Mixed Expectations for the New
Decade by Adults in the Five Largest European Countries and the U.S.
French most pessimistic while Americans and
Spaniards more optimistic about what new decade will hold financially
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Financial Times/Harris
Poll in the United States and the five largest European countries
looks ahead to the dawn of a new decade and examines what people think
their standard of living will be. Thinking ahead ten years, pluralities of
adults 64 and under in the U.S. (43%) and Spain (41%) as well as 37% of
Germans are optimistic about the new decade while 44% of French adults and
36% of Britons are pessimistic. Two in five Italians (41%) are neither
optimistic nor pessimistic.
“We would now like you to focus on your standard of living. Thinking
ahead to the next 10 years how optimistic or pessimistic do you feel
about the new decade?”
These are some of the findings of a Financial Times/Harris Poll
conducted online by Harris
Interactive® among 6,182 adults aged 16-64 in
France, Germany, Britain, Spain, and the United States and 18-64 in Italy
between December 2 and 11, 2009.
As the new decade dawns, this survey also looked backwards to see what
has changed over the past ten years. Compared to ten years ago,
pluralities of adults in the U.S. (44%), Spain (43%), and Germany (40%) as
well as 38% of Britons say their standard of living has become better
compared to a decade ago. The French, again, are more negative as 44% of
them say their standard of living has gotten worse. Almost two in five
Italians (38%) say it has not changed for the better or the worse compared
to ten years ago.
Looking ahead again ten years to what people think their standard of
living will be there is more pessimism and not just by the French. Over
half of French adults (56%) say their standard of living will be worse as
do pluralities of Germans (42%), Italians (41%) and Britons (38%).
Americans are slightly more optimistic as 39% believe their standard of
living will be better ten years from now compared to 35% who believe it
will be worse. Spaniards are split as 35% each say their standard of
living will be better and worse.
Other interesting findings include:
When it comes to spending money there
is more of a consensus as over half of adults in Spain (61%), Italy
(58%), France (57%), Great Britain (51%) and Germany (51%) and just
under half of Americans (49%) all say they are spending more money than
they did ten years ago;
The past ten years has also seen an
increase in terrorism and this may explain why very few people feel
safer. Almost half of Italians (46%) say they feel less safe compared to
ten years ago while 56% of British adults, half of French (50%) and
German (50%) adults and 49% of Americans all feel about the same in
terms of their safety as they did ten years ago. Spaniards are divided
as 39% feel about the same while 38% feel less safe;
Government’s involvement in citizens’
lives has also changed over the past decade. Majorities in all six
countries (between 59% and 72%) say their government has much more
information about them now than it did ten years ago. There is also the
impact of government in helping citizens financially. Again, most adults
in these six countries agree as majorities (between 54% and 75%) say
over the next ten years the government will do less for them and their
family financially than it has in the past decade.
This decade has also been marked by the
war on terror. Strong majorities in Germany (64%), Great Britain (63%)
and France (62%) as well as 49% of Spaniards and 46% of Americans
believe it is unlikely that the U.S. and its allies will win this war.
Italians are more optimistic as 45% of them believe it is likely.
So what?
The events of 2001 quickly set the stage for much of what occurred over
the next ten years. Will there be some event that sets the stage for the
2010s? Or will we have to wait until 2019 to look back and see what the
defining moments of the decade were? One thing is certain. The current
economic uncertainty is hitting home with citizens of these six countries,
especially the French, and many people are taking a wait and see approach
to what this new decade will bring.
