swedish retail giant IKEA and ADNOC also made the top ten list- at sixth (6.6) and seventh (6.4), respectively.

(YouGov MENA)
May 20, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/05/20/yougov-brandindex-data-reveal-top-ten-year-year-mo/

AFRICA

689-691-43-11/Poll

87 Percent Mauritians Think Social Media Makes People More Informed About Current Affairs

A majority of Mauritians want unrestricted access to the Internet and social media, Afrobarometer’s recent national survey finds.

The share of Mauritians who use social media every day has more than doubled over the past six year, from 32% in 2014 to 69% in 2020. Overall, citizens believe the effect of social media on society is positive.

(Afrobarometer)

5 May 2021

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/press/mauritians-value-unrestricted-access-internet-and-social-media-afrobarometer-study-shows

689-691-43-12/Poll

63 Percent Gambians Get News From Television And 55 Percent Get From Social Media

Most Gambians support media freedom in principle but endorse government interference to prevent the publication of false news, hate speech, and views that criticize or insult the president, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

An overwhelming majority of Gambians say the media is in fact free to do its work without government interference.

Most Gambians get their news from the radio and television, the survey shows, but social media and the Internet are also major sources of regular news. At the same time, a majority of citizens blame social media users for knowingly spreading false news.

The Gambia’s media environment has become somewhat less restrictive in recent years, including a 2018 Supreme Court decision that the criminalization of defamation is unconstitutional. The 2021 World Press Freedom Index ranked the Gambia 85th out of 180 countries in media freedom, up two spots from the previous year.

(Afrobarometer)

4 May 2021

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/press/gambians-support-media-freedom-want-government-prevent-false-news-and-hate-speech

689-691-43-13/Poll

Half Of Tunisian Citizens 49 Percent Are In Favor Of Press Freedom

The majority of Tunisians believe the media are free, according to Afrobarometer's most recent survey.

Yet half of citizens believe that the government should be able to ban any publication of content that it disapproves of, though a downward trend.

Support for press freedom has improved in Tunisia - half of citizens are in favor - since Afrobarometer last asked their opinion on this issue in 2018.

This Afrobarometer survey is all the more relevant as it presents the opinion of citizens in a context where Tunisia is losing one place in the global press freedom ranking conducted by Reporters Without Borders for the year 2021. .

(Afrobarometer)

May 7, 2021

Source: https://afrobarometer.org/press/la-majorite-des-tunisiens-affirment-que-la-presse-est-libre-mais-ils-sont-favorables-la

WEST EUROPE

689-691-43-14/Poll

Three In Four (76%) Religious People Indicated A Likelihood To Donate To A Charity

Charity is one of the foundational principles of religions worldwide. But does that make people who practise a religion likelier to give to charity compared to those who don’t?

Looking at adults in the UK, data from YouGov Profiles reveals that people who practise a faith with any amount of regularity (from major holiday observers to regular worshippers) do show a higher tendency to be charitable when compared to their non-practising or irreligious counterparts.

The difference may be at least partially explained by the fact that 17% of people in the religious group cited their religious belief as a motivation towards donating directly to a charity.

Aside from being more likely to give, are there differences in the types of good causes religious people support? The data suggests that there are.

They are more likely to support all popular causes than irreligious or non-practising believers – but they also have different priorities too. For example, children and young people come out top for the former group but only third for non-practisers, who prioritise health and medicine charities. Poverty relief is the third most popular cause for the religious group, but doesn’t feature at all for the wider group. On the flipside, environmental/conservation charities feature in the top five causes for this group but they aren’t one of the five most popular causes among the religious.

So while it’s useful for fundraisers to understand that the actively religious give more often, it’s also vital to note that they give differently too.

(YouGov UK)

May 05, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/philosophy/articles-reports/2021/05/05/religious-people-give-more-often-different-causes

689-691-43-15/Poll

One In Eleven NHS Workers Plan To Leave Healthcare Sector After Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all, but perhaps none more so than frontline NHS staff. Now, following the news of the government’s planned 1% pay rise for NHS staff, the Royal College of Nursing has threatened strike action – but are NHS staff considering leaving the healthcare sector?

YouGov research among 1,009 NHS workers shows that one in eleven (9%) are considering leaving the sector – including 12% of nurses and midwives. This represents no statistical difference from when we asked this question in April 2020, when 7% of NHS workers said they were unlikely to remain in the healthcare sector when the pandemic ended.

Why are some NHS workers considering leaving the sector?

With the row over the 1% pay rise for NHS workers still ongoing, being unsatisfied with pay and benefits (57%) was listed as the most common factor playing a role in the decision of those who intend to leave.

Unsurprisingly, pay is closely followed by issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (39%).

Following this is a desire for a better work-life balance (38%), while 30% cited mental health reasons as playing a part in their decision to potentially move on from the sector.

(YouGov UK)

May 05, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/economy/articles-reports/2021/05/05/one-eleven-nhs-workers-plan-leave-healthcare-secto

689-691-43-16/Poll

Two In Five People Point To Housing (44%) And Crime (43%) As The Most Urgent Problems To Be Tackled By New Mayor

These issues largely match the main candidates’ pledges, with current mayor Sadiq Khan promising to build more council homes, crack down on crime and lower the cost of commuting. His opponent, Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey, also promises to make the streets safer, improve transport and to sell 100,000 homes for £100,000 each.

Generally, Londoners have different opinions on what the most pressing issues facing the capital and the country are. Around half say the economy (49%) and health (48%) are top of the list for the country as a whole, which is much higher than when asked about London. And while a quarter (26%) say Britain leaving the EU is among the most urgent issues for the UK, only 16% say it’s the most vital thing to sort out for London.

People in inner London care about housing, while those in outer London worry about crime

Age and location play a big factor in which issues are seen as the most important. People in inner London feel more strongly about housing than those in outer London at 50% vs 41%. But approaching half of people in the suburbs (46%) believe crime is among the biggest threats to the capital, compared with just over a third of those living more centrally (36%).

The same split is clear across generations, with half of Londoners aged 65+ (52%) worrying about crime, compared with a third of 18- to 24-year-olds (35%). In contrast, two in five older capital dwellers (39%) say the economy is the most prominent issue facing London, while only a quarter of 18- to 24-year-olds in the city share the same worry. And while a quarter of those aged 65+ (23%) list immigration and asylum as one of the top issues, only 3% of young people do the same.

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/05/06/housing-and-crime-most-pressing-issues-facing-new-

689-691-43-17/Poll

Four In Ten Britons Satisfied With Their Local Council, But Most In The North Of England Feel They Get Less National Spending Than Other Areas

There is little difference when looking at residents in England, where local elections are taking place this Thursday, with 41% saying they’re satisfied and 24% dissatisfied, however, when looking closer at the regions across England some differences are revealed. Those in the South West are the most satisfied with how their local council runs things with just under half (47%) saying they’re satisfied (21% dissatisfied) while those in the West Midlands, London and the North West are the areas with the least amount of residents satisfied (35%, 36% and 36% respectively). While there is little difference in council satisfaction levels between 2019 Conservative and Labour voters (41% vs. 39% respectively saying they’re satisfied), Liberal Democrats are the most likely to say they’re satisfied with their local council (47%).

Other findings the poll reveals are:

When asked if the national government in Westminster spends more, less or about the same on their area as it does on other local areas just under half (45%) say it spends less on their area, 7% say it spends more while a quarter (26%) say it spends the same amount. In England 44% say the national government spends less on their area, 7% say more and 27% say about the same.
A majority of 2019 Labour voters believe that the national government spends less on their area compared to other areas (7% say more and 20% say about the same) compared with two in five (41%) Conservative voters (5% say more and 33% say about the same).
Those most likely to believe that the government in Westminster spends less on their area than other areas are located in the North of England with 71% in the North East, 59% in the North West, and 56% in Yorkshire and the Humber expressing this feeling.

How much does the local government spend in your local area?

Nearly a third (32%) believe their council spends less on their own area compared to other areas in the council while just 5% believed it spends more (46% said the council spends the same amount).
Most (56%) however think that their council should spend the same amount on their area as it does on other areas while a third (34%) believe it should spend more and only 4% think it should spend less.
The top three most mentioned features people across the UK would like to see improved in their neighbourhood are opportunities and facilities for young people (30%), the range of shops, banks and post offices (30%), and personal safety/crime (29%).
The least mentioned features people want improved in their neighbourhood are the appearance and look of buildings (12%), the standard of schools/colleges (8%), and access to city/town centres (4%).
There were some regional differences when it comes to neighbourhood improvements. For example in London personal safety/crime was the most mentioned (44%) and followed by housing (37%) and air quality (35%) while in Yorkshire and the Humber availability of jobs was the third most mentioned feature (27%) behind opportunities for young people (36%) and personal safety/crime (35%).

Kelly Beaver, Managing Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos MORI said:

With elections taking place across England for councils and mayors, Ipsos MORI finds that there are clear regional differences in how people perceive the national government in Westminster spends money regionally, with those in the North East by far the most likely to feel the national government spends less there than on other local areas. Whether this impacts on how people vote in the local elections in the North East will be an interesting point of analysis once all the votes are counted.

(Ipsos MORI)

7 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/four-ten-britons-satisfied-their-local-council-most-north-england-feel-they-get-less-national

689-691-43-18/Poll

Three Quarters Of British Women (76%) Say Men In Society Don’t Pull Their Weight In Keeping Women And Girls Safe

Sarah Everard’s killing in March prompted vigils, protests, and debates on women’s safety. New YouGov data shows that women overwhelmingly feel not enough is being done to ensure their safety and that men in particular should do more.

Seven in ten women (69%) also say the government’s efforts are lacking, compared with 59% of men. A majority of women (62%) similarly feel the police aren’t doing enough, while around half of men (52%) agree.

Tougher sentencing? Better lighting? More CCTV? What would make the UK safer for women

The debate on women’s safety has encompassed everything from tongue in cheek suggestions to impose 6pm curfews on men to the government’s plans to increase the presence of undercover cops in nightclubs.

But women are most likely to say imposing tougher sentencing for sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence would be effective at 89%, including 69% who say it would be “very effective”. While three quarters of men (76%) agree it would help, only around half (48%) believe it would very effective.

Making the police take reports of sexual harassment more seriously is also regarded as likely to be effective among 88% of women and 79% of men. But there’s a big difference between how many men and women expect it to be very impactful at 61% vs 42%. The issue came under scrutiny after officers allegedly failed to help a woman after a man flashed her as she made her way home from the vigil for Sarah Everard.

In response to Everard’s death, the government announced £25m for better street lighting and CCTV in addition to a pilot scheme involving plain clothes officers in pubs and clubs.

Some 85% of women and 77% of men believe better-lit streets could help improve safety for women, while increased CCTV coverage in public places is also regarded as effective (78% of women vs 65% of men).

But the public are split on the effectiveness of having undercover police in bars and clubs, with 49% of women and 37% of men saying it would be effective. That is not to say such a policy is unpopular, however. A YouGov poll for ITV Peston showed that a large majority – 67% – would back having cops in clubs.

Should women or men adapt their behaviour to make the streets safer for women?

Much of the debate around women’s safety has centred on whether women or men should be the ones to adapt their behaviour. While previous YouGov research shows that many women are already taking numerous measures to avoid men sexually assaulting them, 62% of women and 58% of men believe that better education for women on how to do so would help.

But this view is much more common among the older generations. Seven in ten women aged 55+ (72%) see merit in it, compared with only a third of women aged 18-24 (32%). The same pattern is clear among men, with two thirds of men aged 55+ (64%) convinced in the use of extra education, compared with only a third of those aged 18 to 24 (24%).

Meanwhile, women are much more likely than men to see the benefit of making schools teach boys about acceptable and respectable behaviour towards females. While four in five women (81%) and 69% of men see value in the initiative overall, 61% of women say it would be very effective, compared with only 42% of men.

The same split is clear when it comes to men doing more to criticise their male friends for bad behaviour towards women. While four in five women say it would very (54%) or fairly (32%) effective, men are less inclined to say so (33% very, 35% fairly),

(YouGov UK)

May 10, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/05/10/what-would-make-uk-safer-women-according-women

689-691-43-19/Poll

Towards The End Of Last Year, Over Half Of The Public (53%) Said The Covid-19 Pandemic Had Negatively Affected Their Mental Wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 runs from May 10-16, and it comes at a time when people may be more keenly aware of their psychological state than usual. Towards the end of last year, over half of the public (53%) said the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected their mental wellbeing.

But when it comes to getting people better, how important is “awareness” next to material concerns such as access to treatment?

Poor awareness of mental health issues ranked lower down the list. Just 13% say personal ignorance of mental health issues was the most important factor stopping people from getting treatment, while one in ten cite poor awareness of mental health support services (10%).

Along gender lines, women are half as likely as men to say that low awareness of illnesses such as depression or anxiety do more to stop people from seeking treatment than anything else (Women: 18%; Men: 9%). Female Britons were also 13 percentage points more likely to say that availability of services was the highest barrier to treatment (women: 46%; men 33%). Both genders are most likely to say that low availability outweighs any other factor.

(YouGov UK)

May 14, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2021/05/14/mentalhealthawarenessweek-what-are-biggest-barrier

689-691-43-20/Poll

Three In Ten Britons Feel Less Certain About Government’s Guidance For Which Activities You Should And Shouldn’t Do And Say It’s Either Not Very (19%) Or Not At All Clear (9%)

Don’t go to work. Go to work. Go outside. Don’t go outside. It’s not the first time the government’s COVID-19 guidance has attracted criticism for its muddled messaging. Critics are now attacking Boris Johnson for a reopening approach marked by “confusion”, which includes allowing travel but ministers saying you shouldn’t do it, and legalising hugging but advising “cautious cuddling”.

But are the Britons as confused as commentators insist? Not according to the public themselves. Two thirds of people say the government’s guidance for which activities you should and shouldn’t do is very (19%) or fairly (48%) clear. Around three in ten feel less certain, however, and say it’s either not very (19%) or not at all clear (9%).

Younger people are more likely to say the guidance lacks clarity, with over a third of 18-to 24-year-olds finding it not very (23%) or not at all (13%) clear. In contrast, only one in six people aged 65+ are of the same opinion, including one in twenty (5%) saying it’s not clear at all.

Which activities is the government telling us to do or avoid? People disagree

The guidance that seems to be causing the most confusion is around travel to countries which the government lists as green in their traffic light system, meaning you’re allowed to go without quarantining upon returning.

A third of Britons (33%) say the government is encouraging the public to go on holiday to these destinations, while around three in ten (28%) say it’s discouraged. Another 30% say it’s neither.

Five million people have already booked trips to European destinations this summer, despite one minister saying that all foreign breaks are ‘dangerous’. And while several ministers have said holidays to amber destinations – which require you to isolate at home when returning – are okay, Boris Johnson has overruled them.

But despite the amber ambiguity, three in five Britons (60%) say this type of travel is discouraged, while only 12% believe it’s encouraged. Around one in five people (18%) say it’s neither.

The advice around hugging also seems to be creating some confusion, with two in five people (41%) saying the public is being told to hug, while three in ten (30%) believe we’re advised to not hug.

And while the government’s working from home advice is still in place, two fifths of Britons (38%) say workers are encouraged to go into offices, while around a quarter believe the opposite (27%).

While sitting inside at pubs and restaurants is allowed again as of this week, several Sage scientists have warned against it if not vaccinated. Half of Britons (48%) feel encouraged to sit inside, while only 17% feel dissuaded. Meanwhile, two thirds say they feel encouraged to get socialise outside in hospitality venues.

(YouGov UK)

May 20, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/05/20/covid-19-rules-what-government-telling-us-do-brito

689-691-43-21/Poll

41% Of 18-24 Year Olds Now Say Britain Should Have An Elected Head Of State

The results, which are likely to be cause for concern for Buckingham Palace, come after a turbulent start to 2021, with Harry and Meghan’s controversial Oprah interview in March and Prince Philip’s passing in April.

Young Britons were still clearly in favour of the monarchy as recently as two years ago. Across our polls in 2019 – the year of Prince Andrew’s catastrophic Newsnight appearance – approaching half of 18-24 year olds (46%) were in favour of the monarchy. Only a quarter (26%) preferred an elected state head.

By 2020, however, the share of 18-24 year olds in favour of the monarchy slipped to 40%, while support for an elected head of state rose to 37% – an increase of 11 points. This was another rocky year for the Royal Family, with the Sussexes announcing their resignation and further allegations that Prince Andrew had misled Emily Maitlis about details relating to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Older Britons still strongly support the monarchy

While young people’s views of the monarchy as an institution appear to be souring, changes among the population as a whole have been more subtle. Three in five Britons (61%) still support the monarchy, while a quarter (24%) would prefer an elected head of state. This is a small change from 2019, when two thirds (65%) were behind the firm, and a fifth (19%) would rather get rid of it.

Opinions among people aged 25 to 49 have also only shifted very slightly, with half (53%) now in favour of a monarchy – down from 58%. About a quarter (27%) would like to opt for an elected state head, up 4 points.

Older age groups remain firm in their views. Seven in ten 50-64 year olds (70%) still support the monarchy, which is the same as in 2019 (71%). The same goes for those aged 65 and above, with 81% in favour – similar to two years previously (82%).

(YouGov UK)

May 21, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/05/21/young-britons-are-turning-their-backs-monarchy

689-691-43-22/Poll

Charging An Electric Car Vs Refuelling A Petrol Car, 14% Think It’s Better; 13% Think It’s The Same, And 64% Think It’s Worse

The UK recently replaced France as Europe’s second-largest electric car market. But how do Britons feel about these vehicles compared to those that run on petrol?

Data from YouGov Direct indicates that the general public feel that electric cars outperform petrol cars in a number of key areas – except when it comes to convenience.

The British public is more likely to say they are superior in every other area we asked about. In terms of acceleration, three in five believe they perform the same or better (59%), while just a fifth say they are worse (19%). When it comes to handling, more than three in five (62%) say electric cars handle at similar or superior levels, with just 12% saying they are inferior.

This extends to aesthetics: in terms of exterior design, three-quarters say they look the same or better (76%); when asked about interior design, four in five (80%) think they’re superior, while just 7% think they look inferior.

Britons are also more likely to think that electric cars represent a better investment on a day-to-day basis than petrol cars. Half of the public think electric cars cost less to run than petrol cars (51%) – although a fifth (18%) think they cost about the same and 16% say they cost more.

But when you ask drivers about the barriers to buying an electric car, the major problems do tend to revolve around convenience and charging. YouGov Profiles shows that, while the top challenge for Britons with a driving license is the initial cost (26%), half of the top ten reasons to avoid buying an electric car all have to do with charging the battery.

A quarter think there aren’t enough charging stations (24%), while a fifth think charging takes too long or is too much hassle (21%). Nearly as many (17%) say that the battery doesn’t last long enough or that the cost of charging at home presents a problem (16%).

“Range anxiety” – the fear that you’ll run out of charge if you get too far from a station – is a well-documented concern among EV owners, and it’s one that has cut through to the wider public. It’s a problem the government has recognised through initiatives such as the electric vehicle homecharge scheme, which provides a 75% contribution to the cost of a home charging point and its installation for people with off-street parking and a qualifying vehicle.

As the UK automotive market becomes increasingly electric, it’s a problem automakers may wish to keep in mind – by heightening awareness of incentives and subsidies, offering help with home-charging installation (or even providing it as part of the purchase cost as some brands do), or otherwise making it easier for British drivers to power their electric cars.

(YouGov UK)

May 21, 2021

Source: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/transport/articles-reports/2021/05/21/britons-think-electric-cars-beat-petrol-several-ar

689-691-43-23/Poll

Home And EDC Are Real Estate Chains Get The Most Attention In Denmark

During the corona crisis, the Danish housing market has boomed, and several real estate chains have felt the “corona effect” , where the corona crisis has acted as a trigger for people who have already considered a home purchase. YouGov has taken a closer look at which real estate chains have received the most attention over the past year.

In third and fourth place are Nybolig (15.3%) and danbolig (13.2%). From the four big real estate chains, there is a distance down to chains like Estate and Realmæglerne, which are fighting for fifth place with an attention score of resp. 6.2% and 6%.

However, the coverage has not been stable throughout the year. While EDC was highest in the spring and early summer of 2020, home received the most publicity in the fall and further into the winter of 2021.

The Danes have the best impression of EDC

If you look at which real estate chains the Danes have the overall best impression of, EDC takes the prize with a score of 28.8. The overall impression is calculated by asking which brands you have an overall positive impression of and which ones you have a negative impression of. The net score is calculated as positive minus negative indications.

Home follows right on the heels of EDC with a score of 27.9, while Nybolig takes third place (24.6), and danbolig runs with fourth place (21.7).

About the ranking

In Denmark, BrandIndex compares more than 450 brands. Every day, YouGov BrandIndex interviews 200 people representative of the general population and asks them about their attitudes towards different brands.

The impression score is calculated by asking which brands you have an overall positive impression of and which ones you have a negative impression of. The net score is calculated as positive minus negative share.

