In 2022, the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute embarked on a mission to collate data on what are the most pressing concerns of the majority of the world’s population through the inception of the FII PRIORITY Compass, its global citizen survey. The survey’s role is to help world leaders and decision-makers identify and thereby address these concerns.
Carried out in partnership with Accenture and Oxford Economics, 2023’s survey covered over 50,000 respondents from 23 countries, representing 60% of the global population. The participants represented regions and diverse demographics across the globe, encompassing all walks of life (age, gender, education, income, social class, employment status, etc).
The survey has been redone for 2024, with the new findings being unveiled at this year’s FII Institute’s annual international conference in Riyadh on 29-31 October.
Why is this so important?
As the world becomes ever more interconnected, concerns once thought of as localised now resonate on a global scale. Quality of life, financial security, social equity and public health have emerged at the forefront, revealing a collective desire for a sustainable and inclusive future. The pursuit of quality education and economic stability remains unwavering, even as the means to achieve them transform.
As the world grapples with a myriad of challenges, it’s the shared aspirations of its citizens that shape the blueprint for tomorrow.
Amid geopolitical transformations, changing geoeconomics, conflicts and pandemic aftershocks, the world is set on course for a New Global Order. Through the FII PRIORITY Global Survey, FII aims to uncover humanity’s priorities to help world leaders identify the right pathways to solve these priorities.
“This FII PRIORITY Compass is more than a report or an index. It delves into these priorities, capturing the voice and vision of the global citizen. Making decisions that provide answers to the concerns of citizens is the only way to have an impact on humanity,” says Richard Attias Chief Executive Officer of the FII Institute.
The 2023 survey focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, education, healthcare and sustainability.
2023’s findings
The findings of last year’s survey found that the ‘Cost of Living and Quality of Life’ continued to be the top priority for humanity for a second consecutive year. Other priorities, in descending order, included social inclusion, climate change, governance, healthcare and technology.
The continuing impact of global economic turmoil was discernible in the data, as 65% of respondents expressed concern about the cost of living and quality of life, an increase of 30% from 2022. The majority expressed skepticism about their government’s efforts to tackle these problems. Amid growing concerns, people rate income and financial incentives at the top for job satisfaction. However, an interesting mindset shift was observed as people seek work-life balance, which played a much bigger role in job satisfaction in 2023.
People’s satisfaction with their personal life declined in 2023. While people continued to feel relatively more content with their personal lives, as opposed to the state of their country and the world, 20% less people felt satisfied with their lives compared to the previous year. The same trend was also observed in diminishing satisfaction levels of people across various life aspects, making rising cost of living, loneliness and environmental concerns humanity’s top priorities.
Meanwhile, climate change is one priority where its importance is being recognised across generations. In addition, amid geopolitical tensions and conflicts, governance is a priority for almost half the global population, with Europe being particularly concerned, perhaps due to its proximity to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
All the findings are provided in the insights report, FII PRIORITY Compass, and an interactive webtool, FII PRIORITY Compass Navigator, both powered by FII Institute.
A call for collaborative action
Amid the pressing concerns the world grapples with today, the most serious is a deeply entrenched societal inequity. This disproportionately affects those with limited resources to access quality housing, education and healthcare. Addressing these inequities and focusing on economic stability while taking advantage of the rapid advancement in technology and AI is key, according to the FII Institute.
It calls for world leaders and change-makers, such as governments, corporations, non-profit organisations, civil societies and academia to truly collaborate and take strong action for ‘enabling equitable and inclusive growth in a digital age’.
Through the FII PRIORITY Compass, world leaders and decision-makers can identify and so address these pressing global concerns.
“Let this data serve not just as a Compass for our decision-making, but as a catalyst to unite us as a global force to come together for epoch-defining transformational change,” suggests H.E. Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan Governor of PIF, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FII Institute.