A recent Pew Research Center survey encompassing 36 nations reveals a broad global consensus regarding the pressing issue of economic inequality. The findings highlight that a median of 54% of respondents across these countries perceive the widening gap between the rich and the poor as a very big problem, while an additional 30% view it as a moderately big issue. A significant contributing factor, identified by a median of 60%, is the political influence wielded by wealthy individuals, which ranked as the most resonant cause in 31 of the 36 nations surveyed.
The report underscores mounting global concerns about economic stability and the prospects for future generations. A median of 57% of adults expect children in their countries to be financially worse off than their parents, reflecting a growing pessimism about upward mobility. Notably, this sentiment has deepened in 15 of the 31 nations with pre-pandemic trend data. Despite this bleak outlook, there is widespread support for systemic economic reform. Majorities in all but three countries—Singapore, the Netherlands, and Sweden—believe their economic systems require major changes or complete overhaul, with a median of 52% advocating for significant changes and 20% calling for comprehensive reform.
Optimism about future financial outcomes is not universal, with exceptions in several Asia-Pacific nations. In Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, more people are optimistic than pessimistic about the financial prospects of the next generation. However, the region also exhibits varied concerns about inequality and discrimination. In Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh, significant portions of the population view racial and ethnic discrimination as a critical issue, while fewer than 20% in Australia, Singapore, and South Korea share this perspective. Singapore stands out with the smallest proportion (29%) calling for economic reform.
The survey also explored perceptions of the factors contributing to economic inequality. While most respondents acknowledged all six factors as contributors to some degree, political influence of the wealthy stood out as the most prominent. Problems with education systems were also highlighted, with a median of 48% identifying this as a significant contributor. In Sri Lanka and Turkey, education was even viewed as the top factor. Other contributors, such as disparities in opportunities at birth (40%), differing levels of effort (39%), and the impact of automation (31%), were seen as less decisive. Discrimination against racial or ethnic minorities was cited as a major factor by 29%, with Brazil leading on this issue, where 64% flagged it as a significant cause.
Global perceptions of inequality extend beyond wealth disparities. Discrimination based on race or ethnicity (34%), unequal rights for men and women (31%), and religious discrimination (29%) were also identified as major concerns. Notably, in 35 of 36 countries surveyed, the gap between the rich and the poor was regarded as a more critical issue than other forms of inequality. Concerns about religious discrimination were relatively less widespread, though in nations such as Bangladesh, France, India, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka, at least half of respondents deemed it a very big problem.