The attention score is calculated by asking the respondents if they have heard anything positive or negative about a particular brand over the past two weeks through advertising, news, word-of-mouth or friends and family. The net score is calculated as a positive minus negative share. Data are from March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

(YouGov Denmark)
May 5, 2021

Source: https://meet.google.com/xgs-nsix-qzy?authuser=1

689-691-43-24/Poll

Every Third German Feels More Stressed In 2021 Than Before Corona, People With Children Most Often

It is noticeable that younger Germans in particular feel more stressed in 2021. Currently 39 percent of 18-24-year-olds and 41 percent of 25-34-year-olds state that they are more stressed in times of Corona. In comparison, only 26 percent of those over 55 say that.

PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN ARE MORE STRESSED IN TIMES OF CORONA - THE PROFILE OF THOSE WHO ARE STRESSED

Those who say they will be more stressed in 2021 than before the corona pandemic are more often between 35 and 44 years old (21 percent vs. 15 percent of the general population). Among the more stressed, only 27 percent are older than 55 years (vs. 41 percent of the general population). They are married somewhat more often (43 percent vs. 40 percent of the total population) and more often have children under the age of 18 in their own household: 17 percent of those who are stressed by Corona in 2021 (vs. 15 percent of all Germans) have one child and 12 percent have two children (vs. 9 percent of all Germans).

(YouGov Germany)

May 7, 2021

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2021/05/07/jeder-dritte-deutsche-fuhlt-sich-2021-gestresster-/

689-691-43-25/Poll

Every Second Cyclist Wears A Protective Helmet At Least Now And Then When Cycling

Half of German cyclists (50 percent) state that they wear a protective helmet. One in five of them (21 percent) always wears it, 8 percent often, 11 percent sometimes and 10 percent rarely. It is noticeable that men wear a bicycle helmet at least occasionally more often than women (53 percent vs. 46 percent of women). 46 percent of all cyclists in Germany never wear a protective helmet when cycling. Younger Germans are more safety-conscious than older people when it comes to this question: while 49 percent of those over the age of 55 state that they never wear a bicycle helmet, only 36 percent of those aged 18-24 say so.

FOR MOST GERMANS, THE NUMBER OF CYCLE PATHS IS INADEQUATE

According to 54 percent of Germans, cities and municipalities do not do enough for the safety of cyclists. 63 percent think that the bike paths in cities and towns could still be expanded.

(YouGov Germany)

May 5, 2021

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2021/05/05/jeder-zweite-radfahrer-tragt-beim-fahrradfahren-zu/

689-691-43-26/Poll

26 Percent Germans Praised The Government's Handling Of The Crisis In April 2021

In connection with this, 68 percent said in April 2021 that the government was dealing badly with the crisis, in May this value improved again to 55 percent.

GERMANS RECOGNIZE THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE CORONA SITUATION IN GERMANY

The recently resolved lifting of vaccination prioritization and the nationwide falling incidence figures are possible reasons why Germans are currently talking about an improvement in the corona situation in their own country: only 30 percent said in April that the situation in Germany is improving. Meanwhile, in mid-May, the value rose to 73 percent.

These are the results of the regularly updated COVID-19 tracker from the international Data & Analytics Group YouGov, for which around 2,000 people were surveyed using standardized online interviews from September 2020 to May 2021. The results are weighted and representative for the German population aged 18 and over.

(YouGov Germany)
May 21, 2021

Source: https://yougov.de/news/2021/05/21/umgang-der-regierung-mit-der-corona-krise-wieder-p/

689-691-43-27/Poll

This Month, The President Of The France Recovers 1 Point Of Favorable Opinions From The French (31% Of Favorable Opinions)

This month, the President of the Republic recovers 1 point of favorable opinions from the French (31% of favorable opinions) . In detail, the Head of State is making progress with all fringes of opinion except the moderate Left and the Far Right. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron gains 10 points from supporters of the Far Left (18% of favorable opinions), 5 points from supporters of the Center (82% of favorable opinions) and 2 points from supporters of the moderate Right. (36% favorable opinions). It loses, on the other hand, 2 points with sympathizers of the moderate Left (29% of favorable opinions) and of the Far Right (8% of favorable opinions).

As usual, Prime Minister Jean Castex follows the President's trend but goes up further (27% of favorable opinions, + 2 points). The tenant of Matignon, recorded a strong increase among supporters of the Moderate Left (33% favorable opinions, + 10 points). In addition, it has increased by 4 points among voters in the Center (62%, +4 points) and the Far Left (15%, +3 points). However, the head of government loses 1 point with supporters of the Far Right (12% of favorable opinions) and 2 points with supporters of the moderate Right (32% of favorable opinions).

This month, insecurity returns to first place in the concerns of French people in politics (22%, +8 points). For their part, unemployment and social protection go down one place. Thus, unemployment and employment occupy second place (16%, stable) and social protection completes the podium with 14% (-1 point).

Like the executive couple, the government is also recording an increase this month.

The government is making up for last month's drop and is up 3 points this month (27% favorable opinions). In detail, the government performs better with all fringes of opinion, except for the Far Right (6% favorable opinions, -2 points). The government gained 10 points from supporters of the Far Left (15% of favorable opinions), 9 points from supporters of the moderate Left (31% of favorable opinions), 9 points from supporters of the Center (75% of 'favorable opinions) and finally 1 point among supporters of the moderate Right (33% favorable opinions).

Unlike last month, the government records mixed scores this month on the items tested. In detail, still just over 4 in 10 French people believe that the government is "ready to take unpopular decisions if they are good for the country" (45%, +1 point). However, now, less than 4 in 10 French believe that he "has good intentions, even if [they] do not always agree with his positions" (38%, -5 points). Behind, less than a third of the French believe that it "addresses the whole population, not only its voters" (32% -4 points), that it has "a clear line, which he does not budge. ”(32%, +5 points) and that it“ goes ahead, and proposes modern measures ”(29%, +1 point). Finally, less than a quarter of the French believe that it is "made up of competent people" (25%, +1 point),

For its part, the evolution of items for the National Gathering is also up and down.Indeed, 4 out of 10 French people believe that he has “a clear line from which he does not budge” (40%, stable), that he is “ready to take unpopular decisions if they are good for the country” (40 %, -2 points) and that he "has good intentions, even if [they] do not always agree with his positions" (38%, stable). Behind, a little more than a third of the French consider, that it "is addressed to the whole population, not only to its voters" (35%, +2 points). In addition, around 3 in 10 French people believe that it "protects the interests of people like [them]" (31%, +3 points), that it "is moving forward, and proposes modern measures" (29 %, +3 points). Finally, around a quarter of French people consider that "the society that [he] advocates is overall the one in which [they] want to live" (27%, stable).

(YouGov France)

May 7, 2021

Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2021/05/07/barometre-yougov-france-le-huffpost-mai-2021/

689-691-43-28/Poll

A Quarter Of 18-25 Years Old Say They Have Had Suicidal Thoughts Since The Start Of The Crisis (27%)

Since the 1st measurement carried out in June 2020, it is clear that the health of young people is deteriorating: now more than three quarters of them say they have been affected at the psychological, emotional or physical level (76%, + 3pts ) since the start of the health crisis in March 2020, a proportion that has risen to 83% (+4 pts) among students.

Financial difficulties persist after a full year of crisis ...

While the issue of student insecurity has remained for many years, it has never been more prevalent than since the start of the health crisis. At the start of the epidemic, nearly three quarters (72%) of young people said they had encountered financial difficulties. A year later, the situation is the same and the situation has not changed.

... and students exercising a remunerated activity in parallel with their studies are particularly concerned

On the aspect of student precariousness or that of mental health, salaried students have suffered the full effects of the crisis.

Thus, 66% (+17 pts compared to non-salaried students) of them believe that they had financial difficulties to obtain a healthy and balanced diet, 52% had to give up medical acts or medication (+ 18 pts compared to non-salaried students). This renunciation of care is explained for financial reasons and this for 56% of them. More generally, 82% of students with paid employment have encountered financial difficulties since the start of the health crisis in March 2020.

They also testify to greater psychological distress: 79% of them felt the need to be listened to or to confide in someone. In the last two weeks before the survey, 87% of students with a salaried activity in parallel felt sad, depressed or desperate, that is to say 13 points more than the students without salaried activity. Even more worrying, 40% of these students have had suicidal thoughts since the start of the health crisis.

After a year of crisis, students appear to be deeply impacted in their daily lives and in their future prospects

After a difficult year, more than nine out of ten students consider that the health crisis has caused their studies to drop out (94%; + 10pts). Among them, 6 out of 10 even consider this dropout "very" or "somewhat" important. In June 2020, three months after the start of the crisis, it was “only” 38% to share the same observation, that is to say an increase of 22 points, in 9 months, an evolution which clearly illustrates the difficulty of the students to maintain the course in their course.

Even more than this feeling of having dropped out, many are now also expressing fears for the recognition of the value of their diploma. While a minority of students shared this concern last June (45%), more than two-thirds of students now fear that their diploma will lose value as a result of this pandemic (67%, + 22pts).

The difficult pursuit of an orientation and professional project is the perfect illustration of this: many more students saw their project impacted compared to last June (61%; + 9pts). A quarter of them have revised it down (23%; + 8pts) or have chosen to reorient themselves (14%; + 5pts). There are many reasons for this: they are significantly linked to the health crisis (30%), to financial reasons (27%), to the cancellation or postponement of an internship in a company (21%) or even a trip to the foreigner compromised (20%).

As a result, 1 in 2 students are now in demand for human support to guide them in their orientation , whether face-to-face (30%) or remotely (28%). This demand is all the stronger among students who have seen their orientation and professional plan modified or interrupted (71%).

(Ipsos France)

May 10, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/18-25-ans-apres-un-de-crise-sanitaire-economique-et-sociale-comment-vont-ils-comment-vivent-ils

689-691-43-29/Poll

45% French Believe That Major Beauty Brands Do Not Care Enough About The Diversity Of Their Consumers

In terms of offer, consumers are largely satisfied with the diversity of the beauty sector , 77% of them saying they easily find products that match their physical characteristics.

When it comes to communication, things are more complicated:

51% are not represented in brand communication , especially men ( 59% of them), undoubtedly because they are targeted by far fewer products, but also the oldest ( 62% of 55- 75 years old)
45% believe that major beauty brands do not care enough about the diversity of their consumers.

An initiative such as removing the word “normal” from the packaging of a major cosmetics brand is welcomed: 63% consider it a good thing because “everyone is different and normal does not exist” . A figure that rises to 84% among 16-24 year olds . It is an unexpected reversal of the original meaning of the word, when the most widespread situation is reinterpreted as possible discrimination pointing to stigmatize categories of consumers who do not conform to basic standards. In any case, it testifies to the growing importance of expectations of singularity and recognition of each person's identity and echoes the movements of#bodypositivity very present on social networks.

(Ipsos France)

May 18, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/beaute-normal-vous-avez-dit-normal

689-691-43-30/Poll

9 May, Europe Day: The European Union In The Perception Of Italians

Despite the difficulty of this anniversary in spreading nationally, a good percentage of Italians feel themselves to be European citizens: 38% of the interviewees declare that they identify with this concept; a percentage not very high in absolute terms, but to be contextualized in the fragmentation of the belonging of those who live in our country: only 54% say they consider themselves national citizens , while about a third of respondents identify themselves at a regional or local level (31 and 30 %, respectively. Belonging to the European demos is therefore relatively felt.

The opinion of respondents towards the European Union as an entity is also generally positive: on a scale of 1 to 10, the average "vote" assigned to the EU is 6.7 , with over 70% of respondents granting a full sufficiency. Among young people 18-24, the vote rises to 7.5, and continues to remain above average until the age of 34, and then falls into the 35-55 range, beyond which it returns to around 6.5.

However, a positive opinion of the European Union as a whole does not mean approval of its policies. Given 10 areas in which the EU has competences, in fact, in 7 of these the negative opinions outweigh the positives , in particular by rejecting the economy and tax policy; a positive role is instead recognized in the sphere of civil liberties and rights , Research & Development , Environment and Energy. In absolute terms, however, most of the respondents are not unbalanced, with a percentage always around 40% who claim to have a neutral position.

towards the policies of the Union, one might expect that the majority of respondents favor greater decision-making autonomy for individual Member States. In fact, in all 10 areas examined, a relative majority of respondents hopes for greater integration at European level, particularly in fields where the European contribution is perceived as positive (civil rights, environment, research), but also in complex issues such as Foreign Policy and Defense.

What seems to emerge is that, while many Italians are interested in the continental dimension of major issues, Europe Day does not seem to play a role in promoting this dimension, still remaining unknown to most.

(YouGov Italy)

May 7, 2021

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2021/05/07/9-maggio-giornata-delleuropa-lunione-europea-nel-p/

689-691-43-31/Poll

8 Out Of 10 Italians And Italians Agree: Excess Doses Of The Anti-Covid 19 Vaccine Must Be Shared

8 out of 10 Italians and Italians agree: excess doses of the anti-COVID 19 vaccine must be shared, because only by eradicating the virus everywhere will the pandemic be put to an end. This emergency situation requires a response that goes beyond borders and national income differences (85%), with immunization that gives priority to the categories of people most vulnerable and at risk in the face of the threat of the virus (83%).

These are some of the data that emerged from the survey carried out by the anti-poverty organization The ONE Campaign in collaboration with YouGov: Italian public opinion rejects the so-called "vaccine nationalism", instead supporting efforts to ensure that immunization does not meet any obstacle in accessibility and widespread distribution.

Among those who responded, 9 out of 10 Italians and Italians think that, to put an end to the pandemic, vaccines must be effectively distributed around the world. This finding is in contrast to the current reality, where only a small fraction of the doses administered globally have gone to people living in low-income countries. ONE has calculated that all G7 countries have purchased an amount of vaccines not only needed to inoculate and protect their entire population, but also to set aside over 1 billion excess doses as a spare.

Martina Nuti, ONE Italia advocacy manager, said: “ The pandemic will not end with the COVID 19 vaccine, but when everyone, everywhere will have access to it. Italians and Italians clearly understand the need for a global response to address this crisis: without widespread immunization, the virus will continue to mutate and evolve, extending the duration of this emergency crisis and causing more than double the deaths currently recorded. World leaders must not only coordinate strategically, but also make the necessary resources available to finance a global response, which supports existing multilateral initiatives ”.

The data show that the majority of Italians and Italians (88%) agree on the need for greater international collaboration , on a global scale, to respond to the current pandemic and similar threats in the future.

Martina Nuti continued: “ 2 out of 3 Italians believe that Italy must demonstrate greater solidarity with the most vulnerable countries through international cooperation. The Italian government must respond to the call of its citizens. In its role as presidency of the G20, Italy must act ambitiously and concretelyso that the distribution of vaccines does not follow a setback and the Global Health Summit, to be held in Rome next week, will be an opportunity to do so. We expect the world leaders who find themselves there to take action to ensure herd immunity on a global scale within the next year. This means that Italy must increase funding to ensure global access to vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 globally, and draw up a plan to share excess vaccine doses, timed and operable in parallel with immunization on national scale to ensure the distribution of these stocks by the end of this year ".

(YouGov Italy)
May 11, 2021

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2021/05/11/yougov-one-la-condivisione-dei-vaccini-anti-covid-/

689-691-43-32/Poll

40% Of Spaniards Do Not Agree With The Changes In The Measures Implemented In Their City After The Fall Of The State Of Alarm

On May 9, the extension of the State of Alarm in Spain ended, declared on October 25, 2019 to stop the spread of the virus in the country. After this, the autonomous communities were in charge of deciding which were the preventive measures implemented in each area.

Since then, several cities have experienced large crowds of people celebrating the fall of the curfew or the recent opening and extension of hospitality hours.

Therefore, from YouGov, we have carried out a study on the perception of the Spanish population in the face of the withdrawal and reduction of some of the measures against the pandemic, together with a study on the fear that the agglomerations that occurred in some cities could arouse in the Spanish .

40% of Spaniards do not agree with the changes in the measures implemented in their city after the fall of the state of alarm

More than 8 out of 10 respondents (84%) feel insecure in the face of crowds that occurred after the withdrawal of the State of Alarm

Among the most insecure is the population between 35 - 44 years old (89% state that they feel very insecure or quite insecure) compared to the younger population, despite this also showing a high number of insecurity (77% of those surveyed respond to feeling very insecure). unsafe or quite unsafe)

On the other hand, the majority of those surveyed answered that they were in favor of restricting the capacity for both culture (67%) and hospitality (68%) and reducing the number of people allowed in a meeting (68%) if the health situation worsened.

The opinion about mobility and time restrictions is similar, since 65% of those surveyed would be in favor of reintroducing a curfew and more than half of the population (57%) in favor of returning to the limits of mobility.

The results are more equitable towards re-establishing a State of alarm (49% in favor VS 46% against)

On average, young people are the ones who show a more reluctant attitude to the reimplantation of measures. 45% do not see the need for the return of the curfew, even though the situation worsened (compared to 30% of the average). The same occurs with other measures such as the limits of people in meetings (34% compared to 26% of the population that does not agree to reinstate this measure), the modification of hospitality hours (58% of young people, compared to 49% of the average) or the capacity at cultural events (37% of young people, compared to 26% in general).

(YouGov Spain)
May 13, 2021

Source: https://es.yougov.com/news/2021/05/13/que-piensan-los-espanoles-sobre-el-fin-del-estado-/

689-691-43-33/Poll

Four Out Of Every Five Spanish Respondents (45%) Rejects The Fact That They Can Return To Stadium Fans

Raimon Bassas - The stadiums have become another of the places affected by the pandemic and the measures to avoid contagion. It has been more than a year, since the beginning of March 2020, that the public has not been able to enjoy a game live.

With this new measure, stadiums will be able to accommodate 30% of their capacity as long as they do not exceed 5,000 spectators, they must wear a mask and maintain a safety distance, among other rules.

From YouGov Spain we have analyzed, once the new regulations were announced, the opinion of the Spanish population about the return to the stadiums.

What do the Spanish think of the return to the stadiums?

First, less than a third of the population (28%) is in favor of these measures, while four out of every five respondents (45%) are directly against these measures. Although there is practically a quarter of the population (24%) that does not speak out, the majority of the Spanish population rejects the fact that they can return to stadium fans.

This feeling of rejection is reflected in the sense of security perceived by those surveyed, not within the facilities themselves, but in the community or city where the games would be played. 56% of Spaniards (more than half) state that at least they would feel “quite” unsafe in the event of the reopening of professional football stadiums in their community.

On the other hand, we have also analyzed the opinion of the Spanish population about the measures implemented to make this stadium reopening possible:

The limit of hosting 30% of capacity provided that they do not exceed 5,000 spectators is considered necessary by 85% of Spaniards. In other words, within the limited predisposition of the Spanish population to reopen stadiums, capacity control is a key issue.

Taking the temperature before entering the stadium also generated consensus among 4 out of 5 Spaniards (79%) who also consider it a necessary measure.

The entry and exit protocol with a safety distance (1.5m) is also a necessary policy for 9 out of 10 Spaniards. On the other hand, 6 out of 10 Spaniards also coincide with the capacity policies as long as the local team is public.

The ban on smoking in stadiums is a measure that generates consensus among 86% of Spaniards when it comes to reopening stadiums. Along the same lines, 69% of Spaniards would understand the prohibition of eating in the stadiums and, being water the only food or drink allowed inside the enclosure.

Finally, another issue with broad consensus would be the obligation to wear a FFP2 mask without a valve within the stadiums, since up to 85% of Spaniards consider it necessary.

(YouGov Spain)

May 20, 2021

Source: https://es.yougov.com/news/2021/05/20/la-vuelta-los-estadios-en-espana/

689-691-43-34/Poll

Only one in five Hungarians is vaccinated

The last summer causing the readings of Ipsos in May Covi-19 omnibus research. Thanks to improving epidemic data and rising vaccination rates, the population is moving more freely and letting their children into the community, interacting with others. The rate of wearing a face mask was 87%, with a lower level most recently seen in November. The 73% mention of frequent hand washing against infection is the lowest in the history of the research series . The outlook for public transport and the event market is mild, with domestic tourism improving significantly over the past month.

FIGURE: Which of the following activities is true for you? (on the basis of adult population, N = 1,000 persons / month)

Personal protection methods

The under-30s and rural residents are most open to events in the last 30 days. Older people and the capital city, as well as graduates and high-income people, are more cautious. There is cause for optimism for accommodation providers and caterers that Hungarians, regardless of age or gender, are more confident in booking accommodation within the country's borders, only Budapest residents still show a certain degree of anticipation.

With the above results, the special situation has arisen in Hungary that the most vaccinated and at the same time the most vaccinated sections of the population, instead of boldly resuming their usual lives, are still much more cautious than the insecure or vaccine-refusing social segments.

