Top 5 global worries: July 2024

Inflation is the No. 1 concern for the 28th month in a row.

Concern is down five percentage points since last July with 33% (on average across 29 countries) now saying inflation is a top concern for their country.

Other issues continue to be close behind inflation worry at a global level, with crime/violence (30%, -1pp year-over-year), poverty/social inequality (29%, -1pp y-o-y), unemployment (28%, +2pp y-o-y) and financial/political corruption (26%, no change y-o-y) rounding out the top five.

Worldwide worry

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, followed by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, led to supply issues and cost increases around the world. People are still feeling the pinch.

Red-hot price rises have cooled off a bit in some places but the cost of living is still the No. 1 concern in several corners of the world, including: Türkiye (56%, -3pp y-o-y), Canada (51%, +1pp y-o-y), the U.S. (50%, +5pp y-o-y), Singapore (48%, -9pp y-o-y), Australia (48%, -5pp y-oy-), Argentina (48%, -20pp y-o-y), South Korea (40%, +7pp y-o-y), Poland (39%, -20pp y-o-y) and France (36%, -2pp y-o-y).

Following national elections that saw new leaders with promises of sweeping changes rise to power concern about inflation has plummeted twenty points in both Argentina and Poland compared to twelve months ago.

Key election issue

Meanwhile, in the U.S. concern is up five points versus last July even though inflation has slowed more than expected recently. But Americans, like many others, are still being hit by with the one-two punch of high prices and high interest rates. Consumer prices rose 3% on an annual basis in June and while there's hope the U.S. Federal Reserve will cutting interest rates soon they remain between 5.25% and 5.5%.

Ipsos U.S. polling finds Americans consider the economy/unemployment/jobs the most important problem facing their country today. Whether the economy will continue to loom larger than other issues come presidential election day remains to be seen. But one thing's for sure: inflation has been a thorn in the side of American consumers for some time now and they'll be listening closely to how both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump plan to get and keep the cost of living down as November 5th approaches.

Check out our latest What Worries the World report for a deeper dive on how concerns have changed over time everywhere from Australia to the United States of America: https://www.ipsos.com/en/what-worries-world.