Economic Inequality Seen as Major Challenge Around the World

Population

BYRICHARD WIKE,MOIRA FAGAN,CHRISTINE HUANG,LAURA CLANCYANDJORDAN LIPPERT

A new Pew Research Center survey of 36 nations finds widespread public concern about economic inequality. And when asked what leads to this inequality, most people across the countries surveyed point to the intersection of wealth and politics.

The key findings of the survey include:

 A median of 54% of adults across the nations surveyed say the gap between the rich and the poor is a very big problem in their country. Another 30% say it is a moderately big problem.

 A median of 60% believe that rich people having too much political influence contributes a great deal toward economic inequality.

 These views are especially common among people on the ideological left, though many on the right agree. Ideological divisions are particularly large in the United States.

The survey, conducted in spring 2024, also finds deep global anxieties about the economic future and a strong desire for economic reform.

A median of 57% of adults across the nations polled expect children in their country to be worse off financially than their parents when they grow up.

This view is particularly widespread in several high-income nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

For the most part, this pessimistic view about the economic future is shared by younger and older adults alike, as well as by people with higher and lower incomes.

However, in several countries, the public is more optimistic than pessimistic about the financial prospects of the next generation. These include a few South Asian and Southeast Asian nations: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

And there is modest optimism in some Latin American nations, too. About half of those surveyed in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico think today’s children will be better off than their parents, while around four-in-ten or more say they will be worse off.

In many countries, there is more economic pessimism today than before the COVID-19 pandemic – which hurt many people economically. In 15 of 31 countries where trends are available, the share of the public who thinks children will be worse off financially than their parents is higher today than in pre-pandemic surveys.

Majorities in 33 of 36 nations also think their country’s economic system needs major changes or complete reform. People in middle-income nations in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa region are especially likely to want this degree of change.

Still, people in many wealthier countries want change, too. At least six-in-ten adults in most of the European nations surveyed want major economic changes or complete reform; 66% share this view in the U.S. 

In almost every country polled, people who see economic inequality as a very big problem are significantly more likely than others to want major changes or complete economic reform.

Perceived causes of economic inequality

What causes economic inequality? In our list of six potential factors, the strong connection between money and politics resonates most with respondents, topping the list in 31 of 36 countries.

Overall, more than eight-in-ten adults say that rich people having too much influence over politics contributes to economic inequality either a great deal (60% at the median) or a fair amount (26%).

But respondents see other factors as important, too. Majorities across the countries surveyed believe problems with the education system add to inequality in their nation.

Many also attribute inequality to some people working harder than others or some being born with more opportunities. Smaller but still notable shares cite other factors, including robots and computers doing work previously done by humans, and discrimination against racial or ethnic minorities.  

- EIN Presswire