The Net Hope in Ireland is -68% with 6% hopefuls, and 74% pessimists; the remaining expecting no change or being unable to respond.

Globally Net Hope falls from +2% at year end in 2010 to -4% now.

Zurich, 22 December 2011

— A new global poll conducted on the run up to the new year confirms the downward trend in popular hopes about economic well-being in 2012. The survey also confirms that the gloom is thicker in Europe and North America compared to the rest of the world. The global survey was carried out by the world’s largest independent network of opinion pollsters, WIN-Gallup International in over 50 countries(with more than 45,000 interviews), covering the vast majority of world population. The network has conducted this annual poll since 1977 and finds the latest year as one of the most pessimistic.

According to the WIN-Gallup International global barometer of hope and despair, 31% of the world are today hopeful about the economic prospects in 2012, while 34% expect it to be worse than the year which is just ending. As for the remaining 27% expect no change from previous year, and 8% were unable to give a response.

The global survey reveals that despair about economic prospects is led by Europe and followed by North America. Many in the rest of the world notably China remain hopeful. Of the 50 countries polled, 34 are on the whole pessimist showing that the pessimists in those countries outnumber optimists, while 15 are optimists showing that pessimists are outnumbered by optimists. Only in one country (India) the pessimists and optimists are exactly equal.

The global trend in pessimism is led by France where Net Hope is -80% while the optimists are led by Nigeria where Net Hope is +80%. Other nations are in between for example the Net Hope in USA is -21% and in China it is +21%.

For further information, please download the full press release by clicking the link below:

Annual Global Barometer on Hope and Despair – Ireland Press Release 22-12-2011

For further details please contact:
Jimmy Larsen, RED C Research

[email protected]

Ph: 01-8186316