South Africa has found itself at the top of the Forbes list of Countries most Optimistic about 2018.
After a tumultuous 2017 that many people were only too happy to see the end of, one would expect people to be welcoming the new year with open arms… and South Africa is ready for this year to be incredible!
An online survey conducted by Ipsos in 28 different countries found that 76 percent of people think 2018 will be a better year than 2017. The level of optimisim varies significantly and countries with a younger population report higher levels of positivity than those with an aging one.
Latin America is the world’s most optimistic region while Europe is the gloomiest, primarily due to the gulf in age between both regions’ populations.
One of the most optimistic countries globally is South Africa, where 85% of people expect good things from the new year. This could be a reflection of the change in presidency, its continued strong economic growth and continued rise of entrepreneurism.
It’s only the start of 2018, and already a beautiful hotel in Durban has won a prestigious award, three South African photographers have been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, two very talented South African rowers are among the five finalists for the World Rowing’s 2017 Filippi Spirit Awards and a South African animation agency is up for an Oscar!
Yes, we have Day Zero looming but South Africans are showing the world how we band together in crisis situations. Entrepreneurs are finding solutions while organisations are helping to get water to those that need it most. We even have entire events changing the way we use water!
While South Africa finds itself at the top of the list, many “first world countries” are at the bottom. Terrorism, racism and a decline in living standards in western countries may have left them with a strong sense of pessimism about the future.
“2017 was a dramatic year for the United States in particular with Donald Trump becoming president. Looking ahead to 2018, 80 percent of Americans are expecting a better year.”
“In Europe, the air of positivity drops off considerably, falling to 67 percent in Germany, 66 percent in the United Kingdom and just 55 percent in France. The UK’s air of pessimism may be attributable to Brexit with a sizable chunk of the population still gloomy about the ramifications of their country’s forthcoming divorce with the EU. Japan is rock bottom of the survey with only 44 percent expecting 2018 to surpass 2017, primarily due to a lack of optimism among the country’s aging population.”
It will be interesting to see whether 2019 will side with the pessimists or the optimists around the globe (we’re going with the optimists on this one… go South Africa!).
Check out the infographic below:
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