Pulse Legacy Archive December 2011 | Page 12

pulse points Useful facts and tips for spa professionals. The Global Pulse: Citizens in 24 Countries Assess the Strength of Their Country’s Economy T he recently released Ipsos Global @dvisory: The Economic Pulse of the World gives an analysis of world public opinion on the state of today’s global economy. The report was based on 19,005 interviews in 24 countries and examined citizens’ assessment of the current state of their country’s economy. The survey indicates that citizens from Saudi Arabia (89 percent) had the most favorable view of their current economy followed by those from Sweden (74 percent) and India (69 percent). Only 15 percent of surveyed Americans described their current economy as “Very Good/Somewhat Good.” When asked to rate their local economy’s strength, Saudi Arabia (64 percent), China (54 percent) and Sweden (53 Global Citizens Assess the Current Economic Situation in Their Country as “Good” percent) had the top three highest ratings. In contrast, Japan (three percent) garnered the lowest rating of its local economy’s strength. A six-month projection on their local economy showed residents from Brazil (65 percent), Saudi Arabia (57 percent) and India (54 percent) have the highest expectations in terms of seeing a “Much Stronger/Somewhat Stronger” local economy. This valuable data is critical in the business world, especially when attempting to understand consumer retail confidence. Spa investors and global brands can benefit from knowing that nations that rank high in economy strength offer the most business opportunities as residents in these countries are more likely confident to spend. Citizen Consumers Who Say the Economy in Their Local Area is Strong... % VERY GOOD / SOMEWHAT GOOD 39% TOTAL 89% Saudi Arabia 74% Sweden 69% India 66% Canada 65% China 63% Germany Australia Turkey Argentina Brazil 55% 42% South Africa 34% Belgium 31% 48% India 47% 61% Germany 15% United States Italy 8% 24% 21% 21% Russia 18% United States 18% Great Britain 17% 16% South Korea Italy 8% France 7% Hungary Hungary 4% Spain Spain 3% Japan December 2011 26% Poland Japan ■ 31% South Africa France 10 PULSE 36% Indonesia Mexico 21% 43% 39% Argentina Belgium 17% 43% Brazil 27% South Korea 45% Turkey Australia 27% Great Britain 52% Canada Russia 25% 53% China Sweden Poland Mexico 64% Saudi Arabia 61% 59% Indonesia 30% TOTAL 13% 12% 9% 6% 5%