AS we take a moment to observe how the world has changed in the past few years, it always helps to think of what our younger selves may have thought or felt when faced with similar events. It’s one way to figure out how jaded or cynical we may have become over the years. And it helps in appreciating and understanding the concerns and worldviews of young people around us.

The Global Trends study that is carried out by Ipsos every decade, aims to capture how people across the globe view their lives and futures and reveals shared realities but also divergences. Research is conducted across 50 countries and 1,000 individuals in each, equal representation of gender and an age cohort stretching from 19 to 74. It is a robust dataset, but given that it is an online survey, it acknowledges that respondents are more educated, largely urban and probably better off than many of their fellow citizens.

In 2024, the macro trends identified by the study don’t hold any surprises. However, they do reveal how people are observing and reflecting on critical issues of our time. One of the trends is economic disparities, and data reveals that people realise they are in the midst of the downfall of the middle classes. What was once a clear trajectory for a majority (that children should and will prosper more than their parents), is now perceived to be out of reach. The divide between the haves and have nots has been exposed for what it signifies — those in positions........

© Dawn