TABLE 1
STANDARD OF LIVING- THINKING
AHEAD
“We would now like you to focus on
your standard of living. Thinking ahead to the next 10 years how
optimistic or pessimistic do you feel about the new decade?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Optimistic
(NET)
29%
21%
31%
41%
37%
43%
Very
Optimistic
5%
2%
3%
13%
12%
11%
Somewhat
optimistic
24%
19%
28%
28%
26%
32%
Neither
pessimistic nor optimistic
35%
35%
41%
31%
34%
25%
Pessimistic
(NET)
36%
44%
28%
28%
29%
33%
Somewhat
pessimistic
29%
35%
22%
22%
19%
25%
Very
pessimistic
8%
9%
6%
6%
10%
8%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 2
STANDARD OF LIVING- COMPARED TO
TEN YEARS AGO
“Compared to ten years ago, how much,
if at all, has your standard of living changed?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Better
(NET)
38%
37%
29%
43%
40%
44%
Become
significantly better
12%
5%
3%
17%
15%
16%
Become
somewhat better
27%
31%
26%
26%
25%
28%
Not
changed for the better or worse
29%
20%
38%
20%
29%
23%
Worse
(NET)
32%
44%
33%
37%
31%
33%
Become
somewhat worse
24%
32%
25%
26%
19%
21%
Become
significantly worse
8%
11%
7%
11%
12%
11%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 3
STANDARD OF LIVING
–EXPECTATIONS
“Looking ahead to the next 10 years,
and your own family’s standard of living, do you expect your
standard of living to improve, stay the same or get worse?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Better
(NET)
27%
20%
25%
35%
28%
39%
Become
significantly better
6%
2%
4%
7%
6%
10%
Become
somewhat better
22%
19%
21%
28%
22%
29%
Will
not change for the better or worse
35%
24%
33%
30%
31%
26%
Worse
(NET)
38%
56%
41%
35%
42%
35%
Become
somewhat worse
30%
41%
32%
25%
28%
25%
Become
significantly worse
8%
16%
9%
9%
14%
10%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 4
STANDARD OF LIVING- MONEY
MATTERS
“Compared to ten years ago, would you
say that you are…”
Base: EU adults in five countries and
U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Spending
more money than you did 10 years ago
51%
57%
58%
61%
51%
49%
Spending
the same amount of money as you did 10 years ago
19%
18%
16%
17%
22%
17%
Spending
less money than you did 10 years ago
21%
23%
19%
19%
24%
29%
Not
sure
9%
3%
6%
3%
4%
5%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 5
STANDARD OF LIVING- SAFETY
“Compared to ten years ago, how much
safer, if at all, do you feel?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Feel
less safe compared to 10 years ago
37%
44%
46%
38%
35%
36%
Feel
about the same compared to 10 years ago
56%
50%
38%
39%
50%
49%
Feel
more safe compared to 10 years ago
7%
5%
17%
23%
15%
15%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 6
GOVERNMENT AND FREEDOM OF
INFORMATION
“Thinking now about the different
ways in which the government in Great
Britain/France/Italy/Spain/Germany/the US records information about
its citizens, which statement best reflects how you feel?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
The
Government has much more information about me now than it did 10
years ago
69%
72%
62%
59%
67%
62%
The
Government is keeping about the same amount of information on me now
as it did 10 years ago
14%
13%
17%
25%
18%
16%
The
Government is keeping less information on me now than it did 10
years ago
*
*
3%
2%
2%
2%
Not
Sure
16%
15%
18%
14%
13%
20%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 7
STANDARD OF LIVING- STATE HELP
“How do you believe the Government’s
handling of public finances will affect you and your family over the
next ten years- overall do you think that the Government will be
doing more or less for you and your family?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
The
Government will do less for me and my family financially than it has
in the past decade
69%
75%
55%
55%
68%
54%
The
Government will do the same for me and my family as it has in the
past decade
27%
22%
36%
35%
26%
33%
The
Government will do more for me and my family financially than it has
in the past decade
4%
3%
9%
10%
6%
13%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
TABLE 8
WINNING THE WAR ON TERROR
“How likely or unlikely are the U.S.
and its allies to win the war on terror?”
Base: All EU adults in five countries
and U.S. adults
Great
Britain
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
United
States
%
%
%
%
%
%
Likely(NET)
12%
10%
45%
20%
8%
29%
Very
likely
1%
1%
8%
5%
2%
9%
Somewhat
likely
11%
10%
38%
15%
7%
20%
Neither
unlikely or likely
25%
28%
25%
31%
27%
25%
Unlikely(NET)
63%
62%
30%
49%
64%
46%
Somewhat
unlikely
35%
46%
17%
34%
41%
26%
Very
unlikely
28%
16%
13%
15%
23%
20%
Note: Percentages may not add up to
100% due to rounding
Methodology
This FT/Harris Poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive
among a total of 6,182 adults aged 16-64 within France (1,071), Germany
(1,010), Great Britain (1,076), Spain (949) ,and the United States
(1,039), and adults aged 18-64 in Italy (1,037) between December 2 and 11,
2009. Figures for age, sex, education, region and Internet usage were
weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual
proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to
adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often
not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage
error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question
wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.
Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they
are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling
errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples
with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published
polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have
agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been
weighted to reflect the composition of the adult populations of the
respective countries. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to
participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical
sampling error can be calculated.
The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising,
marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris
Interactive.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the
National Council on Public Polls and of the British Polling
Council.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive
is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging
research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight
into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for
pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a
wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs,
energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail,
restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215
countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian
offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris
specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our
clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
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