Overall vaccination propensity reached 70% after an increase of four months . With an 8% uncertain stratum, the rejection rate is 22%. Half of the adult population (51%) had undergone at least the first vaccination, a further 11% had registered for the vaccine but had not yet been invited or had rejected the vaccine offered.

FIGURE: Would you vaccinate yourself with the coronavirus vaccine currently available in Hungary? (on the basis of the adult population, N = 1,000 persons / month)

Willingness to vaccinate

In the traditionally rejecting group of under-30s, the boost in vaccination rose to 68% in one month (+ 26% -points), while the camp of those who opposed the vaccine halved (26%).

The best vaccinated age group is still over 60 years of age, while vaccine protection is also estimated to be above average among those with higher education and in large cities. Vaccine rejection remains high in the Northern Great Plain and Western Transdanubia (above 35%), and in line with this, the measured registration rate also lags behind the rest of the country (51% vs. 63%).

We had been relying on the free summer for a month, but most are currently only waiting for the full opening in September.

40% of Hungarians believe that the restrictions introduced in Hungary due to the epidemic will end by August, while the majority of 60% guess at a later date or are unsure of the answer.

FIGURE: In your opinion, when can the restrictive measures end in Hungary and everything can return to its previous order? (on the basis of the adult population, N = 1,000 people)

Removal of restrictions

Compared to expectations a month ago, skepticism about the date of reopening has increased significantly. While June, July and August have been mentioned similarly to the most recent, the earlier unrestricted lifting of restrictions is unlikely by the public, and there is a growing perception that provisions made in the past year will never lapse in their entirety (20%).

FIGURE: In your opinion, when can the restrictive measures end in Hungary and everything can return to its previous order? (on the basis of the adult population, N = 1,000 persons / month)

Removal of restrictions

(Ipsos Hungary)

May 20, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/hu-hu/csak-minden-otodik-magyar-oltasellenes

NORTH AMERICA

689-691-43-35/Poll

**Three-Quarters Of White Evangelical Protestants (75%) Say They Disapprove Of The New President’s Performance So Far**

America’s religious groups are deeply divided about President Joe Biden’s performance so far, just as they were about President Donald Trump throughout his term. In fact, Biden’s approval ratings today are nearly a mirror image of Trump’s four years ago.

Religious groups that tended to disapprove of Trump’s performance as president, including Hispanic Catholics, Black Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated, mostly approve of Biden’s performance now, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted April 5-11. By contrast, groups that approved of Trump in his early days, primarily White evangelicals, now rate Biden negatively.

For example, seven-in-ten religiously unaffiliated adults (71%) say they approve of how Biden is handling the job of president, compared with three-quarters (76%) who said they disapproved of Trump’s performance in April 2017.

At the other end of the spectrum, three-quarters of White evangelical Protestants (75%) say they disapprove of the new president’s performance so far, which is about equal to the share who approved of Trump’s performance four years ago (73%).

Catholics are not quite as unified. Around two-thirds of Catholics (64%) say they approve of Biden’s handling of his job, driven by strong support from Hispanic Catholics, 80% of whom grade Biden favorably. White Catholics are almost evenly divided in their approval of Biden, much as they were in their early evaluations of Trump.

Biden’s strongest supporters are Black Protestants, 89% of whom say they approve of the job he is doing so far. The April 2017 survey did not include enough interviews with Black Protestants or Hispanic Catholics to provide an early read on their evaluations of Trump, but their backing of Biden so far has aligned with broader partisan patterns, and they were consistently among the religious groups least approving of Trump over the course of his presidency.

Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics and religiously unaffiliated Americans – also known as religious “nones” because they describe themselves, religiously, as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular – have long been staunchly Democratic constituencies. White evangelical Protestants are among the most solidly and consistently Republican religious group in the U.S., and they have grown even more uniformly Republican in recent decades. White Catholics and White Protestants who are not evangelical also have shifted in a Republican direction in recent years.

Biden is Catholic and often talks about his faith, but his fellow Catholics are divided along party lines in their views about his religious beliefs. Biden said in 2020 that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision establishing a woman’s right to abortion nationwide should be upheld, which has prompted some Catholics to argue that he should be denied Holy Communion.

Abortion isn’t the only divisive issue for Biden. Among White Christians in particular, fewer express solidarity with Biden’s positions on policy issues than did so with Trump’s. For instance, whereas 43% of White Catholics say they agree with Biden on many, almost all or all issues, 58% said same about Trump in February 2020 (before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic). Among White Protestants who are not evangelicals, one-third (34%) say they generally agree with Biden on the issues, compared with 56% who said this about Trump. And whereas just 15% of White evangelical Protestants say they agree with Biden on many, almost all or all issues, fully three-quarters (76%) said they backed Trump on many or all issues.

However, traditionally Democratic groups like Black Protestants and religious “nones” are indeed far more likely to say they agree with Biden on many or all issues than to have said this about Trump.

Job ratings and issue positions aside, Biden is doing better than Trump among most religious groups when it comes to views about his conduct.

Across all the religious groups analyzed – aside from White evangelical Protestants – more people say they like the way Biden conducts himself as president than said this about Trump when Pew Research Center last asked this question in February 2020.

This pattern is most pronounced among traditionally Democratic groups: The share of Black Protestants who say they like the way Biden conducts himself is 75 percentage points higher than the share who said the same about Trump in February 2020 (81% vs. 6%), and the share of religious “nones” who say they like Biden’s conduct is 47 points higher (55% vs. 8%).

But even less traditionally Democratic groups give Biden higher marks for his conduct. The difference among White Catholics, for instance, is 22 points in favor of Biden (46% vs. 24%), and among White Protestants who are not evangelical it is 16 points (36% vs. 20%).

White evangelical Protestants are the major exception to this pattern. Only 14% of White evangelicals say they like the way Biden conducts himself, compared with 31% who said this about Trump in February 2020. White evangelical Protestants were Trump’s strongest supporters throughout his four-year term.

(PEW)

MAY 4, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/04/among-u-s-religious-groups-bidens-approval-ratings-are-mirror-image-of-trumps/

689-691-43-36/Poll

70% Of U.S. Social Media Users Never Or Rarely Post Or Share About Political, Social Issues

When asked about five potential reasons for why they do not post about these topics, the top two reasons users cite are concerns that the things they post or share will be used against them and not wanting to be attacked for their views. About a third of those who never or rarely post or share about these issues say that each statement is a major reason.

Roughly a fifth of those who never or rarely post about these issues say that among major reasons for this are not having anything to add to the conversation, not paying close attention to political or social issues, or not wanting to offend others.

How we did this

Answers to these questions – asked of Americans last fall as the 2020 presidential election approached – vary by political party and ideology. Among social media users, Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party say they post about political or social issues less frequently – 74% say they never or rarely do so – compared with a smaller share (66%) of Democrats and Democratic leaners who say the same. Some 44% of Republican social media users and 36% of Democratic social media users say they never do this.

The newly released results also reflect a pattern seen in other Center explorations of political posts on social media and other political activities such as voting and activism. Those toward the center of the ideological spectrum (that is, self-described conservative or moderate Democrats, and liberal or moderate Republicans) are more likely to be reluctant about engaging on social media than those at the edges of the spectrum (liberal Democrats or conservative Republicans).

Among social media users, Republicans who identify as moderate or liberal are 15 percentage points more likely than conservative Republicans to say they never or rarely post or share about political or social issues (83% vs. 68%). Similarly, roughly eight-in-ten conservative or moderate Democrats who use social media (77%) say they never or rarely post this type of content, compared with a smaller share of liberal Democrats (56%).

These new results are consistent with other Pew Research Center findings about the relatively modest prevalence of political posts on social media. For example, a Center analysis of tweets posted by U.S. adults with public accounts from June 2018-June 2019 found that only 13% of tweets mentioned national politics. Just 6% of these users were classified as “prolific political tweeters” (posting at least 10 tweets during that period, with at least a quarter of those tweets being about national politics). This pattern is not just specific to politics: A 2020 analysis found that a minority of users produce the vast majority of tweets more generally. Still, in a separate study during the recent election season, 55% of Americans said they were worn out by political posts on social media, with Republicans more likely to say this than Democrats.

There are also numerous ways social media users can be politically or socially active on social media, and these can vary based on current events. Some 14% of U.S. adults reported they had used a hashtag related to a political or social issue in the past year when asked about these issues in a 2018 survey, and 18% had changed their profile picture to show support for a cause in that same time frame. In a June 2020 survey conducted in the wake of global protests against racial injustice, roughly one-in-five social media users (18%) said they had used such a hashtag in the past month, while about a third (36%) had posted a picture to show their support for a cause.

Several potential reasons for not posting or sharing content about political or social issues are cited as major ones by similar shares of Democrats and Republicans in this new survey. There are other areas, however, where partisan and ideological differences stand out.

For instance, Republicans who use social media but post about these issues infrequently are more likely than their Democratic counterparts to say concern that this content could be used against them is a major reason they don’t post in this way (37% vs. 29%). They are also more likely to say a major reason is that they don’t want to be attacked for their views (36% vs. 27%) – and conservative Republicans are more likely than moderates or liberals within the party to cite this as a major reason for rarely if ever posting.

Other Center research has examined political discourse and perceived harassment both offline and online: For example, Republicans reported a less “comfortable” environment for expressing their views in a 2019 Center study on political discourse, and another recent study revealed that half of Americans who have experienced harassing behaviors online think this was a result of their political views.

When it comes to other major reasons someone might not post about political or social issues, similar shares of Democratic and Republican social media users who never or rarely do so cite not wanting to offend others, not paying close attention to these issues or not having anything to add to the conversation. Among Democratic social media users, however, infrequent posters who identify as conservative or moderate are more likely to say the latter two reasons are major ones, compared with their liberal counterparts.

(PEW)

MAY 4, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/04/70-of-u-s-social-media-users-never-or-rarely-post-or-share-about-political-social-issues/

689-691-43-37/Poll

Just 11% Of Republicans And Republican-Leaning Independents Say Trump’s Accounts Should Be Permanently Banned From Social Media

The survey, fielded April 12 to 18, was conducted before Facebook’s independent oversight board upheld for now the suspension of Trump’s account that was instituted in the wake of the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Several social media companies acted against Trump after the attack, claiming he violated their terms of use and that his rhetoric could result in more violence.

Republicans and Democrats hold deeply contrasting views of a lifetime ban for Trump. Just 11% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say Trump’s accounts should be permanently banned from social media, while 88% say they should not be. By comparison, 81% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say his accounts should be banned permanently. Roughly one-in-five Democrats (18%) do not support this type of ban on Trump’s accounts.

While most Republicans do not support permanently barring Trump from social media, there are some ideological differences within the party. More than nine-in-ten conservative Republicans (95%) believe Trump’s accounts should not be permanently banned from social media, but that share is lower among moderate and liberal Republicans (77%). Among Democrats, liberals (85%) are somewhat more likely than conservatives and moderates (78%) to favor a permanent ban, though large majorities in both ideological groups favor it.

The Center’s new poll follows a January survey that gauged public reactions to the initial bans that social media companies imposed on Trump after the Capitol riots. In that survey, 58% of adults said they thought social media companies’ decisions to ban Trump’s accounts in the wake of the riots were the right thing to do, while 41% believed those decisions were the wrong thing to do.

And then – just like today – most Republicans (78%) said social media companies’ decisions to ban Trump’s accounts following the riots were the wrong thing to do, while a vast majority of Democrats (89%) supported these decisions.

Facebook created its oversight board in 2019 to be the final arbiter of important, controversial content decisions made by the platform. It began making decisions earlier this year. The board recently ordered Facebook to reinstate a post that accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of participating in efforts to kill the country’s Sikh religious minority.

(PEW)

MAY 5, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/05/americans-divided-on-whether-trump-should-be-permanently-banned-from-social-media/

689-691-43-38/Poll

About Six-In-Ten Americans Say Abortion Should Be Legal In All Or Most Cases

Abortion has long been a contentious issue in the United States, and it is one that sharply divides Americans along partisan, ideological and religious lines.

In the latest survey, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are 45 percentage points more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases (80% vs. 35%). This gap is little changed over the last few years, but the current divide is wider than it was in the past. For instance, as recently as 2016, there was a 33-point gap between the shares of Democrats (72%) and Republicans (39%) who supported legal abortion in all or most cases.

This wider gap is mostly attributable to a steady increase in support for legal abortion among Democrats. In 2007, roughly two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic leaners (63%) said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Support among Democrats has risen by nearly 20 points since then, and 80% now say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Views among Republicans have remained relatively steady during this period. In 2007, around four-in-ten Republicans (39%) said abortion should be legal in all or most cases; today, 35% say this.

There are ideological differences within both parties over abortion, though the divide is starker within the GOP. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 59% of moderates and liberals say abortion should legal in all or most cases, compared with just 22% of conservative Republicans.

While liberal Democrats are 17 percentage points more likely than conservative and moderate Democrats to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, wide majorities of both groups (89% and 72%, respectively) say this.

Support for legal abortion varies by race and ethnicity, education and religious affiliation.

Majorities of adults across racial and ethnic groups say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. White adults and Hispanic adults, however, are slightly less likely to say this than Black and Asian adults. Nearly six-in-ten White (57%) and Hispanic adults (58%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with larger majorities of Black (67%) and Asian (68%) adults.

Support for legal abortion is greater among those with higher levels of education. Those with postgraduate (71%) and bachelor’s (65%) degrees are more likely than those with less education to support legal abortion in at least most cases. Adults with no more than a high school education are divided on the issue: Half say abortion should be legal in at least most cases, while 47% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

White evangelical Protestants continue to be opposed to abortion in all or most cases. Around three-quarters of White evangelicals (77%) say it should be illegal in all or most cases, while 21% say it should be legal in at least most cases. In contrast, a majority of White Protestants who are not evangelical (63%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Religious “nones” – those who are religiously unaffiliated – overwhelmingly support legal abortion. Around eight-in-ten (82%) say it should be legal in all or most cases, while just 16% say it should be illegal.

Among the public overall, there is a modest gender divide in views of whether abortion should be legal: 56% of men and 62% of women say it should be legal in at least most cases. Within both parties, the views of men and women are largely aligned: 80% of Democratic women and 79% of Democratic men say abortion should be legal in all or most cases; similarly, 32% of Republican men and 39% of Republican women say the same.

(PEW)

MAY 6, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/06/about-six-in-ten-americans-say-abortion-should-be-legal-in-all-or-most-cases/

689-691-43-39/Poll

Around Half Of Americans (48%) See Gun Violence As A Very Big Problem In The Country Today

Guns are deeply ingrained in American society and the nation’s political debates.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms, and about a third of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun. At the same time, President Joe Biden and other policymakers have proposed new restrictions on firearm access in an effort to address gun violence ranging from rising murder rates in some major cities to mass shootings.

Here are some key findings about Americans’ attitudes about gun violence, gun policy and other subjects, drawn from recent surveys by Pew Research Center and Gallup.

Around half of Americans (48%) see gun violence as a very big problem in the country today, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2021. That’s comparable to the share who say the same about the federal budget deficit (49%), violent crime (48%), illegal immigration (48%) and the coronavirus outbreak (47%). Only one issue is viewed as a very big problem by a majority of Americans: the affordability of health care (56%).

Another 24% of adults say gun violence is a moderately big problem. About three-in-ten say it is either a small problem (22%) or not a problem at all (6%).

Attitudes about gun violence differ widely by race, ethnicity, party and community type. About eight-in-ten Black adults (82%) say gun violence is a very big problem – by far the largest share of any racial or ethnic group. By comparison, about six-in-ten Hispanic adults (58%) and 39% of White adults view gun violence this way. (Due to sample size limitations, data for Asian Americans is not available.)

Black Democrats more likely than White, Hispanic Democrats to say gun violence is a very big problem

Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are far more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to see gun violence as a major problem (73% vs. 18%). And nearly two-thirds of Americans who describe their community as urban (65%) say the same, compared with 47% of suburbanites and 35% of those who live in rural areas.

Roughly half of Americans (53%) favor stricter gun laws, a decline since 2019, according to the April 2021 survey. Smaller shares say these laws are about right (32%) or should be less strict (14%). The share of Americans who say gun laws should be stricter has declined from 60% in September 2019. Current opinions are in line with what they were in March 2017.

Support for stricter gun laws has fluctuated in recent years; fewer back stricter laws now than in 2019

Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, views have shifted. Republicans are currently more likely to say gun laws should be less strict (27%) than stricter (20%). In 2019, by comparison, a larger share of Republicans favored stricter gun laws than less strict laws (31% vs. 20%). Both years, roughly half of Republicans said current gun laws were about right.

Today, a large majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (81%) say gun laws should be stricter, though this share has declined slightly since 2019 (from 86%).

Americans are divided over whether restricting legal gun ownership would lead to fewer mass shootings. Debates over the nation’s gun laws have often followed recent mass shootings. But Americans are split over whether legal changes would lead to fewer mass shootings, according to the spring 2021 poll. About half of adults (49%) say there would be fewer mass shootings if it was harder for people to obtain guns legally, while about as many either say this would make no difference (42%) or that there would be more mass shootings (9%).

The public is even more divided about the effects of gun ownership on crime overall. Around a third (34%) say that if more people owned guns, there would be more crime. The same percentage (34%) say there would be no difference in crime, while 31% say there would be less crime.

There is broad partisan agreement on some gun policy proposals, but most are politically divisive, the spring 2021 survey found. Majorities in both partisan coalitions favor two policies that would restrict gun access: preventing those with mental illnesses from purchasing guns (85% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats support this) and subjecting private gun sales and gun show sales to background checks (70% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats). Majorities in both parties also oppose allowing people to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

Bipartisan support for preventing the mentally ill from buying guns, expanded background checks; wide partisan differences on many other gun policies

Other proposals bring out stark partisan rifts. While 80% or more of Democrats favor creating a federal database to track all gun sales and banning both assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, majorities of Republicans oppose the proposals.

Most Republicans, on the other hand, support allowing people to carry concealed guns in more places (72%) and allowing teachers and school officials to carry guns in K-12 schools (66%). These proposals are supported by just 20% and 24% of Democrats, respectively.

Americans in rural areas typically favor more expansive gun access, while Americans in urban places prefer more restrictive policies, according to the April 2021 survey. Even though rural areas tend to be more Republican and urban communities more Democratic, this pattern holds true even for those who identify with the same political party. For example, 71% of rural Republicans favor allowing teachers and other school officials to carry guns in K-12 schools, compared with 56% of Republicans living in urban places. Conversely, about half of Republicans who live in urban communities (51%) favor bans on assault-style weapons, compared with 31% of those living in rural areas.

Less support for expanded gun background checks among Republicans in rural areas than those living in urban, suburban communities

Democrats favor more gun restrictions regardless of where they live, but there are still some differences by community type. A third of rural Democrats (33%), for instance, support allowing teachers and other school officials to carry guns in K-12 schools, compared with 21% of those in urban areas.

More than four-in-ten U.S. adults (44%) say they live in a household with a gun, including about a third (32%) who say they personally own one, according to a Gallup survey conducted in October 2020.

There are differences in gun ownership rates by political party affiliation, gender, geography and other factors. For instance, half of Republicans say they personally own a gun, compared with 18% of Democrats. (Independents are counted separately in the Gallup survey. Among independents, 29% say they personally own a gun.)

Men are more than twice as likely as women to own a gun (45% vs. 18%), and 48% of those living in towns or rural areas report owning a firearm, compared with about a quarter of those living in suburbs (25%) or cities (23%).

Federal data suggests that gun sales have risen in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the number of monthly federal background checks for gun purchases was at least 20% higher than in the same month in 2019, according to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The largest percentage increase occurred in July 2020, when about 3.6 million background checks were completed – a 44% increase from July 2019.

Personal protection tops the list of reasons why gun owners say they own a firearm. In a separate Gallup survey in August 2019, gun owners were most likely to cite personal safety or protection as the reason they own a firearm. Roughly six-in-ten (63%) said this in an open-ended question. Considerably smaller shares gave other reasons, including hunting (40%), nonspecific recreation or sport (11%), that their gun was an antique or family heirloom (6%) or that the gun was related to their line of work (5%).

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2017 found similar patterns in firearm owners’ stated reasons for owning a gun, as well as in the overall share of Americans with a gun in their home.

(PEW)

MAY 11, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/11/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/

689-691-43-40/Poll

Immigration Was A Top Focus Of Early Biden Coverage, Especially Among Outlets With Right-Leaning Audiences

As more migrants arrive at the U.S. southern border, the politically polarized issue of immigration was one of the most dominant topics in the coverage of President Joe Biden’s early days in the White House.

Immigration was one of the five topics most covered by 25 major news outlets, according to a Pew Research Center study of news coverage of the first 60 days of the Biden administration, accounting for 11% of all stories. It was topped only by health care (17%) and the economy (22%). (References to COVID-19 were coded separately from topics.)

But the amount of attention paid to Biden’s handling of immigration issues varied significantly across media outlets – a finding borne out by the content analysis and a survey of 12,045 U.S. adults.

