86% of Filipinos are optimistic 2024 will be a better year—French survey
A majority of Filipinos are anticipating the upcoming year with a positive mindset.
According to a survey conducted by France-based market research and consulting firm Ipsos on a total of 34 countries, 86% of Filipinos are optimistic that 2024 will be a better year for them than 2023, with the remaining 19% having the opposite mindset.
This has made the Philipines one of the top five countries where optimism for the coming year is the highest. Topping the list is Indonesia with 91%, while India, Mexico, and China are all tied at 87%.
After the Philippines comes Peru, Chile, South Africa, Colombia, and Brazil in the sixth to tenth spots respectively. The results were based on answers by respondents aged 16 to 74 years old.
"Overall, optimism for the coming year appears to be on the rise, with 70 percent think 2024 will be a better year than 2023. This is up by 5-percentage points from 2022, when optimism dipped to a decade-low of 65 percent," Ipsos stated of the results.
"Much like personal optimism, the global economic outlook is showing signs of recovery, returning to the pre-COVID levels of 52 percent seen in 2019. Confidence in a stronger global economy outlook persists in emerging markets such as Indonesia, India and China, where over 80 percent states the global economy will be stronger in 2024," it added.
On the other hand, the survey found that 59 percent of Filipinos regarded the past 12 months as a bad year for them, while 66 percent regarded 2023 as a bad year for the country.
In 2023, the Philippines experienced rising prices in goods like rice, PUV drivers holding strikes over jeepney phaseout, the Maharlika Investment fund being signed into law, and China bullying Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
On average across all 34 countries, 70% say 2023 was a bad year for their country and 53% that it was a bad year for themselves and their family.
Ipsos attributed this to significant issues such as geopolitical tensions and environmental problems.
"Russia's aggressive invasion into Ukraine showed no signs of abating, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. Further exacerbating the already turbulent global situation was the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October," the research company stated.
"Large portions of the globe persistently endured escalating summer temperatures year after year, suggesting a potential worsening of global warming. 2023 was also a year of increased natural disasters, causing widespread distress in various parts of the world," it added.
The study was conducted from October to November, with the company interviewing a total of 25,292 adults.
