REACTING TO CHANGE
75% of Americans believe the world today is changing too fast, compared to 85% globally
45% of Americans agree "I would prefer to have grown up at the time when my parents were children"
Source: Ipsos Global Trends Survey 2024, a survey of 52,189 adults surveyed across 50 markets between Feb. 15 and April 23, 2024. For full methodology, visit ipsosglobaltrends.com
Around the world, most citizens feel that the world is changing too fast, and many would like things to go back to the way they used to be.
But how we respond to this feeling varies: Some lean into the change and embrace new norms, while others strive to exert control and revert to old norms, behaviors and expectations.
Exerting control
Retreat to Old Systems
Our trend Retreat to Old Systems exemplifies how exerting control often happens first at the personal level – we think the “trad wives” movement is a perfect example of this, as it embodies both control and a sense of nostalgia for traditional gender roles.
Expressing control also happens at the community level such as a resurgence in book banning, and at the state and national level such as the rhetoric around the Presidential election in November.
Trend: Retreat to Old Systems
An escape to nostalgia appeals to many people around the globe, with a push for traditional values and more restrictive social norms. This is often a clamor for a 'return' to historical power structures, religious practice, employment patterns, gender roles, and more.
Splintered Societies
This division is also a reflection of another one of our new trends, Splintered Societies, which perhaps feels very intuitive to those living in the U.S. Driven by wealth disparity and ideological divides, it’s marked by heightened societal stress, fracturing communities, and the formation of new allegiances.
This creates a tension:
Therein lies the challenge: We are dividing into more splintered groups with divided opinions, making it much harder to find a middle ground. And while nostalgia is a powerful tool for marketers looking to build connections, it’s good for brands to remember that the good old days weren’t always good for everyone.
Nouveau Nihilism
Nihilism has been around for ages, but what’s new about it is the cause: We’re seeing a significant number of Americans embracing “you only live once” culture rooted not in wild abandon, but driven instead by a sense of giving up and feeling frustrated by the many crises we face on a daily basis. It’s shifted from a sentiment of “YOLO” to a sentiment of “f-- it” because the world is a mess.
Nouveau Nihilism can drive people to live in the moment and potentially take rash decisions, exemplified by the rise of buy-now, pay-later and personal debt products. Helping people bridge the gap between their frustrations and their aspirations is an opportunity for brands and governments alike.
Trend: Nouveau Nihilism
There's widespread sentiment that it's better to live for today - either because tomorrow is uncertain, or that it will simply take care of itself, especially when we feel that the world around us is doomed.
Only 25% of Americans are optimistic about the world over the next 12 months, compared to 31% globally, and as many as 72% in Nigeria
It’s worth noting that Americans aren’t the only ones who are pessimistic about the world’s future – citizens in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and New Zealand were even less positive. We know that social media is having an impact, and that our increasing awareness of issues such as socio-political conflict and climate change are causing a good deal of anxiety –
especially when there is no clear agreement about how to solve either. And while there is hope for the future of AI, we see techno-fatalism as well: Concerns about AI’s impact on our jobs and welfare, and the inevitability of losing our data privacy. In the data, the U.S. market sees much cooler attitudes about technology than much of the rest of the world.
It’s worth noting that Americans aren’t the only ones who are pessimistic about the world’s future – citizens in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and New Zealand were even less positive. We know that social media is having an impact, and that our increasing awareness of issues such as socio-political conflict and climate change are causing a good deal of anxiety – especially when there is no clear agreement about how to solve either.
And while there is hope for the future of AI, we see techno-fatalism as well: Concerns about AI’s impact on our jobs and welfare, and the inevitability of losing our data privacy. In the data, the U.S. market sees much cooler attitudes about technology than much of the rest of the world.