BVAGallup Poll Conducted on World’s Optimism

The BVAGallup poll conducted in 53 countries was released in January 2011. According to the poll, French are the world champions of scepticism as 61% of respondents considered 2011 as a year of economic difficulty. France was followed by Britons (52%), Spaniards (48%) and Italians (41%).    The poll also highlighted that 67% of French respondents believed unemployment would rise over the next 12 months. Employment remained a major concern in the UK where 74% respondents believe unemployment would increase. The negative sentiment in Europe stood in sharp contrast to the emerging economies in Asia, South America and Africa, where citizens are generally optimistic about 2011. In Brazil, India and China, 49% of respondents said they believed 2011 would be economically prosperous and only 14% predicted hardship.   According to the poll, Vietnam topped the optimism rating with 70% Vietnamese expressing confidence in the economic outlook for 2011. 80% of respondents in Nigeria expect their financial situation to improve this year. Respondents of war-torn regions of Afghanistan and Iraq also came across as optimists.