Four years earlier, with Donald Trump pushing a crackdown on illegal immigration, the issue accounted for 14% of the stories about his first days in office, according to a similarly conducted study in 2017. The difference between then and now is that Trump’s immigration coverage was much more evenly distributed across outlets with left-leaning audiences (12%), mixed audiences (15%) and right-leaning audiences (also 15%).

The study also finds that the assessments of the Biden administration in stories about immigration during these first 60 days were more negative than the coverage overall. Across all stories studied, the tone of coverage of Biden’s new presidency was modestly more negative than positive – 32% of the stories carried a negative assessment, 23% carried a positive one and a plurality (45%) were neither positive nor negative.

But the assessments of the Biden administration’s handling of immigration were far more negative – about half of these stories (51%) had a negative assessment, compared with 15% that were positive and 34% that were neither. The only other topic among the top five to generate as much negative coverage was Biden’s political skills, at 53%. But there were also more positive stories on that topic (25%) and fewer that were neither (22%).

Americans who turn to outlets with right-leaning audiences most likely to have heard a lot about immigration and want to hear more

A companion survey of U.S. adults was conducted March 8-14 to add context to the content analysis, which had found that media outlets with right-leaning audiences were the most heavily focused on the immigration issue in Biden’s first days in office.

About one-third of all Americans (30%) said they had heard a lot about the administration’s efforts around reforming immigration policy. That trailed far behind those who said they heard a lot about the passage of the economic stimulus bill (77%), the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine (74%) and Biden’s use of executive actions to overturn some of Trump’s policies (52%).

But 45% of those who only got political news in the past week from outlets with right-leaning audiences said they had heard a lot about Biden’s efforts to reform immigration policy. That is significantly higher than the 31% of Americans overall who had a more mixed news diet, and roughly double the 21% who got news only from outlets with left-leaning audiences. (Find details about the survey and media diet groupings here.)

Overall, 11% of all Americans say the topic their main news sources paid the most attention to was immigration. But that number roughly triples to 34% among those whose media diets are only on the right. In stark contrast, just 5% of those who use only outlets with left-leaning audiences say their main sources paid the most attention to immigration.

In a separate question about which initiatives had received too much, too little or the right amount of attention in the news, a plurality of U.S. adults (43%) said immigration had received too little attention, compared with 18% who said too much and 37% who said the right amount.

But nearly six-in-ten (59%) who got political news only from outlets with right-leaning audiences said the subject of immigration warranted more coverage. That compares with 44% of those with a more mixed media diet and 37% of those who got political news only from outlets with left-leaning audiences.

(PEW)

MAY 12, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/12/immigration-was-a-top-focus-of-early-biden-coverage-especially-among-outlets-with-right-leaning-audiences/

689-691-43-41/Poll

12% Of Us Jewish Adults Say They Attend Religious Services Weekly Or More Often, Compared With 27% Of The General Public And 38% Of Us Christians

From Passover Seders to Jewish foods and life-cycle milestones such as bar and bat mitzvahs, some aspects of Jewish religious life and culture are widespread among American Jews. But other religious expressions – such as regular attendance at synagogue services and belief in God as described in the Bible – are much less common, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

In fact, based on these more traditional measures of religious observance, Jews in the United States are far less religious than U.S. Christians and Americans overall.

For example, 12% of U.S. Jewish adults say they attend religious services weekly or more often, compared with 27% of the general public and 38% of U.S. Christians. And 21% of Jewish adults say religion is very important in their lives, compared with 41% of U.S. adults overall and 57% of Christians.

There are even bigger gaps when it comes to belief in God. About a quarter of Jews (26%) say they believe in God as described in the Bible, compared with more than half of U.S. adults overall (56%) and eight-in-ten Christians. Jews are more likely than U.S. adults overall (50% vs. 33%) to say they believe in some other spiritual force or higher power, but not in God as described in the Bible. Jewish adults also are twice as likely as the general public to say they do not believe in any kind of higher power or spiritual force in the universe (22% vs. 10%).

Orthodox Jews – who make up 9% of all U.S. Jews – are a notable exception. They are among the most highly religious groups in U.S. society by these measures. For example, 86% of Orthodox Jews say religion is very important in their lives, as do 78% of Black Protestants and 76% of White evangelical Protestants, two of the most highly religious Christian subgroups. Orthodox Jews (93%) also are about as likely as White evangelicals (94%) and Black Protestants (88%) to say they believe in God as described in the Bible.

Conservative and Reform Jews, who together make up 54% of U.S. Jews, are much less religious than Orthodox Jews by these measures. A third of Conservative Jews and 14% of Reform Jews say religion is very important in their lives. Moreover, 37% of Conservative Jews and 18% of Reform Jews believe in God as described in the Bible.

In analyzing the survey results, Pew Research Center also distinguished between two sets of respondents: those who say their religion is Jewish (referred to as “Jews by religion”) and those who describe themselves religiously as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, but who have a Jewish parent or were raised Jewish and still identify as Jewish in ways other than religion, such as culturally, ethnically or because of their family background (referred to as “Jews of no religion”). By these definitions, 73% of U.S. Jews are Jews by religion, while 27% are Jews of no religion.

Not surprisingly, Jews of no religion are much less religious than Jews by religion, at least by some standard measures. Fewer than 1% of Jews of no religion say they attend religious services at least weekly, compared with 16% of Jews by religion. And while 6% of Jews of no religion say religion is very important to them, the share is much higher (33%) among Jews by religion.

The fact that U.S. Jews as a whole are less likely than Americans overall to say religion is very important to them does not necessarily mean their Jewish identity is not meaningful to them. In fact, twice as many Jews say “being Jewish” is very important to them as say their religion is very important to them (42% vs. 21%). More than half of Jews by religion (55%) say being Jewish is very important to them, compared with just 7% of Jews of no religion.

Both Jews by religion and Jews of no religion are more likely to engage with Judaism in other ways. Roughly six-in-ten Jewish Americans overall say they held or attended a Passover Seder in the year prior to the survey, including 74% of Jews by religion and 30% of Jews of no religion. Similar shares in both groups say they observed a life milestone such as a bar or bat mitzvah during that period. And about eight-in-ten Jews by religion (78%) say they often or sometimes cook or eat traditional Jewish foods, while roughly half of Jews of no religion (54%) say this.

Eating traditional Jewish foods is not to be mistaken with keeping kosher: Just 17% of U.S. Jews say they keep kosher in their homes, including 22% of Jews by religion and 3% of Jews of no religion. The vast majority of Orthodox Jews (95%) keep kosher at home, compared with 24% of Conservative Jews and 5% of Reform Jews.

(PEW)

MAY 13, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/13/jews-in-u-s-are-far-less-religious-than-christians-and-americans-overall-at-least-by-traditional-measures/

689-691-43-42/Poll

69% Of Adults Ages 20 To 29 Who Had Graduated From College During The Previous Spring Were Employed, Lower Than The Share Of 2019 Graduates Who Were Employed In October Of That Year (78%)

From their virtual commencements, the class of 2020 graduates looked out into a very different economic future than their predecessors the year before – one upended by a recession caused by a pandemic that has been particularly hard on young workers. The challenges of a pandemic economy are evident in the labor market outcomes of 2020 college graduates, who have experienced a downturn in employment and labor force participation, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from January to October collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In October 2020, 69% of adults ages 20 to 29 who had graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree or higher during the previous spring were employed, lower than the share of 2019 graduates who were employed in October of that year (78%). The labor force participation rate for recent college graduates – or the share of people employed or actively looking for a job – also dropped from 86% to 79% during this one-year period. As has been widely documented, the broader labor market took a significant hit during the pandemic. Among all Americans ages 16 and older, the employment rate declined from 61% in October 2019 to 58% in October 2020, and the labor force participation rate declined from 63% to 62%.

While it is too early to compare the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 recession and the Great Recession on recent college graduates, there is evidence that the outcomes for these young adults have differed in the months following their graduation. The labor force participation rates for the classes of 2007 and 2008 were relatively unchanged, whereas the class of 2020 saw a marked decline compared with the class of 2019.

Class of 2020 high school graduates – young adults ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school in the previous spring – faced their own challenges as they made decisions about entering the labor market or enrolling in college, among other options. Overall, college enrollment rates are largely unchanged for the class of 2020 compared with the class of 2019. However, an earlier analysis looking at the share of all 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college showed that there was a slight decline in enrollment among certain demographic groups, including Black and Asian young adults.

Among high school graduates who were not enrolled in college in the fall after graduation, the employment rate was similar in 2019 and 2020. However, there was a notable drop among women in this group: 65% were employed in 2019 vs. 54% in 2020 (there was no change among men in this group).

(PEW)

MAY 14, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/14/college-graduates-in-the-year-of-covid-19-experienced-a-drop-in-employment-labor-force-participation/

689-691-43-43/Poll

About Four-In-Ten (41%) Americans Say News Organizations Are Growing In Their Influence

Americans’ views about the influence of the media in the country have shifted dramatically over the course of a year in which there was much discussion about the news media’s role during the election and post-election coverage, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests about racial justice. More Americans now say that news organizations are gaining influence than say their influence is waning, a stark contrast to just one year ago when the reverse was true.

By comparison, Americans in early 2020 were far more likely to say the news media were declining in influence. Nearly half (48%) at that time said this, compared with far fewer (32%) who said news organizations were growing in influence.

The 2021 figures more closely resemble responses from 2011 – the next most recent time this was asked – and before, in that more Americans then said the news media were growing in influence than declining. Views could have shifted in the gap between 2011 and 2020, but if so, they have now shifted back. (It should be noted that prior to 2020, this question was asked on the phone instead of on the web.)

What’s more, this shift in views of the media’s influence in the country occurred among members of both political parties – and in the same direction.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are about evenly split in whether they think news organizations are growing (40%) or declining in influence (41%). This is very different from a year ago, when Republicans were twice as likely to say their influence was declining than growing (56% vs. 28%).

And Democrats and Democratic leaners are now much more likely to say news organizations are growing (43%) than declining in influence (28%), while a year ago they were slightly more likely to say influence was declining (42% vs. 36% growing).

Overall, then, Republicans are still more likely than Democrats to say the news media are losing standing in the country, though the two groups are more on par in thinking that the media are increasing in their influence. (Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to say news organizations are neither growing nor declining in influence – 29% vs. 19%.)

Trust in media closely ties to whether its influence is seen as growing or declining. Those who have greater trust in national news organizations tend to be more likely to see the news media gaining influence, while those with low levels of trust are generally more likely to see it waning.

Americans who say they have a great deal of trust in the accuracy of political news from national news organizations are twice as likely to say the news media are growing than declining in influence (48% vs. 24%, respectively). Conversely, those who have no trust at all are much more likely to think that news organizations are declining (47% vs. 33% who say they are growing).

Black Americans are far more likely to think that the news media are growing in influence rather than declining (48% vs. 19%, respectively), as are Hispanic Americans though to a somewhat lesser degree. White Americans, on the other hand, are about evenly split in thinking the news media are growing or declining in influence (39% vs. 37%, respectively). And while men are about evenly split (39% growing vs. 38% declining), women are more likely to say news organizations are growing (43%) than declining (29%) in influence.

(PEW)

MAY 17, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/17/more-americans-now-see-the-medias-influence-growing-compared-with-a-year-ago/

689-691-43-44/Poll

A Third Of Large US Newspapers Experienced Layoffs In 2020, More Than In 2019

Staff layoffs continued to pummel the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry in 2020. A third of papers with an average Sunday circulation of 50,000 or more experienced layoffs last year, a period complicated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis which examined news articles that cited staff layoffs at these outlets.

These 2020 layoffs exceed the roughly one-quarter of papers in the same circulation range that experienced layoffs in 2019 (many were the same papers) as employment within the newspaper industry continued to fall precipitously in recent years.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many small and medium-sized newspaper companies were able to apply for federal aid through the CARES Act, a federal coronavirus aid package designed to help small businesses pay employees and other expenses. However, due to rules surrounding this loan program, many local newspapers owned by larger companies such as Gannett or McClatchy were not eligible to apply.

This analysis examines layoffs at large newspapers and digital-native news outlets during the 2017-2020 calendar years, but does not include other cost-cutting measures. During early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, many news media companies either delayed or avoided layoffs by first instituting cost-cutting measures such as furloughs or pay cuts.

About one-in-ten newspapers experienced multiple rounds of layoffs in 2020

Of the one-third of newspapers with an average Sunday circulation of 50,000 or higher that experienced layoffs in 2020, roughly one-in-ten (11%) experienced more than one publicly reported layoff, according to the study. By comparison, while fewer newspapers experienced layoffs in 2019, nearly a quarter (24%) of those that did have them expereniced multiple rounds of layoffs that year.

Nearly half of newspapers (46%) that experienced layoffs in 2020 also had layoffs in 2019, indicating that many of the same papers have been forced to implement layoffs multiple times in recent years.

These findings come amid reports that many small newspapers have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and many more have sought federal aid in order to stay afloat.

Medium- and large-market newspapers saw an increase in layoffs in 2020 from 2019

Medium- and large-market newspapers – those with average Sunday circulations of 100,000 to 249,999 and 250,000 or above, respectively – experienced more layoffs in 2020 compared with 2019.

Roughly three-in-ten medium-market newspapers (27%) had publicly announced layoffs in 2020, compared with 18% in 2019. Among larger-market newspapers (those with a circulation of at least 250,000), more than half of those studied (55%) experienced layoffs in 2020. In 2019, about a quarter (27%) of larger-circulation newspapers experienced layoffs.

Smaller-market newspapers, those with a circulation between 50,000 and 99,999, experienced about the same proportion of layoffs in 2020 as 2019 (31% vs. 29%).

Layoffs at U.S. digital-native news outlets increased in 2020

Among the largest digital-native news outlets – those with a monthly average of at least 10 million unique visitors – 18% went through layoffs in 2020, up from 11% in 2019. In 2020, no digital-native news outlet that was studied experienced multiple rounds of layoffs.

While the percentage of digital-native outlets experiencing a layoff was higher in 2020 than the two years prior, it is similar to 2017, when 20% of digital-native outlets had at least one publicly announced layoff.

It is worth noting that most of the layoffs that occurred at digital-native news outlets in 2020 occurred in the latter half of the year, after the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the U.S. During the early part of the outbreak, many digital news outlets postponed or avoided layoffs entirely by first implementing pay cuts and furloughs.

(PEW)

MAY 21, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/21/a-third-of-large-u-s-newspapers-experienced-layoffs-in-2020-more-than-in-2019/

689-691-43-45/Poll

45% Of US Jewish Adults, And An Additional 37% Say Caring About Israel Is Important, But Not Essential

However, the survey found that Jewish Americans – much like the U.S. public overall – also hold widely differing views on Israel and its political leadership.

Most Jewish Americans identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party, and more than half gave negative ratings at the time of the survey both to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to then-President Donald Trump’s handling of U.S. policy toward Israel. But Orthodox Jews – 75% of whom are Republican or lean Republican – generally rated both Netanyahu and Trump positively.

Orthodox Jews were also more likely than Jews in other denominations to say that the Israeli government was making a sincere effort to reach a peace settlement with the Palestinians and that God gave the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people. By contrast, most Jewish Americans said they did not think that either the Israeli government or Palestinian leaders were sincerely seeking peace. And most Jewish adults took the position that God “did not literally give” the land of Israel to the Jewish people (42%) or said they do not believe in God or a higher power at all (24%).

This analysis looks at the size of the gaps among U.S. Jews on a range of questions about Israel depending on differences in Jewish denomination, political party and age.

More than half of all U.S. Jews belong to the two long-dominant branches of American Judaism: 37% identify as Reform and 17% as Conservative. Roughly one-in-ten (9%) describe themselves as Orthodox. Other branches, such as the Reconstructionist movement and Humanistic Judaism, total about 4%, and due to small sample sizes cannot be analyzed separately. One-third of Jewish adults (32%) do not identify with any particular stream or institutional branch of Judaism.

Among U.S. Jews overall, 58% say they are very or somewhat emotionally attached to Israel, a sentiment held by majorities in all of the three largest U.S. Jewish denominations. However, Orthodox (82%) and Conservative (78%) Jewish adults are more likely than those who identify as Reform (58%) to feel this way. Conversely, among U.S. Jews who do not belong to any particular branch, a majority say that they feel not too or not at all attached to Israel.

And while 60% of Jews overall say they have a lot or some in common with Jews in Israel, Orthodox Jews (91%) are more likely than Conservative Jews (77%), Reform Jews (61%) or those who don’t identify with any branch (39%) to express this feeling.

On some political and theological questions in the survey, the differences across denominations are starker. There is an especially large gap on whether God gave the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people. The vast majority of Orthodox Jews (87%) say they believe God gave the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people, compared with 46% of Conservative Jews, about a quarter of Reform Jews and about one-in-five of those who don’t affiliate with any branch of American Judaism.

Party affiliation is another clear dividing line in Jewish Americans’ views on Israel. About seven-in-ten Jewish Republicans and independents who lean Republican (72%) say they are very or somewhat attached to Israel, compared with about half of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Jews (52%). There are similar gaps across the political aisle in the percentages of Jews who closely follow news about Israel and feel they have at least some things in common with Jews in Israel.

It’s important to keep in mind that the survey was conducted during the final 14 months of Trump’s term, after the administration moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but before it announced agreements for the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations with Israel. At that time, eight-in-ten Republican U.S. Jews rated Netanyahu’s leadership as excellent (42%) or good (40%), compared with just a quarter of Jewish Democrats. A solid majority of Jewish Democrats gave Netanyahu “only fair” (32%) or poor (38%) marks.

Similarly, Jewish Republicans were roughly four times as likely as Jewish Democrats to rate Trump’s handling of U.S. policy toward Israel as excellent or good (89% vs. 21%). And Jewish Republicans were much more likely than Jewish Democrats to say they had heard of the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement, and that they strongly oppose it.

Another way of examining differences among Jewish Americans is to look at age gaps. While Orthodox Jews tend to be relatively young and feel a strong attachment to Israel, younger Jews – as a whole – are less attached to Israel than their older counterparts. Two-thirds of Jews ages 65 and older say that they are very or somewhat emotionally attached to Israel, compared with 48% of those ages 18 to 29.

In addition, Jewish Americans 65 and older are more likely than the youngest adults to say that caring about Israel is essential to what being Jewish means to them, to follow news about Israel at least somewhat closely, and to know about and strongly oppose BDS.

And when it comes to assessments of Netanyahu’s leadership and of Trump’s handling of U.S. policy toward Israel, U.S. Jews ages 65 and older were more likely than those under 30 to have rated the performance of both men positively.

(PEW)

MAY 21, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/21/u-s-jews-have-widely-differing-views-on-israel/

689-691-43-46/Poll

Liberals (38%) in the Driver’s Seat over Conservatives (29%) as Vaccination Rollout Hits its Stride

Toronto, ON, May 18, 2021 – Canadians are continuing to reward the federal Liberals with their intended vote support as approval for the Prime Minister remains high. According to a new Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News, the Liberals remain in the driver’s seat with a strong lead over the Conservatives in each of Canada’s most-populous provinces, which would likely secure them a majority government.

Annamie Paul and the Green Party, would receive 5% of the vote (down 2 points), while the rest of the vote would go to the People’s Party (1%) or some other party (<1%). Two in ten Canadians would either not vote (6%) or remain undecided (15%).

All told, four in ten (41%, down 3 points since last month) Canadians believe the Trudeau government has done a good job and deserves re-election, a figure which typically tracks very closely to the percentage of the popular vote the incumbent receives on election day. This figure, along with the fact that 50% of Canadians approve (11% strongly/39% somewhat) of the performance of the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau (down 1 point), give the Liberals a very good shot at a majority government, should the vote composition fall out favourably for them – which it does.

The Liberals have a strong lead among decided voters in each of Canada’s three most-populous provinces, which would be the key to delivering Trudeau a majority government:

In Ontario, the Liberals (41%) lead the Conservatives (34%), NDP (20%) Green Party (3%) and others (2%).
In Quebec, the Liberals (40%) have a ten-point lead over the Bloc (30%), with the Tories (15%), NDP (9%), Greens (5%) and others (1%) behind.
In British Columbia, the Liberals (36%) are in the lead, with the NDP (28%) and Conservatives (26%) statistically tied in second. The Green Party (9%) and others (2%) lag behind.
In Alberta, while the Tories (36%) are in the lead over the NDP (30%), Liberals (24%), Greens (5%) and others (4%), it is clear that the struggles of the provincial Kenney government are having adverse effects on the Tory brand more generally, and have chipped away at the federal Tory lead within Alberta.
In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Conservatives (39%) lead the Liberals (28%), NDP (26%) and Greens (7%).
In Atlantic Canada, the Liberals (50%) have a commanding lead over the NDP (26%), Conservatives (22%), and the Greens (2%).

