On Edge? JWT Releases AnxietyIndex

JWT has released the results of its AnxietyIndex, a 27-country study on the levels and drivers of consumer anxiety around the world, which is chock full of consumer insights for global business leaders, brands and marketers.

JWT's 10-year-old AnxietyIndex tracks and examines safety and security concerns — the threat of terrorism, potential and current military hostilities, crime, etc. — and economic worries such as the cost of health care, the cost of living and job security. 

Topline findings include:

-    The economy and the current cost of living are the greatest drivers of anxiety in North America, with Americans significantly more worried about the state of the economy than Canadians and others across the globe.    

-    Pakistan stands out as one of the most anxious, with nearly 9 out of 10 respondents reporting that they are anxious.

-    The cost of living is the biggest generator of anxiety, specifically driven by concern about the price of everyday essentials like food and gas. Unemployment is also a major driver of anxiety around the world. 

-    Anxieties in Western Europe vary considerably. Concerns about the economy and the cost of living are highest in France and Spain, where they are nearly universal among adults. Finland, Germany and the U.K. are significantly less anxious.

-    In Eastern Europe, Czechs are more nervous than Russians about food prices, their government’s budget deficit and corruption. Russians, meanwhile, are among the most worried in the world about the safety of their food supply.

-    In Japan, anxiety is high over the budget deficit and, understandably, natural disasters. South Koreans worry most about gas prices and employment, while anxieties in China and Hong Kong mirror those seen in the rest of the globe.

-    In the Middle East and Africa, anxieties around the rate of crime peak among South Africans and Pakistanis. Prices around everyday essentials, like gasoline and food, as well as unemployment are also driving anxiety in these markets.

-    In South Asia, Indonesians are among the most concerned worldwide about corruption, while Indians worry not only about factors that impact them directly (gas prices and their government’s deficit) but also about greater social concerns like global warming.