IN ALL COUNTRIES, MORE PEOPLE FAVOR GLOBALIZATION BUT WORRY ABOUT JOBS, THE POOR AND HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT

Doug Miller, president of Environics International, conducted this global opinion poll for the World Economic Forum (Davos) by surveying 25,000 citizens across 25 countries. (Each national survey was based on a representative sample of about 1,000 adults and was conducted in-home or by telephone between October and December 2001. National findings are accurate to within plus or minus 3 percent.

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NEW YORK -- The largest-ever public opinion poll on globalization, covering countries with 67 percent of the world's population, shows that people increasingly favor economic globalization, but they have high expectations in some areas that will be difficult to satisfy. Citizens also have concerns about perceived damaging impacts of globalization.

Conducted in late 2001 as part of the first comprehensive global survey post-Sept. 11, the research reveals that:

-- The majority of people in most countries surveyed expect that more economic globalization will be positive for themselves and their families. Across the world, more than six in 10 citizens see globalization as beneficial, while one in five sees it as negative.

-- Positive views of globalization have grown over the past year, especially in North America and Europe.

-- Citizens, especially those in poorer countries, have high expectations that globalization will deliver benefits in a number of economic and non-economic areas.

-- However, citizens also believe that globalization will worsen environmental problems and poverty in the world and reduce the number of jobs in their country.

-- Especially in G-7 countries, most citizens do not believe that poor countries benefit as much as rich countries from free trade and globalization. However, the opposite is true in low-GP countries.

The World Economic Forum poll involved 25,000 in-person or telephone interviews across mainly "Group of 20" countries and was conducted between October and December 2001 by respected research institutes in each participating country under the leadership of Environics International Ltd. of Toronto, Canada.

Most people in 19 of 25 countries surveyed expect that more economic globalization will be positive for themselves and their families. More than six in 10 citizens worldwide (62 percent) see globalization as positive. Globalization's strongest supporters are found in northern Europe, North America and poorer countries in Asia. Conversely, one in five citizens (22 percent) believes that globalization has negative effects on them personally. Most opposed to globalization, and increasingly so, are people in economically troubled Turkey and Argentina.

Over the past year, positive views of globalization have grown, especially in North America and Europe. Of the 18 countries where the question was asked in both 2000 and 2001, positive views are up significantly in nine (most notably in Germany and South Korea) and down in five (especially in Turkey).

The majority of those surveyed anticipate improvements on eight of 15 factors surveyed, most notably greater access to world markets, cheaper goods, improved cultural life, a better quality of life, strengthened human rights, a more robust national economy and a higher personal income.

However, significant proportions of people are concerned that globalization will have a detrimental impact in a number of other areas, most notably environmental quality, poverty and the number of jobs available, but also the gap between rich and poor, world peace and stability, workers' rights and the quality of jobs. The biggest concern is environment, with the majority of people in 10 countries, including much of Europe, foreseeing environmental degradation resulting from increased globalization.

Citizens do not believe that poor countries benefit as much as rich countries from free trade and globalization. Nearly one in two citizens across the 25 countries surveyed disagrees with the statement that "globalization benefits poor countries as much as rich countries." This view is especially pronounced in G-7 countries where six in 10 disagree; however, in the low-GDP countries surveyed, most citizens agree that poor countries benefit equally.

There remains significant support for peaceful anti-globalization protesters. Almost one in two citizens overall and majorities in half of the 25 countries surveyed "support people who take part in peaceful demonstrations against globalization because they are supporting my interests." Support in the United States is somewhat muted (four in 10), down 10 points from just prior to Sept. 11.

In this post-Sept. 11 world, citizens in the richest countries feel new urgency to ensure that those in the poorest countries gain some tangible advantage from globalization. Society may be at an historic moment when the importance of addressing global poverty is matched by the self-interest, the willingness and the capacity to do so. Our research shows that consumers expect global companies to be part of implementing global solutions in the social and environmental realms, as well as the economic sphere. By playing active, yet appropriate, roles in addressing world problems, global companies can help reduce distrust of their motives, gain important brand equity and help solidify positive views of globalization.


(c) 2002, Environics/World Economic Forum. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.

For immediate release (Distributed 2/7/02)

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