Not only do the Liberals lead in all the seat-rich regions of the country, but also among all of the key demographic voting blocks which drive the overall results:

Among women, the Liberals (37%) are ahead of the NDP (27%), Conservatives (24%), Bloc (5%), Greens (5%) and others (1%).
Among men, the Liberals (39%) also lead the Conservatives (33%) which is particularly challenging for the Conservatives, since this is a demographic group they need to win in order to be competitive with the Liberals. The NDP (15%), Bloc (7%), Greens (4%) and People’s Party (2%) trail.
Among those aged 55+, the Liberals (39%) lead the Conservatives (34%), which is yet another challenge for the Tories, since traditionally this is a core constituency for the Conservatives. The NDP (14%), Bloc (6%), Greens (6%) and others (2%) are further behind.
Among those aged 35-54, the Liberals (41%) have a commanding lead over the Conservatives (25%), NDP (22%), Bloc (7%), Greens (4%) and others (2%: 1% People’s Party, 1% other).
Among those aged 18-34, the Liberals (33%) and NDP (30%) are in a tight race, with the Tories (26%) not far back, while the Bloc (6%), Greens (3%) and others (1% People’s party, <1% others) are further back.

(Ipsos Canada)

18 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/liberals-in-drivers-seat-over-conservatives-as-vaccination-rollout-hits-its-stride

689-691-43-47/Poll

Seven In Ten (70%) Canadians Believe Summer 2021 Will Be A Disappointment Given The Ongoing Covid Restrictions

Toronto, ON, May 20, 2021 – Given the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions that have been implemented throughout the country, a strong majority (70%) of Canadians agree (21% strongly/49% somewhat) that this summer will be a disappointment, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. Those residing in Ontario and Atlantic provinces are the most likely to agree that summer 2021 will be a disappointment, while those in Quebec are least likely to agree (75%, 75% vs 62%). Perhaps not surprising, those who have not been vaccinated are more likely to agree that this summer will be a disappointment compared to those who have been vaccinated (74% vs 67%).

While a majority sees the upcoming summer as a disappointment, many believe it will still be better than last year’s summer: six in ten (61%) Canadians agree (10% strongly/51% somewhat) that they are confident summer 2021 will be better than the summer of 2020. This opinion is more pronounced among those aged 18-34 (66% of those aged 18-34 vs 61% of those aged 55+ vs 56% of those aged 35-54). Additionally, those residing in Quebec are more likely to agree than the other provinces (75% Quebec vs 67% BC, 57% Atlantic, 56% Alberta, 54% Ontario, 53% Saskatchewan/Manitoba).

Hesitation around Travel Remains

Despite vaccination efforts ramping up across the country, only one quarter (26%) of Canadians agree (6% strongly/20% somewhat) that they plan on traveling outside of their province this summer. Men are more likely to travel (31% vs 21% women), as are those aged 18-34 (38% vs 26% 35-54, 18% 55+). Looking at a regional breakdown, those residing in Alberta and Saskatchewan/Manitoba are more likely to agree that they plan on traveling outside of their province this summer (43% Alberta, 40% Saskatchewan/Manitoba vs 26% Quebec, 22% Ontario, 22% Atlantic, 21% BC).

The hesitation towards travel is more present when it comes to travelling abroad (not surprising given the border restrictions still in place), with only one in eight (15%) Canadians agreeing (4% strongly/11% somewhat) that they plan on traveling outside of Canada this summer. When it comes to venturing outside Canada’s borders, similar demographics seem more willing to be on the move: men (18% vs 12% women) and those aged 18-34 (23% 18-34 vs 14% 35-54 vs 10% 55+) are more likely to say they’ll travel outside of Canada this summer.

Although the United States has a higher proportion of fully vaccinated residents, Canadians remain wary of the border re-opening, with only a quarter (25%) agreeing (9% strongly/16% somewhat) that it is now safe to re-open the Canada-US border to travelers. Again, men (31% vs 19% women) and those aged 18-34 (34% 18-34 vs 24% 35-54 vs 20% 55+) are more likely to agree that it is now safe for the border to re-open to travelers.

Indoor Events Still a No-Go for Most Canadians

When it comes public events, fewer than half (45%) of Canadians agree (13% strongly/31% somewhat) that they would feel safe attending an outdoor public festival or event this summer. Men (49% vs 41% women) and those aged 18-34 (56% 18-34 vs 45% 35-54, 35% 55+) are more likely to agree that they would feel safe attending an outdoor public event this summer. As well, Conversative party voters are more likely to agree (54% Conservative party voters vs 41% Liberal party voters, 35% NDP voters). Notably, those who have not been vaccinated are more likely to feel safe attending an outdoor public event this summer compared to those that have been vaccinated (49% vs 41%), but this is likely a function of age as most younger people are still waiting to get vaccinated.

There is more hesitation regarding indoor events, with only a third (28%) of Canadians agreeing (8% strongly/20% somewhat) that they would feel safe attending an indoor public festival or event this summer. Following a similar pattern, men (34% vs 23% female) and those aged 18-34 (43% 18-34, 25% 35-54, 20% 55+) are more likely to agree that they would feel safe attending an indoor public festival or event this summer. As well, Conservative party voters are more likely to agree (35% Conservative voters vs 24% Liberal party, 23% NDP voters). Similarly to outdoor events, those who have not been vaccinated are more likely to agree that they would feel safe attending an indoor public event this summer compared to those who have been vaccinated (35% vs 23%), once again being driven by younger people are seemingly less cautious than their older counterparts.

(Ipsos Canada)

20 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/seven-in-ten-canadians-believe-summer-2021-will-be-a-disappointment

AUSTRALIA

689-691-43-48/Poll

New Zealand Government Lead Over Opposition Down To 14% In April – Smallest Lead Since January 2020

The recovery in support for National has come from both the Labour Party and fellow Opposition Party Act NZ, now on 9%, down 2% points from March. Support for the Maori Party has increased and is up by 1.5% points to post-election high of 2.5% in April.

This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 933 electors during April. Electors were asked: “If a New Zealand Election were held today which party would receive your party vote?” Of all electors surveyed there were 6% (up 1.5% points) who didn’t name a party.

Labour/Greens (55%) lead over opposition National/Act NZ/Maori (41%) cut to 14% points

In April 55% of electors supported the Labour/Greens governing partnership, down 2.5% points on March. The governing parties are now 14% points ahead of the Parliamentary opposition National/Act NZ/Maori Party on 41%, up 6% points since March.

This is the narrowest lead for the Labour-led Government for over a year since January 2020 when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Government led 53% cf. 43% over the National-led Opposition.

A small minority of 4% of electors support other minor parties outside Parliament with support for NZ First down 1.5% points to 1% and The Opportunities Party (TOP) down 1.5% points to 0.5% in April.

New Zealand Government Confidence Rating virtually unchanged at 136 in April

In April a slightly increased majority of 62.5% of New Zealand electors (up 1% point) said New Zealand was ‘heading in the right direction’ compared to just over a quarter, 26.5% (up 0.5% points) who said New Zealand was ‘heading in the wrong direction’.

Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan, says the New Zealand-Australia travel bubble finally opened in mid-April, however the restored availability of quarantine free holidays in Australia hasn’t provided a boost to the Government as other issues come to the fore:

“The long-awaited travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia finally opened on April 19 but the re-opened borders haven’t provided a boost to the Ardern Government with other issues dominating the discussion in recent weeks.

“Opposition Leader Judith Collins has criticised the Government’s proposed reforms to New Zealand’s Health System which will scrap the existing 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to be replaced with by a single national authority known as ‘Health NZ’.

“Health NZ will operate four regional divisions and there will be a separate Maori Health Authority (MHA) empowered to develop health policy and commission health services specifically for Maori. Collins has criticised the proposal as she claims health issues stem from poverty rather than race and segregating the health system along racial lines will not address these issues.

“Also in the headlines has been New Zealand’s stance on China and its contrast with its allies in the Five Eyes alliance including the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was uncomfortable using the Five Eyes intelligence and security network to define New Zealand’s relationship with China and stated that New Zealand needs to ‘maintain and respect the particular customs, traditions and values’ held by China.

“There has been pushback from MPs in close allies the UK and Australia on Mahuta’s statement particularly as it relates to alleged human rights abuses by the Chinese Government against the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. The opposition Act NZ party is set to introduce a resolution to Parliament in early May that declares China’s oppression of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as an ‘act of genocide’ which will put a further spotlight on the Government’s position on the issue.

“These issues have clearly dented support for the Labour/Greens coalition and the latest Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll shows they have the support of 55% of electors in April, down 2.5% points from March and only 14% points ahead of the National-led Opposition on 41% - the narrowest margin since January 2020 pre-pandemic.”

New Zealand Party Vote: 2020-21

Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source. January 2020 – April 2021. Base: New Zealand electors aged 18+. Average interviews per month = 925.

New Zealand Party Vote: NZ Govt. v Parliamentary Opposition

Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source. January 2020 – April 2021. Base: New Zealand electors aged 18+. Average interviews per month = 925.

Roy Morgan NZ Government Confidence Rating vs. ANZ-Roy Morgan NZ Consumer Confidence

Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source. January 2020 – April 2021. Base: New Zealand electors aged 18+. Average interviews per month = 925.

Voting Intention Summary

The following table compares the latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Polls on Voting Intention with the result from the September 23, 2017 General Election:

PARTY VOTE	Labour	Green Party*	National	ACT NZ	Maori Party**	TOP**	NZ First	Other
ELECTIONS	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%

October 12, 1996*	28.19	10.10	33.87	6.10	n/a	n/a	13.35	8.39
November 27, 1999	38.74	5.16	30.50	7.04	n/a	n/a	4.26	14.30
July 27, 2002	41.26	7.00	20.93	7.14	n/a	n/a	10.38	13.29
September 17, 2005	41.10	5.30	39.10	1.51	2.12	n/a	5.72	5.15
November 8, 2008	33.99	6.72	44.93	3.65	2.39	n/a	4.07	4.25
November 26, 2011	27.48	11.06	47.31	1.07	1.43	n/a	6.59	5.06
September 20, 2014	25.13	10.70	47.04	0.69	1.32	n/a	8.66	6.46
September 23, 2017	36.89	6.27	44.45	0.50	1.18	2.44	7.20	1.07
October 17, 2020	50.01	7.86	25.58	7.59	1.17	1.51	2.60	3.70
ROY MORGAN POLL
January 2020	40	10.5	40	3	1.5	0.5	2.5	2
February 2020	40.5	10.5	37	3.5	1	1.5	5	1
March 2020	42.5	11.5	37	3.5	0.5	1	3	1
April 2020	55	7	30.5	2.5	1.5	0.5	2.5	0.5
May 2020	56.5	7	26.5	3.5	1.5	1	2.5	1.5
June 2020	54.5	9	27	5	1	1.5	1.5	0.5
July 2020	53.5	8	26.5	6.5	0.5	1.5	1.5	2
August 2020	48	11.5	28.5	6	0.5	1	2.5	2
September 2020	47.5	9.5	28.5	7	0.5	1.5	2.5	3
NZ Election 2020	50	7.9	25.6	7.6	1.2	1.5	2.6	3.7
November 2020	44	12.5	25.5	10.5	1	2	1.5	3
December 2020	44	10.5	28	10	2	2	2	1.5
January 2021	47	11.5	25	9	2	1.5	2	2
February 2021	45	13.5	29	7.5	1	1	1.5	1.5
March 2021	45.5	12	23	11	1	2	2.5	3
April 2021	41.5	13.5	29.5	9	2.5	0.5	1	2.5

*The 1996 Election was the first New Zealand Election contested via MMP (Mixed Member Proportional). At the 1996 Election the Greens Party contested as part of the “Alliance” political grouping with four other political parties.
**The Maori Party was launched in July 2004. The Opportunities Party (TOP) was launched in November 2016.

Two-Party Preferred: Labour Party-led Government vs. Parliamentary Opposition Parties

	Labour Party-led Government (Labour, Greens)	Parliamentary Opposition Parties (National, Act NZ & Maori)
2020
NZ Election, October 17, 2020*	57.87	34.33
ROY MORGAN NEW ZEALAND POLL
Labour wins the NZ Election and, despite securing a majority of seats in Parliament, signs a ‘Cooperation Agreement’ with the Greens – October 31, 2020
November 2020	56.5	37
December 2020	54.5	40
2021
January 2021	58.5	36
February 2021	58.5	37.5
March 2021	57.5	35
April 2021	55	41

*At the 2020 NZ Election the Labour party secured 50.01% of the vote which was enough to govern in their own right but Labour opted to sign a ‘Cooperation Agreement’ with the Greens, who won 7.86% of the vote. There were three Parties elected to Parliament not in Government led by National (25.58%), Act NZ (7.59%) and the Maori Party (1.17%).

(Roy Morgan)

May 03 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8699-nz-national-voting-intention-april-2021-202105030601

689-691-43-49/Poll

Movement In The Sydney, Melbourne And Adelaide Cbds Drops In Late April After Hitting Covid-19 Highs Over The Easter Holidays

The largest declines in average movement were seen in the Adelaide CBD (26%-point decline to 72%) and the Perth CBD which experienced a sharp 31%-point decline to 53% average movement as the city entered a snap three-day lockdown over the three-day ANZAC Day weekend.

In the week after Easter through to April 12 average 7-day movement levels were at pandemic highs in several Capital City CBDs including the Sydney CBD (59% of pre-COVID-19 levels), Melbourne CBD (52%), Perth CBD (84%) and Adelaide CBD (98%) – a record high for any Australian Capital City CBD since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

However, the week after Easter was right in the middle of school holidays for most of Australia and the high levels of movement seen that week have not been sustained in the following two weeks with the kids back in school.

The figures illustrate the ongoing issue facing Capital City Lord Mayors striving to return city office workers to the office rather than continuing to work from home – as many prefer to do.

Australian Capital City CBDs average 7-day movement levels March 1, 2020 – April 26, 2021:
% Movement is compared to the 7-day average in Jan-Feb 2020

Source: Roy Morgan collaboration with UberMedia who provide anonymous aggregated insights using mobile location data. Note: Movement data for the Capital City CBDs excludes the residents of the respective CBDs.

Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technology innovator UberMedia to aggregate data from tens of thousands of mobile devices to assess the movements of Australians as we deal with the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interactive dashboard available on the website tracks the movement data for those visiting the Capital City CBDs during 2020 and 2021, excluding the CBD residents of each city. Movement data from several key locations around Australia is also available to view by using the interactive dashboard.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says average movement levels in Australia’s Capital City CBDs remain well down on those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic although the recent Easter school holidays saw movement levels spike to their highest in more than a year:

“The recent Easter school holidays brought life back into Australia’s Capital Cities quite literally – average movement levels in the week after Easter hit their highest since the COVID-19 pandemic began in four Capital City CBDs: Adelaide CBD (98% of pre-COVID-19 levels), Perth CBD (84%), Sydney CBD (59%) and Melbourne CBD (52%).

“However, the movement spike during the Easter school holidays was short-lived and average movement levels have largely returned to their levels prior to the Easter holidays in the CBDs.

“Average movement levels in the Perth CBD fell more sharply than elsewhere and down to a 7-day average of only 53% of pre-COVID levels in the week to April 26 as the city entered a second short lockdown over the three-day ANZAC weekend.

“The end of school holidays also led to steep falls in movement levels in other cities as well with average movement levels falling 26% points in the Adelaide CBD, down 12% points in the Brisbane CBD, down 11% points in the Sydney CBD and down 9% points in the Melbourne CBD.

“On a comparative level the average movement level in the Adelaide CBD was at 72% of normal in the last week and higher than anywhere else ahead of the Brisbane CBD (63% of normal), Perth CBD (53%), Sydney CBD (48%) and Melbourne CBD (43%).

“The latest results show Capital City CBDs are still operating at levels well below those they were used to before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. The large number of office workers continuing to work from home, as well as the ongoing lack of international tourists, continue to place added pressure on businesses in Capital City CBDs that rely on passing foot traffic.

“The latest news out of India, which is dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases, shows how important it is for Australia’s population to be vaccinated against the virus before international borders can be re-opened.

“However, the flexibility of working-from-home is likely to remain a key point of appeal for many office workers and provides an ongoing challenge for Inner City Councils looking to revitalise their cities and return activity closer to pre-COVID ‘normality’.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 03 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8692-roy-morgan-ubermedia-covid-19-movement-capital-cities-april-2021-202105030448

689-691-43-50/Poll

Australian Employment Hits A Record High Above 13 Million In April – Unemployment Down, But Offset By Rising Under-Employment

13,291,000 Australians were employed, up 542,000 from March driven by an increase in part-time employment, up 413,000 to a record high 4,757,000. Full-time employment was up 129,000 to 8,534,000.

Unemployment dropped in April to its lowest since early March 2020 (pre-pandemic):

1,307,000 Australians were unemployed (9.0% of the workforce), down 332,000 from March. There were fewer people looking for both full-time work (down 75,000 to 593,000), or part-time work (down 257,000 to 714,000).

The workforce was up in April, boosted by the record high employment for the month:

The workforce in April was 14,598,000 – comprised of 13,291,000 employed Australians (an increase of 542,000) and 1,307,000 unemployed Australians looking for work (down 332,000).

Roy Morgan’s unemployment figure of 9.0% for April is over 3% points higher than the current ABS estimate for March 2021 of 5.6%. However, the ABS figure for March counts as employed an additional 57,000 Australians who were working zero hours for ‘economic reasons’. If these non-workers are added back the ABS unemployment estimate for March increases to 835,000 (6.0%). The ABS also claims there are 1.1 million Australians (7.9%) under-employed for a total of 1.93 million unemployed or under-employed (14.0% of the workforce).

Under-employment increased in April as part-time employment increased to a new record high:

In addition to those who were unemployed, 1.36 million Australians (9.3% of the workforce) were under-employed – working part-time but looking for more work. This was an increase of 268,000 on March.

In total 2.66 million Australians (18.3% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in April, a decrease of 64,000 on March. The large decrease in unemployment drove the measure to its lowest since early March 2020.

Compared to early March 2020, before the nation-wide lockdown was implemented, in April 2021 there were over 500,000 more Australians either unemployed or under-employed (+2.7% points).

Unemployment down in all States in April – lowest in Victoria and Western Australia

For the second straight month unemployment dropped in all six States in April. The end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy had little impact as employment increased in all six States with the largest increases in new jobs in Queensland (up 256,000) and New South Wales (up 152,000).

A look at the trends on a State-based level shows unemployment was lowest in Victoria at 7.9% (down 1.9% points from March) and Western Australia at 8% (down 6% points) following the record-breaking State Election victory by WA Premier Mark McGowan.

The unemployment rate was also under 10% in the other States including New South Wales on 9.7% (down 0.5% points), Queensland on 9.7% (down 4.9% points), South Australia on 9.7% (down 1.3% points) and Tasmania on 9.9% (down 1.4% points).

This is the first time since November 2011 during the middle of the ‘mining boom’ that all States have had an unemployment rate below 10%.

Roy Morgan Unemployment & Under-employment (2019-2021)

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – April 2021. Average monthly interviews 5,000. Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan, says the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy and winding back of JobSeeker payments have been vindicated with employment rising and unemployment down in all six States in April:

“Australia’s employment markets have powered through the end of the Federal Government’s $90 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy program with employment increasing by 542,000 in April to a new record high of 13,291,000 – up 420,000 on the employment numbers in early March 2020.

“In April there were increases to full-time employment, up 129,000 to 8,534,000 and part-time employment, up 413,000 to 4,757,000. Part-time employment is now at a new record high while full-time employment is at its highest since February 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The growing employment market has led to declines in unemployment across the board. The unemployment rate dropped 2.4% points to 9.0% in April, the lowest it has been since early March 2020 and unemployment rates declined in all six States for the second month in a row. Despite the removal of Government support at the end of March the unemployment rates in all six States are now below 10% for the first time in nearly a decade since November 2011.

“Although there was a lot of good news in the April employment figures there is still a large cohort of 2.66 million Australians (18.3% of the workforce) who are either unemployed or under-employed. This under-utilised cohort is 500,000 higher than pre-pandemic when there were 2.16 million Australians unemployed or under-employed (15.6% of the workforce).

“A big driver of this increase is the higher participation rate today than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now 69.1% of Australians aged 14+ are in the workforce (14,598,000) and are either employed (13,291,000) or unemployed (1,307,000) compared to 67.1% in the workforce (14,087,000) a year ago in February 2020 when there were 12,913,000 employed and 1,174,000 unemployed Australians.

“Compared to the employment market pre-pandemic there is now a larger workforce which includes increases in both employment and unemployment as well as higher under-employment in an economy with a record amount of part-time employment.

“Overall, the economy has taken the ending of the JobKeeper wage subsidy in its stride and on Tuesday the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is set to deliver his third Federal Budget which will set the tone for the Government’s economic and policy priorities in the lead-up to the next Federal Election due either later this year or early in 2022.”

This Roy Morgan survey on Australia’s unemployment and ‘under-employed’* is based on weekly face-to-face interviews of 751,605 Australians aged 14 and over between January 2007 and April 2021 and includes 5,758 telephone and online interviews in April 2021. *The ‘under-employed’ are those people who are in part-time work or freelancers who are looking for more work.

