Pew study shows growing global concern over economic inequality

(CN) — Detailing the results of its sweeping 36-nation survey, the Pew Research Center on Thursday revealed high levels of global concern about the widening chasm between the rich and poor.

The survey found that across the world, 54% of respondents say the gap between the haves and have-nots is a “very big problem,” within their countries. Another 30% called it a “moderately big problem.”

Conducted in the spring of 2024 in the run-up to major elections across the globe, the survey found that such economic concerns emerged as a driving force in elections in more than 60 countries last year, with incumbents in nations like France, Japan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the U.S. facing losses or serious setbacks as a result.

The trend reflected Pew’s finding that voters blame politicians for growing financial disparities.

“When asked what leads to this inequality, most people across the countries surveyed point to the intersection of wealth and politics,” Pew researchers noted.

In 31 out of the 36 surveyed nations, the majority of respondents said the overwhelming political influence of the wealthy is the biggest driving force behind the inequality crisis.

This sentiment was popularly held by left-leaning survey respondents, “though many on the right agree,” the report said.

“Overall, more than eight-in-ten adults say that rich people having too much influence over politics contributes to economic inequality,” the researchers said.

But this powerful combination of money and politics wasn’t the only factor blamed — a large portion of the global population also faulted inherited privilege and poor education systems for keeping the rich in power. The effects of automation and discrimination also factored in.

“Smaller but still notable shares cite other factors, including robots and computers doing work previously done by humans, and discrimination against racial or ethnic minorities,” the researchers said.

Concern about growing global wealth inequality’s impact on future generations was also high among those surveyed.

A median of 57% of respondents said they thought that the next generation will be financially worse off than their parents.

The pessimism proved especially widespread in wealthier nations such as the U.S., the U.K., and France, where concerns about the economy heightened after the Covid-19 pandemic. Other well-off nations like Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan and Spain echoed these concerns.

In stark contrast, some countries in Asia and Latin America seemed more optimistic about the future. Nations like Bangladesh, India and the Philippines indicated hope that the next generation of children would fare better financially than their parents.

The report also indicated wealth inequality isn’t the only type of inequality global citizens are upset about.

Racial and ethnic discrimination were top concerns for two-thirds of respondents as well. An additional 60% said gender inequality was a “very or moderately big problem.” And more than half of respondents indicated religious discrimination was a “big problem.”

“Concerns about these issues are often tied to respondents’ demographic characteristics, background and experiences,” the Pew researchers noted. “For example, in some nations, people with lower incomes are especially worried about economic inequality; racial and ethnic minorities are more concerned about racial and ethnic discrimination; women are more concerned about gender inequality; and people who prioritize religion are more likely to see religious discrimination as a very big problem.”

The researchers also found political ideology played a major role in shaping survey respondents’ opinions, with liberals more likely to link inequality with political power, racial bias and unequal opportunities.

“Some of the largest ideological divisions in the survey are in the U.S.,” the researchers wrote, noting that 76% of American liberals say economic inequality is a “very big problem” compared to just 30% of American conservatives.

“This 46-percentage point gap is the largest left-right difference across the countries surveyed,” the researchers wrote, affirming the widening divide between Republicans and Democrats in U.S. politics.

This study surveyed 18 middle-income and 18 high-income countries.