2020
Understanding Complexity
This study outlines some of the headlines from more than 370 questions asked across 33 countries, and updates previous editions from 2013 and 2016.
We have analysed the data in more depth than ever, highlighting the world’s values and trends in one in-depth survey. Whether you are interested in populism, brand building, climate change, politics or social issues, you will find useful insights here.
Our theory of change
In this edition we connect the global to the local, providing a way to understand how human interaction shapes – and is shaped by – our world.
Macro forces
Macro forces are the world’s broadest currents of change, providing long-term context for changing attitudes, values and behaviours. We have identified six macro forces, evolving from those we defined in 2017.
Growing inequality and opportunity
Despite rising global prosperity over the last few decades, division between wealthy and poor is growing. Rising living, housing and education costs are also making middle-class expectations difficult to access
Geopolitical tensions
The west no longer leads the world. Over the last decade, America’s geopolitical clout has diminished while China has become a superpower. This fragmentation has transformed us from a unipolar
Technology tipping points
Technological evolution is a certainty. Cyber-physical systems, Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been changing the infrastructure of our world. In the 2020s, these phenomena,
Data world
Information is now almost as vital to our survival as food. Our need to share and, crucially, validate information is a driving force. Even so, information is a double-edged sword. Humans are skilled liars. It is perhaps one of
Global Trends for 2020
Our trends are based on the values that unite – and divide – us around the world. By exploring global attitudes on brands, government, advertising, politics, social policy, technology and more, we have identified the strongest 36 values that people hold globally.
Global Values Map
This map shows the relationships between the values that people hold. The further apart two values are, the less likely it would be to find someone who shares attitudes from both. For example, someone who is
Trend Framework
The 36 values we have identified can be grouped into twelve global trends, or themes, presented in this report, representing the core issues of our time, including: climate, healthcare and tech, reactions to inequality,
Climate antagonism
Heatwaves, forest fires and extreme weather; school strikes organised by Greta Thunberg; and news that the Arctic permafrost is thawing decades earlier than predicted. These are just some of the reasons that
Conscientious health
As concern about the environment rises, or – more cynically – as marketers look for new ways to entice customers, the link between what is good for us and what is good for the planet has grown.
Authenticity is king
Authenticity is the retail and brand trend for the 2020s. Mass retail will need to acknowledge, build and embrace experiential spaces which bridge the digital-physical divide and give customers experiences
Data dilemmas
Global anxiety about the way companies use our personal data has risen by 8% since 2013. However, as we explored in ‘Trust: The Truth?’, even in the early 1990s, before the internet, the majority (66%)
The tech dimension
As internet usage keeps rising a key value is early adoption, the hunger for the next and newest technology. Globally, 7 in 10 try to keep up with technology (70%), and as many as 9 in 10 online