Roy Morgan Unemployed and ‘Under-employed’* Estimates

	Unemployed or ‘Under-employed’*		Unemployed		Unemployed looking for		‘Under-employed’*
	Unemployed or ‘Under-employed’*		Unemployed		Full-time	Part-time	‘Under-employed’*
2020	‘000	%	‘000	%	‘000	‘000	‘000	%
Jan-Mar 2020	2,692	19.1	1,417	10.1	638	779	1,275	9.0
Apr-Jun 2020	3,466	24.6	2,099	14.9	937	1,162	1,367	9.7
Jul-Sep 2020	3,237	22.7	1,865	13.1	769	1,096	1,373	9.6
Oct-Dec 2020	3,064	21.5	1,738	12.2	789	949	1,326	9.3
2021
Jan-Mar 2021	2,971	20.6	1,750	12.1	717	1,033	1,222	8.5
Months
February 2020	2,443	17.3	1,174	8.3	517	658	1,269	9.0
March 2020 (Total)	3,046	21.6	1,715	12.2	684	1,030	1,331	9.4
March 2020 (Early)	2,161	15.6	1,019	7.3	402	617	1,142	8.2
March 2020 (Late)	3,923	27.4	2,407	16.8	960	1,447	1,516	10.6
April 2020	3,484	24.7	2,159	15.3	1,001	1,158	1,325	9.4
May 2020	3,459	24.5	2,090	14.8	907	1,183	1,369	9.7
June 2020	3,454	24.5	2,048	14.5	904	1,144	1,406	10.0
July 2020	3,284	23.0	1,786	12.5	807	979	1,498	10.5
August 2020	3,270	22.8	1,980	13.8	768	1,212	1,290	9.0
September 2020	3,158	22.3	1,828	12.9	732	1,096	1,330	9.4
October 2020	3,147	22.2	1,810	12.8	790	1,020	1,337	9.4
November 2020	2,964	21.0	1,680	11.9	779	901	1,284	9.1
December 2020	3,081	21.4	1,724	12.0	797	927	1,357	9.4
January 2021	3,118	21.7	1,680	11.7	692	988	1,438	10.0
February 2021	3,068	21.0	1,930	13.2	790	1,140	1,138	7.8
March 2021	2,728	19.0	1,639	11.4	668	971	1,089	7.6
April 2021	2,664	18.3	1,307	9.0	593	714	1,357	9.3

*Workforce includes those employed and those looking for work – the unemployed.

Roy Morgan Research cf. ABS Unemployment Estimates

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source October 2006 – April 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Roy Morgan Research cf. ABS Unemployment Estimates

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2000 – April 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source April 1995 – March 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

(Roy Morgan)

May 06 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8702-australian-unemployment-estimates-april-2021-202105060606

689-691-43-51/Poll

A Huge Majority Of 93% Of Australians Said They Are More Likely To Buy Products Made In Australia

Australian consumers are more likely to buy goods manufactured in nearest neighbour New Zealand on 55% than any other foreign country, despite a fall of 4% points from 2019. Right behind New Zealand is the UK on 51% (down 4% points), USA on 47% (down 7% points), Japan on 46% (down 7% points) and Germany on 46% (down 7% points).

Of Australia’s top ten two-way trading partners in 2019-20* preferences for goods rose for four countries all in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020 led by Singapore on 34% (up 1% point on 2019), South Korea on 29% (up 1% point), Malaysia on 17% (up 2% points) and India on 17% (up 1% point).

Overall, of twenty-one countries Australians were asked this question about, preference for goods rose for ten countries, fell for another ten countries, and was unchanged for only one country – Spain.

Australia and top ten two-way trading partners (2019-20)*: % of people more likely to buy products depending on country of origin, 2019 vs 2020

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), Jan-Dec 2019, n=50,422 and Jan-Dec 2020, n=61,294. Respondents were asked to indicate whether they would be more likely or less likely to buy products made in each of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan, says Australian-made goods enjoyed a surge in popularity during 2020 as international travel was cut-off while Chinese-made goods experienced the steepest decline in preference of any country:

“Australian-made products have experienced a surge in support during 2020 with a large majority of 93% of Australians more likely to buy a product that is ‘made in Australia’, up 6% points from 2019. Less than 1% of Australians say they are less likely to buy a product that is ‘made in Australia’ unchanged on a year ago.

“The closure of international borders and restrictions on travel around the world appears to have helped increase support for Australian-made goods at the expense of overseas products.

“Unsurprisingly it is Chinese-made goods which have fallen the most in preference and only 21% of Australians say they would be more likely to buy a product that is ‘made in China’ – down 9% points from 2019. In addition, a clear majority of 58% of Australians say they would be less likely to buy a product that is ‘made in China’ – up 15% points from 2019.

“Over the last year relations between Australia and China have deteriorated despite the fact over 30% of Australia’s two-way trade valued at $264 billion in 2019/20 ^[1]is with China. In response to Australian requests for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 the Chinese Government has slapped tariffs and import restrictions on a range of Australian goods including wine, barley, lobsters, coal, timber, red meat and cotton.

“However, Australia’s largest export to China – iron ore – has remain untouched by any restrictions and the price of the key commodity has surged to a record of over $200 USD per tonne – around $260 AUD per tonne. The surging price of iron ore, and other commodities such as copper, silver and agricultural products, has contributed to record Australian trade surpluses over the last year and supported growth in the Australian economy despite the pandemic.

“Although the preference for Australian-made goods is very high across all age groups it is Baby Boomer (96%) and Generation X (94%) who are even more likely to prefer Australian-made products than other generations.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 10 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8701-australian-made-country-of-origin-may-2021-202105100230

689-691-43-52/Poll

Roy Morgan Business Confidence Hits 7-Year High Of 125.3 In April – Up 48.4 Pts (+62.9%) On A Year Ago

Business Confidence for April is now 13.7pts (+12.3%) above the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence of 111.6 for May 8/9, 2021.

Business Confidence has had its best start to a year for a decade – since 2011

Business Confidence has now averaged 122.7 during the first four months of 2021, the best start to a year for the Index for a decade since 2011 – during the middle of the ‘Mining Boom’.

During the first four months of 2011 Business Confidence averaged a record high 130.3. The ending of the $90 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme in March has not led to a fall in Business Confidence as many had feared would happen.

Roy Morgan Monthly Business Confidence -- Australia

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, Dec 2010-Apr 2021. Average monthly sample over the last 12 months = 1,353.

Business Confidence highest in WA and Victoria and lagging in Tasmania pre-election

Business Confidence is significantly higher in all six Australian States than this time a year ago and Western Australia is again higher than anywhere else at 133.2, up 37.3pts (+38.9%) on April 2020.

Western Australians handed WA Premier Mark McGowan a record election victory in mid-March with McGowan’s Labor Party winning nearly 70% of the two-party preferred vote compared to just over 30% for the Liberal Opposition. The nation-leading Business Confidence in WA comes despite the Greater Perth region enduring a short three-day lockdown over the recent ANZAC Day weekend.

Business Confidence in Victoria has also rebounded strongly and is up 47.7pts (+57.9%) from a year ago to 130.1. This is the highest Business Confidence in Victoria for over seven years since January 2014 when the rating was at 134.3.

The biggest increase in Business Confidence over the last year is in South Australia which saw a massive increase of 59.1pts (+85.8%) to 128.0 in April 2021.

Slightly below the national average is Queensland on 124.8, up 44.9pts (+56.2%) on a year ago and now at its highest for three years since April 2018.

Business Confidence in NSW slipped slightly in April and is now at 118.9, but this still represents an increase of 51pts (+75.2%) on a year ago.

Lagging the other States is Tasmania, now with a Business Confidence of 110.1, an increase of 19.1pts (+21%) on a year ago. It is worth keeping in mind that Tasmania spent the month of April in political limbo as Premier Peter Gutwein called an early election for last weekend. ‘Gutwein’s gamble’ paid off though with the Liberal Party re-elected to a historic third term in Government in the Apple Isle.

Business Confidence by State in April 2020 vs. April 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, April 2020, n=1,191, April 2021, n=1,320. Base: Australian businesses. Note: *The figure for Tasmania is a comparison of Mar-Apr 2020 and Mar-Apr 2021.

Top 10 industries led by Public Administration & Defence, Wholesale, Agriculture and Retail

Public Administration & Defence is clearly the most confident industry in March-April 2021 with a Business Confidence of 157.9, up a massive 51.9pts (+49.9%) on the same period a year ago. Following behind are Wholesale on 145.2 (up 65.3pts, +81.9%), Agriculture on 144.3 (up 52pts, +56.4%), Retail on 137.9 (up 64pts, +86.5%) and Education & Training on 135.7 (up 53.1pts, +64.3%).

Other industries with Business Confidence above the national average include Community Services on 133.9 (up 50.8pts, +61.1% on a year ago), Administrative & Support Services on 131.6 (up 36.6pts, +38.5%), Transport, Postal & Warehousing on 130.7 (up 23.1pts, +21.4%), Information, Media & Telecommunications on 130.6 (up 66.2pts, +102.6%) and Property & Business Services on 125.8 (up 32.6pts, +34.9%).

There are only two industries, Electricity, Gas & Water and the Mining industry, which are currently in negative territory with Business Confidence ratings below the neutral level of 100 in March-April 2021.

Business Confidence for Top 10 Industries in March-April 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Business Single Source, March & April 2021, n=2,076. Base: Australian businesses. Note: In the chart above green bars represent Business Confidence in positive territory above 100 and above the national average.

A majority of businesses expect ‘good times’ for the economy over the next 12 months and five years and say the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’

Businesses are very confident about the Australian economy’s performance over the next year with nearly two-thirds, 65.0% (up 3.8ppts), expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next year (the highest figure for this indicator for over six years since September 2014) while under a third, 32.4% (down 3.6ppts), expect ‘bad times’;
In good news businesses are also confident about the longer-term outlook with 55.4% (down 0.1ppts) expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next five years compared to 38.6% (up 1.7ppts) which expect ‘bad times’;
In addition, an increasing majority of businesses, 59.5% (up 0.1ppts), said the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business’, while 31.2% (down 2ppts) said it will be a ‘bad time to invest’;
Well over two-fifths of businesses, 43.2% (down 1.1ppts), said the business was ‘better off’ financially than this time a year ago while a third, 33.4% (up 1.3ppts), said the business is ‘worse off’;
A majority of all businesses, 52.3% (down 0.3ppts), expect the business will be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while only 13.4% (down 1.8ppts) expected the business to be ‘worse off’.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says Business Confidence increased to a new seven year high in April as businesses ‘shrugged off’ the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy program:

“Business Confidence is at 125.3 in April, up a massive 48.4pts (+62.9%) on a year ago, when the first nation-wide lockdown began. One year ago Business Confidence hit a COVID-19 pandemic record low of only 76.9 in April 2020.

“Australian businesses are very confident about the next 12 months with nearly two-thirds, 65%, expecting ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months – the highest rating for this indicator since September 2014. In addition, a solid majority of 59.5% of businesses say the next 12 months is a ‘good time to invest in growing the business.’

“The worries that many held about how the Australian economy would deal with the end of the $90 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy in March appear to have been over-stated with businesses at their most confident since the 2014 Federal Budget nearly seven years ago.

“That 2014 Federal Budget led to an immediate plunge in Business Confidence and Consumer Confidence and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will be mindful of repeating the mistakes made by his predecessor Joe Hockey when he hands down his third Budget on Tuesday.

“Already the Federal Government has announced a $1.7 billion increase in support for young families to help pay for childcare. This support will make it easier for working parents, and especially working mothers, to re-join the workforce after the birth of a new child.

“On a State-based level it is the post-election Western Australia which had the highest Business Confidence at 133.2. WA Premier Mark McGowan secured a record victory winning nearly 70% of the two-party preferred vote in mid-March and his re-election appears to have been welcomed by the West Australian business community – despite a recent lockdown over the ANZAC Day weekend.

“On an industry basis the most confident industries are again Public Administration & Defence (157.9), Wholesale (145.2), Agriculture (144.3) and Retail (137.9). Retailers have experienced a year of record sales although the ending of the Government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy and the reduction in the Jobseeker payment at the end of March likely spells the end of the sales boom.

“Although there are many positive signs for the Australian economy there are continuing concerns about the vibrancy of Australia’s Capital City CBDs. The latest Roy Morgan UberMedia movement figures for the late April show movement in the five major Capital City CBDs dropped sharply in late April and remains well below the average levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 11 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8693-roy-morgan-business-confidence-april-2021-202105100713

689-691-43-53/Poll

Inflation Expectations Virtually Unchanged At 3.7% In April – Far Higher For Unemployed (4.5%) Than Full-Time Employees (3.4%)

Inflation Expectations are now 1% point below their long-term average of 4.7% but have increased by 0.5% points since reaching a record low of only 3.2% in August 2020.

Inflation Expectations are heavily influenced by someone’s employment status and unemployed Australians consistently have higher Inflation Expectations than people who are employed or not in the workforce.

Unemployed Australians had Inflation Expectations of 4.5% in April, an increase of 0.4% points since August 2020 when the measure hit a record low.

This is far higher than Australians employed either part-time on 3.9% (up 0.5% points) or full-time on 3.4% (up 0.8% points). Interestingly, Australians who are employed part-time but want more work, the under-employed, have Inflation Expectations of 4.4% (up 0.8% points) – almost as high as the unemployed.

Those Australians not in the workforce who may be retired, on home duties, studying or not working and not looking for work have Inflation Expectations of 4.1% - right in the middle of the employed and unemployed.

Inflation Expectations by Employment Status: August 2020 cf. April 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source: April 2021, n=7,416. Base: Australians aged 14+.

Inflation Expectations are again highest in Tasmania and are now lowest in Queensland

On a State-based level Inflation Expectations are again highest in Tasmania at 4.4%, although this is down 0.2% points from March. The measure has ‘run hot’ in Australia’s smallest State and been higher than any other State in every month so far this year.

Last week Tasmanians went to the polls and re-elected the Tasmanian Liberal Government now led by Premier Peter Gutwein for an unprecedented third term. This is the first time in Tasmania’s history the Liberal Party has won three State Elections in a row.

Inflation Expectations are now slightly higher than the national average in NSW at 4% (up 0.4% points from March), WA at 3.8% (down 0.2% points) and SA at 3.8% (up 0.5% points).

Victorian Inflation Expectations are again in line with the national average at 3.7% in April, down 0.1% points from March while Queensland has the lowest Inflation Expectations at 3.5%, down by 0.8% points.

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating has continued to recover and was at 112.1 for the month of April 2021, an increase of 23pts (+25.8%) since August 2020.

Consumer Confidence for April was the highest monthly figure for the rating since the month of September 2019 (112.8) more than a year ago.

Inflation Expectations Index long-term trend – Expected Annual Inflation in next 2 years

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source: Interviewing an average of 4,500 Australians aged 14+ per month (April 2010 – April 2021).

See below for a comprehensive list of RBA interest rate changes during the time-period charted above.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Inflation Expectations moderated in April, down slightly to 3.7%, but are far higher for unemployed (4.5%) and under-employed (4.4%) Australians:

“Inflation Expectations have stabilised at an average of 3.7% so far during 2021, an increase of 0.2% points on the 2020 annual average of 3.5% - a new record low. Although down slightly in April Inflation Expectations are also up year-over-year for the first time since June 2018.

“The end of the JobKeeper wage stimulus in March as well as the winding back of the ‘boosted’ COVID-19 JobSeeker supplement may have contributed to the small fall in Inflation Expectations in April as the withdrawal of Government support has been a concern for many.

“However, the good news is that despite Government support being reduced the Australian economy appears to be on solid footing with Roy Morgan Business Confidence hitting a seven-year high of 125.3 in April and the latest Roy Morgan unemployment figures showing unemployment falling to its lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic began with a record number of Australians now employed.

“Looking at the measure by employment status shows Inflation Expectations have increased across the board since hitting record monthly lows in August 2020. In April Australians employed full-time still have the lowest Inflation Expectations of any employment category at only 3.4%, but this represents an increase of 0.8% points since August 2020 – the largest increase of any employment category.

“As we have seen consistently when looking at Inflation Expectations it is unemployed Australians who perceive prices as rising faster than anyone else. Their Inflation Expectations are now at 4.5%, an increase of 0.4% points since mid-2020.

“If the economic momentum seen in recent months can be maintained in the months ahead we would expect to see Inflation Expectations continue to increase. However, there are clear dangers to this positive outlook with the recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in both Perth and Sydney illustrating that there is the ever-present risk of further border closures and city shutdowns that would reduce prosperity.”

The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source which has interviewed an average of 4,500 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade from April 2010 – April 2021 and includes interviews with 7,416 Australians aged 14+ in April 2021.

The questions used to calculate the Monthly Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index.

1) Prices: “During the next 2 years, do you think that prices in general will go up, or go down, or stay where they are now?”

2a) If stay where they are now: “Do you mean that prices will go up at the same rate as now or that prices in general will not go up during the next 2 years?

2b) If go up or go down: “By about what per cent per year do you expect prices to (go up/ go down) on average during the next 2 years?”

3) “Would that be (x%) per year, or is that the total for prices over the next 2 years?”

The Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index is a forward looking indicator unlike the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and is based on continuous (weekly) measurement, and monthly reporting. The Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index is current and relevant.

Monthly Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Index (2010 – 2021)
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly Average
2010	n/a	n/a	n/a	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.7
2011	6.6	6.4	6.4	6.2	6.1	6.2	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.5	5.5	6.0
2012	5.4	5.5	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.4	5.8
2013	5.2	5.1	5.3	4.9	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.0	4.8	4.9	4.8	5.0	5.0
2014	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.0	4.8	5.0	4.8	4.9	4.4	5.0
2015	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.4	4.5	4.5
2016	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.9	4.1	4.1	3.9	4.2	4.1
2017	4.5	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.4
2018	4.5	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.2	4.4
2019	4.2	4.0	4.0	3.7	4.1	3.8	4.1	3.9	4.0	4.1	3.9	4.0	4.0
2020	3.9	4.0	4.0	3.6	3.3	3.2	3.4	3.2	3.3	3.5	3.4	3.6	3.5
2021	3.6	3.7	3.8	3.7									3.7
Monthly Average	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.7
Overall Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations Average: 4.7

RBA interest rates changes during the time period measured: 2010-2020.

RBA – Interest rate increasing cycle (2010):

2010
April 2010: +0.25% to 4.25%; May 2010: +0.25% to 4.75%, November 2010: +0.25% to 5%.

RBA – Interest rate cutting cycle (2011-2013, 2015-2016 & 2019-2020):

2011
November 2011: -0.25% to 4.5%; December 2011: -0.25% to 4.25%.

2012
May 2012: -0.5% to 3.75%; June 2012: -0.25% to 3.5%; October 2012: -0.25% to 3.25%;
December 2012: -0.25% to 3%.

2013
May 2013: -0.25% to 2.75%; August 2013: -0.25% to 2.5%.

2014
There were no RBA interest rate changes during 2014.

2015
February 2015: -0.25% to 2.25%; May 2015: -0.25% to 2%.

2016
May 2016: -0.25% to 1.75%; August 2016: -0.25% to 1.5%.

2017
There were no RBA interest rate changes during 2017.

2018
There were no RBA interest rate changes during 2018.

2019
June 2019: -0.25% to 1.25%; July 2019: -0.25% to 1%; October 2019: -0.25% to 0.75%.

2020
March 4, 2020: -0.25% to 0.5%, March 20, 2020: -0.25% to 0.25% & November 6, 2020: -0.15% to 0.10%.

(Roy Morgan)

May 11 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8704-australian-inflation-expectations-april-2021-202105100720

689-691-43-54/Poll

5.68 Million Australians (26.9% Of Those Aged 14+) In The March Quarter 2021, Intend To Take A Holiday During The Next 12 Months

For those planning a holiday of at least three nights Queensland is now the top destination for 24.9% of travellers just ahead of New South Wales (22.7%) with Victoria (11.6%) and Western Australia (11.1%) significantly further behind. Other holiday makers have opted for another domestic destination, an international destination (which will have to be reconsidered with borders set to remain closed), or do not yet have any particular destination in mind at all.

In 2019 prior to the pandemic New South Wales had been the top domestic destination for holidays of at least three nights chosen by 17.2% of travellers just ahead of Queensland (16.4%) and Victoria (15.3%).

These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from comprehensive in-depth interviews with 1,000 Australians each week or over 50,000 each year.

Domestic destinations of next long holiday of three or more nights – March Quarter 2021

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, Jan-Mar 2021. Base for next long holiday: Australians aged 14+ who intend on taking a long holiday (3+ nights) in the next 12 months, n=2,492. Note: A respondent can be counted more than once as they can have an intention to travel to multiple destinations. A small percentage of Next Holiday Intenders are not shown on this chart as they cannot say where they next intend to holiday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of Australia’s international borders and forced travellers to choose a domestic destination with Queensland emerging as the top choice according to Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine:

“The latest Roy Morgan data on holiday travel intentions shows Queensland over-taking NSW during 2020 to become the preferred domestic destination for holidays of at least three nights. Now 24.9% of travellers taking a longer holiday are choosing Queensland as their next destination just ahead of NSW (22.7%) and well ahead of both Victoria (11.6%) and WA (11.1%).

“Prior to the pandemic NSW had been the leading domestic destination for longer holidays of at least three nights picked by 17.2% of travellers just ahead of both Queensland (16.4%) and Victoria (15.3%) in late 2019.

“However, Queensland’s excellent handling of COVID-19 over the last year has seen the State overtake its two domestic rivals as the preferred destination after many years trailing the two. Despite now being in second place NSW has also increased its share of intending travellers with Victoria losing out as the State suffered significantly during 2020 from a second wave of COVID-19.

“The approach taken to the pandemic by the Queensland Government was endorsed at last year’s Queensland State Election with the Government of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk returned with an increased majority and these results show other Australians are also endorsing the State as a good place for a longer holiday as long as the international borders remain closed.

“As the vaccine rollout continues around Australia and vulnerable populations are inoculated against COVID-19 the domestic tourism operators will be hoping that any future outbreaks of the virus are dealt with as swiftly and effectively as they have been over the last year.

“The closure of the international borders which is set to continue into mid-2022 provides an unprecedented opportunity for Australian holiday-makers to explore their own country over the next year as international tourists remain ‘locked out’.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 14 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8689-691-australian-long-domestic-holidays-may-2021-202105140217

689-691-43-55/Poll

In 2020 Just 14% Of Australians Aged 14+ Attended Live Entertainment Activities Such As Theatre, Rock, Pop Or Music Concerts

In 2020 just 14% of Australians aged 14+ attended live entertainment activities such as theatre, rock, pop or music concerts, theatre restaurants, cabaret, music festivals, jazz, classical, blues, ballet or opera performances in an average three months, down from 30% a year earlier in 2019.

Only 5% of Australians attended live theatre in an average three months in 2020, down from 14% in 2019, and just 5% went to rock, pop or music concerts, compared to 10% in 2019.

Attendance at other activities including theatre restaurants, music festivals, jazz, classical, blues, ballet or opera performances also plunged during 2020. The re-opening of Australia that has occurred in 2021 and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines this year should lead to a boost in attendance at live entertainment activities although the threat of outbreaks means it is unlikely to approach the levels of 2019 just yet.

The data comes from Roy Morgan Single Source, the nation’s largest and longest-running program of research into consumer behaviour and attitudes, continuously conducted year-round.

Live entertainment activities attended: 2019 vs. 2020

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, January – December 2019, n=50,422, January – December 2020, n=61,294; Base: Australians 14+.

Generation Z were most likely to attend live entertainment activities in 2020

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 changed the composition of audiences at live entertainment activities with Generation Z overtaking Generation X as the generation most likely to attend a performance – although both were down significantly on 2019.

In 2020 attendance at live entertainment activities was heavily correlated to age with younger Australians the most likely to attend. Over 1-in-6 people in Generation Z (17%) attended a live entertainment activity during 2020, down from 32% in 2019, but higher than any other generation.

Next most likely to attend live entertainment activities were Millennials on 15% (down from 30% in 2019). However, the biggest declines in attendance in 2020 were for Generation X on 13% (down from 32%) and Baby Boomers on 10% (down from 29%).

Only 8% of Pre-Boomers attended a live entertainment activity in 2020, down from 22% in 2019.

Women were less likely than men to attend live entertainment activities in 2020 with attendance at only 13%, down from 32% in 2019 – a decline of 19% points. Attendance by men declined less steeply to be at 15%, down from 28% in 2019 - a drop of 13% points.

Attendance at live entertainment activities by Gender & Generation in 2020

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, January – December 2020, n=61,294; Base: Australians 14+.

Roy Morgan CEO, Michele Levine, says live entertainment was one of the biggest losers during 2020 as a nation-wide lockdown and restrictions on gathering in crowds forced many venues to close and led to the cancellation of many events:

“Attendance at live entertainment activities plummeted during 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of venues for months on end and forced cancellations of many events such as music festivals and tours, and jazz, classical, blues, ballet and opera performances.

“Only 2.9 million Australians attended live entertainment activities in 2020 representing around 14% of the population aged 14+, down from over 6.2 million (30%) in 2019 prior to the pandemic.

“The biggest declines in 2020 were for Baby Boomers and Generation X – those born from 1946-1975 and aged 44-74 years old during 2020. Prior to the pandemic over 32% of people in Generation X (born from 1961-1975) attended live entertainment activities – higher than any other generation. However, in 2020 only 13% of Generation X attended live entertainment activities – a drop of 19% points on 2019.

“In 2020 it was younger Australians in Generation Z who were more likely to attend live entertainment activities than older generations. Just over 1-in-6 of those in Generation Z (17%) attended a live entertainment activity in 2020 down from just under 32% in 2019.

“The Roy Morgan data illustrates how vaccinating older Australians is vital to returning audiences at live entertainment activities to their pre-pandemic levels of well over 6 million people. Older Australians are far more hesitant about attending events which involve coming into contact with hundreds, or even thousands, of strangers than their younger counterparts.

“Given the mortality statistics surrounding COVID-19, which presents a far greater danger to older people and those with significant existing health issues, this is no surprise. However, these results emphasise the importance of a successful vaccination program in Australia to many live entertainment activities.

“Prior to the pandemic activities such as live theatre, ballet, opera and jazz, classical and blues performances were all more likely to be attended by Australians in Generation X, Baby Boomers or Pre-Boomers – those aged 40+, rather than younger Millennials or Generation Z.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8708-live-entertainment-december-2020-202105170719

689-691-43-56/Poll

Australians Have Nearly 175 Million Days Of Annual Leave Due – Up Over 23 Million Days From Early 2020

Total annual leave accrued owed to Australia’s paid workers (2006-2021)

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), April 2005 – March 2021. Average annual interviews for each 12 months period, n=8,035.
Base: Australians 14+ in paid employment who are entitled to annual leave.

Now over 6.69 million Australians (52.2% of paid workers) have at least 2 weeks of annual leave due, up from 6.14 million prior to the pandemic, while fewer than 1.38 million (10.8%) have less than 2 weeks due compared to over 1.54 million (12.6%) pre-pandemic.

There have been slight increases in annual leave due tor periods greater than 2 weeks compared to a year ago. Now over 1.63 million Australians (12.8% of paid workers) have 2-3 weeks of annual leave due – the most common time period of annual leave due, up from 1.45 million (11.9%)

In addition, there are now 1.37 million Australians (10.7% of paid workers) who have at least 7 weeks of annual leave due, up from 1.26 million a year ago (10.3%).

A large cohort of 4.74 million Australians (37.0% of paid workers) have no annual leave due, up slightly from the 4.60 million (37.4%) without any annual leave due pre-pandemic. The higher level of employment now compared to pre-pandemic means although there are now more paid workers with no annual leave entitlements this constitutes a smaller share of the overall number of employed Australians.

For more detail see Roy Morgan’s employment estimates on the latest trends in Australia’s employment markets: ‘Australian employment hits a record high in April 2021’.

Annual leave owed to Australia’s paid workers by length of time (2021 vs. 2020)

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), April 2019 – March 2021, average annual interviews n=16,053. Base: Australians 14+ in paid employment. *Annual leave owed is calculated based on (working) days owed. Less than 2 weeks: 1-9 days; 2 weeks – under 3 weeks: 10-14 days; 3 weeks – under 4 weeks: 15-19 days; 4 weeks – under 5 weeks: 20-24 days; 5 weeks – under 7 weeks: 25-34 days; 7+ weeks: 35+ days.

These results are from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from comprehensive in-depth interviews with over 1,000 Australians each week and around 50,000 Australians per year.

The closure of the international borders due to COVID-19 has curtailed the travel plans of many Australians but an increasing number have significant amounts of annual leave available to use says Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the Australian economy and continues to heavily impact the local travel and tourism industry with international borders set to remain closed for another year according to the recent Federal Budget.

“The reliance on domestic tourists to power the industry over the next year means understanding the amount of annual leave Australians have due is now more important than ever. The latest Roy Morgan figures show over 6.69 million Australians have at least two weeks annual leave, up from 6.14 million prior to the pandemic – a significant increase.

“There have been increases in the number of Australians with annual leave due for all time periods longer than two weeks – and over 1.37 million Australians now have at least 7 weeks of annual leave due – up from 1.26 million a year ago.

“The growth in the amount of annual leave due is evident when looking at the total amount of annual leave days due – now at a record high of nearly 175 million days – up 23.6 million days (+15.7%) from a year ago pre-pandemic.

“The increasing numbers of Australians with long periods of annual leave due is likely directly related to the closure of international borders. Traditionally Australians are more likely to take shorter domestic holidays whereas overseas travel can last for many weeks, or even months.

“The fact Australia’s international borders are set to remain closed for another year presents a real opportunity for domestic travel agencies to appeal to the 6.69 million Australians with at least two weeks annual leave due to seriously consider taking a longer holiday in Australia – there will likely never be a better chance to see Australia than over the next 12 months.

“The latest Roy Morgan Holiday Travel Intention Leading Indicator Report shows it is Queensland (24.9% of Australians intending to take a holiday of at least 3+ nights) and NSW (22.7%) that are the top destinations for Australians planning on taking a longer holiday.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8696-annual-leave-holidays-march-2021-202105170711

689-691-43-57/Poll

In 2020 Only 24% Of Australians Said They’d Be More Likely To Buy Clothes If They Knew The Clothes Were ‘Made In China’, Down 7% Points From 2019

The largest declines were for clothes, electrical goods, mobile phones, footwear and sporting goods.

In 2020 only 24% of Australians said they’d be more likely to buy clothes if they knew the clothes were ‘Made in China’, down 7% points from 2019.

The same trend was evident for Chinese-made electrical goods with 23% (down 5% points from 2019) of Australians saying they’d be more likely to buy the product if they knew it was ‘Made in China’, mobile phones on 22% (down 4%), footwear on 17% (down 6%) and sporting goods on 14% (down 3%).

There were a number of products for which sentiment barely changed from a year ago but which only a minority of Australians indicated they’d be more likely to buy if they knew the product was ‘Made in China’. These products included motor vehicles on 10% (unchanged from 2019), food on 7% (unchanged), cosmetics and skin care products both on 7% (up 1%) and wine on 5% (up 1%).

These results are from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from comprehensive in-depth interviews with over 1,000 Australians each week and around 50,000 Australians per year.

% of people more likely to buy each product if it was made in China: 2019 vs. 2020

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), January – December 2019, n=50,422; and January – December 2020 n=61,294. Respondents were asked to indicate whether they would be more likely or less likely to buy each type of product ‘made in China’.

China is easily Australia’s largest two-way trading partner but recent tensions between the two countries have seen attitudes towards Chinese-made goods plummet during 2020 as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic says Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine:

“Australians are a patriotic lot – particularly during times of crisis – with 93% of Australians in 2020 saying they would be more likely to buy a product if they knew it was ‘Made in Australia’ – an increase of 6% points on 2019.

“However the tendency to turn to home-grown products during the last year has come at the expense of products from Australia’s largest trading partner China – now only 21% of Australians say they would be more likely to buy a product they knew was ‘Made in China’ – down 9% points on a year earlier.

“Looking at discrete product categories shows the most popular consumer goods from China have seen the biggest declines in preference among Australian consumers. Now only 24% of Australians would be more likely to buy clothes they knew were ‘Made in China’ – down 7% points from 2019.

“There have been similarly large drops in preference amongst Australians for electrical goods – down 5% points to 23%, mobile phones – down 4% points to 22%, footwear – down 6% points to 17% and sporting goods – down 3% points to only 14%.

“The two-way trading relationship between the two countries is heavily weighted in Australia’s favour. Australian exports to China (including Hong Kong) amounted to $177.3 billion in 2020, while Australia imported $87 billion in return: a trade surplus of over $90 billion – which is larger than the two-way trade between Australia and any other country by itself.

“The tensions between the two countries are tied to Australian requests for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 made early in the pandemic. In response to this request the Chinese Government put tariffs and import restrictions on a range of Australian goods including wine, barley, lobsters, coal, timber, red meat and cotton.

“However, the huge declines amongst Australians for a range of Chinese-made goods suggest, even if the differences between the two Governments can be resolved, there will remain something of an image problem for Chinese products in Australia over the next few years.”

(Roy Morgan)

May 18 2021

Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8706-australian-made-chinese-made-goods-december-2020-202105170645

MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES

689-691-43-58/Poll

A Closer Look At The European Criteria For Grocery Purchases Shows That The Main Criteria Are Product Quality (88%) And Good Prices (82%)

We interviewed more than 10,000 people from 9 different European countries about their views on food, grocery shopping and sustainable development.

We also asked Europeans how increased hygiene considerations during COVID-19 have affected their shopping habits.

What is the priority for Europeans when buying groceries?

A closer look at the European criteria for grocery purchases shows that the main criteria are product quality (88%) and good prices (82%).

Sustainable development is less important (53%), but there are differences between countries. Italians (72%), Turks (72%) and Spaniards (70%) consider the sustainability of products more important, while Norwegians (29%), Danes (39%) and Finns (41%) consider it less important.

For 57% of Europeans, social and environmental responsibility is an important criterion. 63% mention locally produced products - this is particularly the case for Italians (80%) and Spaniards (79%).

How are Europeans' attitudes towards sustainable development reflected in their daily lives?

In the European reference framework, people in Turkey (77%), Italy (77%) and France (67%) are most sensitive to the impact of sustainable development and environmental issues on their food and shopping behavior. In the Nordic countries, this is much less the case - 63% of Norwegians and 50% of Danes report that taking sustainable development into account has no effect on their food and shopping behavior.

The effects of the corona pandemic on the purchase of groceries

During the pandemic, many consumers have changed their shopping behavior. A quarter of Europeans report buying larger quantities of food (26%) and buying non-food products (eg clothing, cosmetics and care products) more often online (25%) after the outbreak of the corona epidemic.

In the 9 countries of the survey, 32% of respondents who tend to spend long periods of time shopping for groceries in physical stores also reported spending less time there now.

Surprisingly, there are more consumers among respondents who report ordering fewer ready meals after a pandemic than those who report ordering meals more often: 23% vs. 12%.

Differences between countries

A closer look at the individual countries in the study reveals large differences between them.

Turks are at the top of the list across the board when looking at doing the following more often: buying groceries online (39%), ordering ready meals (22%), buying larger batches (38%), buying larger quantities of food (because the restaurant eats less) (47%) and buying non-food products online (49%).

Compared to the European average, French (24%) and Spanish (20%) are more likely to report buying groceries less often online due to the corona. The same applies to ready meals, which 32% and 31% (respectively) report buying less, and to the purchase of non-food products online (25% and 27%).

(YouGov Finland)

May 4, 2021

Source: https://yougov.fi/news/2021/05/04/eurooppalaiset-kuluttajat-ovat-muuttaneet-ostotott/

689-691-43-59/Poll

Ideological Divisions Over Cultural Issues Are Far Wider In The U.S. Than In The UK, France And Germany

When it comes to key cultural issues, Americans are significantly more divided along ideological lines than people in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of surveys conducted in the four countries in fall 2020.

Across 11 questions on cultural subjects ranging from nationalism to political correctness, the gap between the ideological left and right in the United States – or liberals and conservatives, in the common U.S. parlance – is significantly wider than the ideological gaps found in the European countries surveyed. In some cases, this is because America’s conservatives are outliers. In other cases, it’s because America’s liberals are outliers. In still other cases, both the right and left in the U.S. hold more extreme positions than their European counterparts, resulting in ideological gaps that are more than twice the size of those seen in the UK, Germany or France.

Below, we explore these trends in more detail.

‘What it takes to be one of us’ and immigration

On issues of “belonging” or what it takes to truly be part of a country (e.g., to be “American” or “French”), those on the ideological right in all four countries are more likely than those on the left to say being Christian, speaking the national language, sharing the country’s customs and traditions and being born in the country are “very important.”

Across all four items, though, the ideological gap in the U.S. is larger than in other countries. This is often – but not always – because the views of America’s conservatives stand out. (The U.S. survey was fielded in November and December 2020, after the presidential election but before the inauguration of Joe Biden.)

For example, around a third of U.S. adults who place themselves on the ideological right (32%) say being Christian is very important for being American, but no more than 17% on the right in any other country say the same.

The pattern is somewhat different when it comes to speaking the country’s language. While the overall ideological gap is again wider in the U.S. than in the other three countries, America’s liberals are notably less likely than their counterparts in other nations to see speaking English as critical to being American. Only around a quarter of the left in the U.S. (24%) say it’s very important to speak English to be truly American, whereas at least four-in-ten of those on the left in every other country say the same about speaking their national languages.

The ideological left in the U.S. also stands out in its views of whether immigrants want to adopt the country’s customs and way of life. Around eight-in-ten Americans on the left (79%) say this, compared with around two-thirds or fewer in the other countries.

Pride and tradition

In all four countries, those on the ideological right are consistently more likely than those on the left to say their nation will be better off if it sticks to its traditions and ways of life, rather than if it is open to changes. Yet the gap between right and left in the U.S. is more than twice as wide as the gap in other countries. Around two-thirds of those on America’s ideological right (65%) think the U.S. should stick to its traditions, compared with just 6% on the left.

People in the U.S. and the UK are similarly divided along ideological lines when it comes to having pride in the country. A majority of those on the right in both countries say they are proud of their country most of the time, while only around one-in-six on the left in each country say the same. In fact, people on the left in both the U.S. and UK are as likely to describe themselves as ashamed of their country most of the time as they are to say they are proud of their country most of the time. (The remainder describe themselves as being both ashamed and proud.) In France and Germany, on the other hand, pride in the country is not an ideological issue; those on the left and right are about equally likely to describe themselves as proud most of the time.

Political correctness and discrimination

When it comes to “PC culture,” those on the ideological right tend to be more likely than those on the left to say people today are too easily offended. Those on the left, in turn, are often more likely to say people should be more careful what they say.

On this question, too, the ideological gap in the U.S. is more than twice as large as that found in any of the European countries surveyed, with both the American right and left standing out from their counterparts overseas.

On the American right, around three-quarters (76%) say people are too easily offended – significantly higher than the share of those on the right in any of the European countries. Meanwhile, Americans on the left (32%) are somewhat less likely than those on the left in Germany (38%), the UK (41%) and France (46%) to describe people as too easily offended these days.

Americans are also extraordinarily divided when it to comes to perceptions about which is the bigger problem: people seeing discrimination against ethnic and racial minorities where it does not exist, or people not seeing such discrimination where it really does exist. Around six-in-ten on the U.S. right (62%) say the greater problem is people seeing discrimination where it does not exist, while only 9% on the left agree. Elsewhere, the ideological gap on this question is much narrower.

When it comes to religious discrimination, in particular, Americans are far more divided than people in the other countries in their perceptions of whether Christians and Muslims each face bias. The ideological right in the U.S. is substantially more likely than the right in other countries to say Christians face a lot of discrimination – and less likely to say the same about Muslims. Meanwhile, those on the ideological left in the U.S. are more likely than their counterparts on the European left to say Muslims face a lot of discrimination.

There are no significant ideological differences in any of the four countries on the issue of whether Jews face a lot of discrimination or not.

(PEW)

MAY 5, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/05/ideological-divisions-over-cultural-issues-are-far-wider-in-the-u-s-than-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/

689-691-43-60/Poll

Nearly Half (46%) Of Consumers In 17 Global Markets Use Zoom To Communicate Regularly

Nearly half (46%) of consumers in 17 global markets use Zoom to communicate regularly, while about three in ten (29%) use Microsoft Teams and a quarter (25%) use Skype.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, companies around the world have tried to equip their workers with remote communication services, and Zoom was not only one of the first services to gain a foothold during the emergency, but still remains on top. to the ranking of the most used.

Microsoft Teams, well positioned as a Skype heir and secure platform for video calling, maintains a strong user base: our data shows that it is more prevalent than Zoom in some European countries, particularly the UK (where 49% of workers do uses regularly), Sweden (44%), and Denmark (51%) and Poland (29%).

Skype, also owned by Microsoft, still holds high numbers, and is the preferred video calling service in Poland (39%) and Germany (30%). However, Microsoft has given Skype for Business Online users a strict deadline to migrate to Teams, before the service is discontinued in July 2021.

As for other services, YouGov highlights that 14% of consumers globally regularly use Google chat, while 7% use Cisco Webex or GoToMeeting and 5% Slack.

There is no doubt that the pandemic will change jobs in the long run. For some, this may mean working permanently from home or a hybrid of remote and office work, suggesting that video conferencing will remain a daily necessity even after restrictions are lifted.

(YouGov Italy)

May 10, 2021

Source: https://it.yougov.com/news/2021/05/10/global-data-la-popolarita-di-zoom-rispetto-ad-altr/

689-691-43-61/Poll

About Three Out Of Four Adults Globally Agree That In Order To Enter Their Country, Travelers Are Required To Have Covid-19 Vaccine Passports

On average, about three out of four adults agree that in order to enter their country, travelers are required to have COVID-19 vaccine passports. This will be effective in making travel and major events safe. About two out of three say that vaccine passes should be a requirement for access to large public venues. Many expect that this requirement will be widely used in their country. On the other hand, only about half agree that they should be required for shops, restaurants and offices.

Attitudes about vaccine passports

78% agree that travelers must have a vaccine passport in order to travel into their country. The countries that agree most are Malaysia (92%) and Peru (92%).
73% agree that vaccine passes would be effective in making travel and major events safe; a majority in each country agrees - from 84% in China and Argentina to 52% in Hungary.
67% agree that large public venues must require a vaccine pass.
55% agree that vaccine passports should be required in shops, restaurants and offices in all countries. Those who support this most are India, where 78% agree, and those who support it least are in Poland (55%), the United States (52%) and Belgium (52%).

Allowed access to health data and vaccination records

Globally, we find that

84% say they are happy that their doctor has access to their health data and vaccination record. Among them, half are very comfortable.
56% of employees report that they are happy that their employer has access to their personal health information. Among them, 21% are very comfortable.
50% say they are happy that their government has access to their health data and vaccination record. Here, 18% say they are very comfortable with it.
Only 40% say they are comfortable giving private businesses access to their health data and vaccination records. 53% are not comfortable with it. The discomfort is most prevalent in the Netherlands (77%) and France (74%).

Overall, older people tend to be more comfortable letting their doctor access their health and vaccination information than younger people. In contrast, younger people tend to be more comfortable giving their employer, their government, and private companies access to their personal health information.

How long must a vaccine certificate or passport be required for activities and travel?

32% say that only a vaccine certificate or passport should be required for a few months
Another 32% say it should be required until at least the end of the year
23% say that vaccine certificate or passport must be required for the next many years
And 13% say indefinitely.

(Ipsos Denmark)

11 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/da-dk/den-globale-befolkning-stotter-op-om-coronapas-til-internationale-rejser

689-691-43-62/Poll

The Majority Of Nordic Countries State That They Eat Healthier In The Form Of More Vegetables (31%) And Less Alcohol (26%) And Sugar (24%)

YouGov has published the annual Food & Health report , which for 15 years has measured Nordic consumers' attitudes towards food, climate and health. During the last year of the corona crisis, health has been a global main focus, and the report shows that the pandemic has affected the health of Nordic consumers in several areas.

Across the Nordic countries, the majority state that they eat healthier, eg in the form of more vegetables (31%) and less alcohol (26%) and sugar (24%),

Many have also cut back on meat - primarily beef (17%), pork (17%) and processed meat (16%).

We talked more during the lockdown

During the corona pandemic, several people in the Nordic countries have tended to skip meals and resort to snacks more often.

In all four countries, the intake of snacks has increased - but mostly in Denmark and Norway, where a quarter (24% and 23% respectively) state that they have eaten more snacks during lockdown. It is especially women, the younger part of the population and households with children who have increased their snack intake.

Corona-kiloene

Between one third and one quarter (from 32% in Denmark to 24% in Finland) of the population in the Nordic countries state that they have gained weight over the past year - most likely so-called corona kilos as a consequence of the more sedentary everyday during lockdown. This figure is significant compared to the last four years, when just about a fifth (20-22%) indicated that they had taken on.

Locally produced food hits even more than before

Locally produced goods have been a global trend over the last few years - a trend that has accelerated during the pandemic due to border closures, closed foreign factories and a general willingness to support local businesses in a time of pressure.

In all four countries, consumption of locally produced food has increased between one-fifth and one-quarter over the past year (from 17% in Denmark to 24% in Finland).

The climate aspect also seems to be a driving force in the Nordic region, where a larger proportion consider buying more locally produced as more efficient than buying more organic or sustainable products when it comes to reducing harmful effects on the climate and the environment.

(YouGov Denmark)

May 16, 2021

Source: https://yougov.dk/news/2021/05/16/hvordan-har-et-ar-med-corona-pavirket-vores-madvan/

689-691-43-63/Poll

In UAE And Saudi, The Intent To Travel Domestically Or Within The MENA Region Increased Slightly

As vaccinations rolled out and travel reopened in certain parts of the world, people could finally fulfil their wanderlust and start making further travel plans in the coming months.

Since October last year, YouGov’s Global Travel Profiles (GTP), an international daily travel survey, has been tracking consumer sentiment and attitudes towards travel across 25 countries. A new recontact study to Global Travel Profiles was undertaken in April to compare travel trends of the Middle East population in 2020 vs 2021 and to see the key shifts in travel preferences.

In both the UAE and Saudi, the intent to travel domestically or within the MENA region increased slightly, too, compared to last year (53% in 2020 and 57% in 2021). However, intent to travel abroad has more than doubled since last year (from 11% to 26%).

Roughly a fifth of consumers in both of these countries are unlikely to travel in 2021 (19%), a number which nearly halved since 2020 when it stood at 37%, indicating a recovering appetite for travel among residents.

Interestingly, we found significant differences among these two neighbouring markets. Domestic travel is likely to be more popular among the Saudi residents than amongst the UAE public this year (61% vs 54%), with the latter keener on taking international trips (33% vs 19%).

Motivation to travel in 2021

Among those who have or expect to travel in 2021, visiting family and friends emerged as the biggest motivation to travel this year (as said by 50%). This motive is much stronger among those planning to travel abroad this year, especially residents from the UAE, as compared to those planning to take domestic trips (59% vs 48%). With a considerable proportion of expats residing in these countries, the desire to reconnect with friends and family is one of the key drivers to travel abroad this year.

After family, many residents in both countries want to travel to enjoy the scenic beauty of their selected destination (44%) or go back to the places they love or like (34%).

Some want to travel to enjoy food & drinks popular at a destination (28%), experience the culture of a place (28%), learn a new skill in a new destination (25%) or know about the history of a place (21%).

When asked about their budget, two in five respondents in both countries (42%) said they are willing to spend more than the amount they spent on leisure trips in 2019, while a third (33%) plan to spend the same amount of money.

Although a fifth (19%) intend to spend less than earlier on leisure travel in 2021, this number is notably higher among international travellers (planning to travel abroad in 2021) as compared to domestic travellers (25% vs 17%).

Most popular destinations

Looking at their preferences using YouGov destination Index, which tracks public perceptions of destinations across 16 metrics, we see Dubai as the first choice for a holiday among UAE residents. The Maldives is the second option for people planning a vacation. Abu Dhabi is also a popular selection. With travel bouncing back globally and many countries easing travel restrictions, we see more international destinations making it to the wishlist of the UAE travellers. Along with Maldives, Switzerland, Singapore, Canada, the USA and Japan are some of the other destinations currently being considered by UAE residents for their next holiday.

On the other hand, Saudi residents choose to stay close to home, and the top four destinations being considered are domestic locations- either within the country or the region. Saudi Arabia is the top choice of KSA residents. Outside the country, UAE is the most popular option, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Many are also considering Egypt for a vacation. Some international destinations are also on travellers’ minds; however currently the focus is more on domestic travel.

(YouGov MENA)
May 17, 2021

Source: https://mena.yougov.com/en/news/2021/05/17/appetite-travel-recovers-middle-east-majority-resi/

689-691-43-64/Poll

45% Of The Global Population Is Concerned About Sharing Their Personal Information Digitally

Overall, 45% of the global population is concerned about sharing their personal information digitally, a percentage that decreases only by two points compared to last year. Among women, the percentage decreases from 49% to 47%, and among men from 46% to 43%.
More than half of people in the American continent (54%) feel concerned about sharing their information digitally. The share of concerned people in other areas of the world remains significant: in the APAC region, 45% are concerned about sharing personal information digitally, and in Europe 43%. Interestingly, the Africa region experienced a very significant drop of 22 points compared to last year (from 50% to 28%).
Two of the countries with the highest levels of concerns are in Latin America: people in Brazil (72%) and Chile (61%) are concerned the most about sharing their information digitally, while Pakistan (30%), Nigeria, and the Palestinian Territories (28% each) are the countries with the lowest levels of concern.

Necessity of sharing personal information

On a global level, the perception of how necessary it is to share personal information nowadays is consistent compared to last year (22%), while 30% of respondents do not consider it necessary, + 3% points compared to 2019.
When looking closely at different employment categories, 20% among students consider that sharing personal information is necessary, falling 6 points compared to 2019. The African continent suffered a drop of 8% compared to last year (from 32% to 24%), while Europeans seem to believe it is necessary to share personal data slightly more compared to the previous measurement (17% to 19%).
South Korea (10%), Peru (9%), and France (8%) are the countries where people agree the least with the importance of sharing personal information. Interestingly, in Nigeria, the need to share personal information dropped considerably (from 40% in 2019 to 24% in 2020).

Fine with the privacy practices of most data collectors asking for my personal information

Almost a third of the surveyed population disagrees with the privacy practices of most data collectors, and people aged 55 and over are those who express their disagreement the most.
When looking at differences between countries, the data about Argentina stands out: almost half of Argentineans (48%) are not fine with the privacy practices of most data collectors asking for personal information.

What happens with personal information after it is shared with a data collector?

Even though people seem to have strong opinions on whether it is necessary to share personal information online, it is different to truly understand what happens after it is shared with data collectors. When asked about it, 27% of the population admit knowing what happens with their data, but another 27% don’t know how it will be used or where. People who are less aware of how data collectors use their data are 3% more than last year.
In particular, 30% of people in APAC mentioned they know what happens with their personal data after it is shared, with +3% points compared to 2019. On the other hand, results in Africa show a decrease of 2 points (from 29% to 27%).
Japan (12%), Finland (11%), and South Korea (4%) show the lowest results, meaning that a vast majority declare that they don´t know what happens with their data after they share it.

(WIN)

17 May 2021

Source: https://winmr.com/sharing-personal-information-digitally-almost-half-of-the-global-population-is-concerned/

689-691-43-65/Poll

Globally, About Three In Four Adults (78%) Are In Favor Of Requiring A Vaccination Passport For Travelers

In what cases could the passport be required and more accepted? In priority to access the main public places such as concert halls or stadiums for two out of three people in the world (67%) . In contrast, only half of those surveyed (55%) think it should be mandatory in stores, restaurants and offices.

In France, opinions are more divided: only 53% are in favor of requiring the vaccination passport to access large public places and 47% are in favor of introducing the compulsory vaccination passport to access shops, offices, restaurants, even if this track has was ruled out by the government at the end of April. 43% of French people nevertheless share the idea that only people who have been vaccinated should be allowed to participate in certain activities: cultural / sporting events, taking the plane and public transport ... And 57% are against it (world average: 46% ).

The French most worried about the issue of medical data

"The implementation of this potential vaccine passport raises a real problem of access to medical data, a particularly difficult point in France since only 32% of French people are comfortable with the idea that the government has access to their data. medical, much less than the world average (50%). The worst for them? May their employers have access to it! » Emphasizes Amandine Lama , Research Director of the Public Affairs department at Ipsos in France.

The French are indeed the most opposed in the world to their employer having access to their medical data ( only 27% say they are in favor, against 56% in the world average). Their tension is similar with regard to private companies, in the transport sector, the hotel industry or new technologies ... Only 19% of French people are comfortable with the idea that their medical data can be shared with these companies ( 21 points below the world average).

Asked about the durability of the vaccine passport, the majority of French people questioned (37%) think that it should be used during the fall in contamination, estimated at a few months. 26% believe that this tool should be in place until the end of the year, and 24% believe that it should be necessary for a few more years. The French in favor of the definitive implementation of the vaccination passport are much rarer (13%) !

(Ipsos France)

May 17, 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/passeport-vaccinal-7-francais-sur-10-favorables-des-inquietudes-fortes-sur-le-partage-des-donnees

689-691-43-66/Poll

Ipsos’s Global Consumer Confidence Index Shows A Month-To-Month Gain Of Nine-Tenths Of A Point, Sitting Just 2.3 Points Below Its Pre-Pandemic Level Of January 2020

Washington, DC, May 19, 2021 —Ipsos’s Global Consumer Confidence Index shows a month-to-month gain of nine-tenths of a point, sitting just 2.3 points below its pre-pandemic level of January 2020. Of note, this month’s Expectations Index, indicative of consumers’ outlook on their local economy, financial situation, and employment, is back to its pre-pandemic level and slightly above its 11-year historical average.
The Global Consumer Confidence Index is the average of 24 countries’ National Indices. It is based on a monthly survey of more than 17,500 adults under the age of 75 conducted on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform. This survey was fielded between April 23 and May 7, 2021.
Ten of the 24 countries surveyed show significant growth in their National Index when compared to last month: the United States (+3.7), Israel (+3.4), Great Britain (+2.7), Poland (+2.6), France (+1.9), Hungary (+1.9), Saudi Arabia (+1.8), Italy (+1.7), Mexico (+1.7), and Spain (+1.6). Only two countries display a significant drop: India (-3.4) and Turkey (-2.1).

National Index Trends

The Global Consumer Confidence Index reads at 46.4, up from 45.5 in April, marking six straight months of gains.

Eight countries have a National Index above 50: China (72.6), Saudi Arabia (65.7), the U.S. (59.5), Sweden (57.3), Australia (56.6), Great Britain (54.2), India (53.0) and Germany (52.4).
Only two countries have a National Index below 35: Turkey (30.0) and Argentina (34.4).
Once again, the three countries in the survey showing the highest levels of month-over-month growth (the U.S., Israel, and Great Britain) are also those leading in vaccination rollout as per Oxford University data.

Expectations, Jobs, and Investment Index Trends

For the third month in a row, the Expectations, Jobs, and Investment Indices all display month-on-month gains. Six countries see significant gains (at least 1.5 points) across all three indices: Great Britain, Israel, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the U.S. Meanwhile, India and Turkey record significant drops on all three.

The global Jobs Index is up 1.2 points from April 2021, currently reading at 52.1. It is 4.3 points short of its reading of January 2020. Israel, the U.S., and Hungary display the largest gains in this measure over last month while Turkey and India are the only markets to post significant month-over-month losses. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, China and Saudi Arabia stand out with gains of more than 3 points while Mexico and Brazil are down by more than 10 points.
After gaining 0.6 points from last month, the global Investment Index currently reads at 40.5. The Investment Index now sits 1.9 points behind its January 2020 reading. Eight countries post significant month-on-month gains, most of all Israel, Great Britain, and the U.S. India shows a drop of 4.7 points from last month.
The Expectations Index sits at 57.1 with a gain of 0.9 point over last month, surpassing its level of January 2020 by 0.1 point. Eleven of the 24 countries post significant gains over April, most of all Poland, France and Great Britain. Significant drops since last month are seen in Turkey, Argentina, and India. Compared to January 2020, changes range from an uptick of more than 9 points in Australia to a drop of more than 11 points in Argentina.

may 2

(Ipsos Egypt)

19 May 2021

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-eg/global-consumer-confidence-eighth-month-row

689-691-43-67/Poll

About Six-In-Ten American Adults (62%), Including Majorities In Nearly Every Demographic Group, Support Increasing The Minimum Wage To $15 An Hour

But popular support doesn’t necessarily translate into government action. Proposals to raise the federal minimum wage have stalled out repeatedly in Congress over the past decade. While the Center surveyed the general public rather than lawmakers, the findings suggest that partisan divisions among legislators reflect those of Americans as a whole. More than seven-in-ten Republicans and GOP-leaning independents (72%) oppose raising the wage to $15 an hour, including 45% who strongly oppose it, while 87% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say they favor such an increase (including 61% who strongly favor it).

Such sharp partisan divides matter because the federal minimum wage is set out in statute (the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, to be specific), meaning it can only be changed if Congress passes a bill to do so and the president signs it (or Congress overrides his veto). Putting minimum wage policy directly in the hands of lawmakers is just one of several ways in which the U.S. approach stands apart from most other countries.

How we did this

We examined 197 countries and self-governing territories to see how (and whether) they set and adjust minimum wages, and to get a sense of just how much of an outlier the United States is in this area. We identified 173 with some sort of generally applicable minimum-wage system, defined as one that covers all or most of a country’s adult private-sector workers.

Here’s what we found:

The U.S. is one of a handful of countries where the legislature has primary responsibility for setting minimum wages.

Only 17 countries (about 10% of those with minimum-wage systems) set their rates by statute, which (as U.S. experience demonstrates) can make them more difficult to update.

In at least 115 countries, the central government (or an official such as a labor minister) sets minimum wages by regulation, order or decree, typically pursuant to some authorizing law. In about three-quarters of those countries, government action is supposed to come only after input from workers’ and employers’ organizations – ranging from unspecified “consultations” to formal recommendations from structured minimum wage boards or commissions. (The International Labour Organization’s 1970 Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, which 54 nations have ratified, calls for such dialogue, which may help explain its prevalence.)

Minimum wage commissions typically include representatives of workers and employers, often joined by government officials (in which case they’re called “tripartite”), and sometimes independent economic experts or representatives of civil society (“tripartite-plus”). In at least 15 countries, such bodies are themselves authorized to set minimum wages, if they can come to consensus on them.

Fifteen countries – 10 European and five African – rely on collective bargaining between unions and employers’ organizations to set wage levels, including minimum wages. Such negotiations typically take place at the sector or industry level, and the resulting agreements generally have the force of law.

Unlike many countries, the U.S. has no legal requirement to periodically review and, if necessary, adjust its minimum wage.

At least 80 countries where minimum wages are set either by or pursuant to national law have an explicit requirement to revisit them every so often – in most cases annually or once every two years.

Fifty countries have no explicit requirement for periodic review, and in 22 cases we couldn’t find any definite information either way. Even so, indications are that most countries revisit their minimum wages more frequently than the U.S. does: Between 2010 and 2019, according to a 2020 International Labour Organization report, 134 countries adjusted their minimum wages no less frequently than every three to five years.

In the U.S. – unlike in most countries – states, counties and cities can set their own minimum wage rates.

In the great majority of countries – 145, by our reckoning – minimum wages are the exclusive domain of the national government, a national minimum wage board or some other central authority. The U.S. is one of only seven countries where states, provinces, cities or other subnational governments have concurrent authority to set their own minimum wages (so long as they’re not below the national minimum). In six countries, minimum wages are the exclusive responsibility of subnational entities.

Generally speaking, the countries that do give subnational units minimum-wage authority are large and complex (China, India, Indonesia), have long traditions of decentralized power (Canada, Australia), and/or have strong regional identities (Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Nearly half (83, or 48%) of all countries with minimum wage systems have a single, broadly applicable national minimum. We don’t count the U.S. in this group because the $7.25 federal minimum wage is actually used in just 21 of the 50 states, which together account for about 40% of U.S. wage and salary workers. The other 29 states, as well as the District of Columbia and several cities and counties, have higher minimums. (The highest local minimum wage, $16.84 an hour, is in Emeryville, Calif.)

India was supposed to get its first nationwide floor wage in 2020, but the government deferred it indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Ninety other countries have at least two and up to several dozen minimum wages, which can vary by region, industry, occupation, experience or a combination of those factors. For instance, Panama, a country of about 4.2 million people, has minimum wage scales in 20 different sectors. Within each sector, minimums vary by region (there are two) and by type of business within each region. (Public-sector workers, interestingly, are exempt from minimum wage rules, and generally earn less than their private-sector counterparts.)

One thing rapidly became clear from our review: No two countries have exactly the same minimum wage systems, and many have combinations of features that defy easy categorization. A few examples:

In Austria, at the behest of the federal government, workers’ and employers’ organizations in 2017 negotiated a national minimum wage of 1,500 euros a month that applies across all sectors. This wage floor was implemented not by a national law, but sector by sector via the collective bargaining agreements that historically set the nation’s wage policies.
In Switzerland, minimum wages are set through industrywide collective agreements, which cover about 40% of the workforce. But a federal “standard employment contract” sets the minimum wage for domestic workers, and four of 26 cantons have their own general minimum wages.
Saudi Arabia’s “minimum wage” of 4,000 riyals a month (about $1,067) is tied to the government’s “Saudization” program to increase private-sector employment of Saudi nationals. Businesses must employ a certain number (varying by industry and size) of Saudi nationals, and only Saudis making the minimum wage are counted fully toward that quota. However, the minimum wage does not apply to foreign workers, who make up the great majority of the country’s private-sector workforce.

On the other hand, 21 countries have no generally applicable minimum wage at all, though some have set minimums for specific occupations or industries. In five countries that have national minimum wage systems, we could find no reliable information on how they function. Finally, there were three countries (North Korea, Syria and Vatican City) for which we could find no reliable, current information on their minimum wage systems, or indeed if any even exist.

(PEW)

MAY 20, 2021

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/20/the-u-s-differs-from-most-other-countries-in-how-it-sets-its-minimum-wage/