1. Global perceptions of inequality and discrimination

In our survey of 36 countries, we asked respondents how much of a problem different types of inequality were in their country, including the gap between rich and poor, unequal rights for men and women, discrimination based on a person’s race or ethnicity, and discrimination based on a person’s religion. Here are some key takeaways:

• A median of 54% across all countries surveyed say the gap between rich and poor is a very big problem. Smaller mean shares say the same about other types of inequality.
• in general, people in middle-income countries they are more likely to see any form of inequality as a major problem where they live than those in high-income countries.
• In some countries, people on the ideological left they are especially likely to see economic inequality, gender inequality, and racial and ethnic discrimination as very big problems compared to those on the right.

The gap between the rich and the poor

Majorities in every country surveyed say the gap is between the rich and the poor at least a moderately large problem.

However, the median share who see economic inequality as a very large problem it is higher in middle-income countries than in high-income countries (62% vs. 48%). (Read Appendix A for the classification of middle- and high-income nations.)

Argentina, Kenya and South Africa are among the countries where people are most likely to say that economic inequality is a big problem: seven in ten or more hold this view in each. By contrast, three in ten or fewer say the same in Poland, Singapore and Sweden.

Several people in every country surveyed say the gap between rich and poor is not a problem at all where they live.

Views by ideology

In about half of the countries surveyed, people on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to say that the gap between rich and poor is a very big problem.

The biggest ideological gap is in the US, where 76% of liberals hold this view, compared to 30% on the right – a difference of 46 points. There are also large left-right differences on this issue in Australia (40 points) and South Korea (35 points).

Reviews by income

In 12 countries, people with lower annual incomes express greater concern about economic inequality than those with higher incomes. For example, 47% of Israelis who earn the national median annual income or less say economic inequality is a major problem in their country, compared to 28% of those who earn more than the national median income.

Racial or ethnic discrimination

Across all countries surveyed, a median of 34% of adults say racial or ethnic discrimination is a big problem where they live. Another 34% consider it a moderately big problem.

The concern is particularly high in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America covered by the survey, as well as in Turkey and the Asia-Pacific countries of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

About four in ten or more in France, Germany, Italy and Spain also say it is a very big problem. But less than two in ten in Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Sweden – and only about one in ten in Poland – feel the same.

(For this question, respondents in most countries were asked about discrimination based on “race or ethnicity.” In Hungary, Indonesia, Sweden, Tunisia, and Turkey, the question used “ethnicity.” In India, the question used “caste or ethnicity.” In Kenya, the question used “ethnicity or tribe.”)

Views by ideology

In about half of the countries surveyed, people on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to say that racial or ethnic discrimination is a big problem in their country.

The biggest ideological gap is in the US, where 51% of liberals say this type of discrimination is a very big problem, compared to 33% of moderates and 15% of conservatives. However, there are also left-right differences exceeding 20 points in France, Germany and Israel.

Perspectives on ethnicity

In Israel, Arab adults are about four times more likely than Jewish adults to say that racial or ethnic discrimination is a big problem in their country (63% vs. 15%). And in Brazil, black and mixed-race adults (49% and 45%) are more likely than white adults (36%) to hold this view.

In the US, about two-thirds of Black Americans (64%) say racial or ethnic discrimination is a big problem, a much higher share than Hispanics (36%), Asian Americans (35%) and White Americans (23) . %).

Gender inequality

Across 36 countries, a median of 31% of adults say that unequal rights between men and women is a very big problem in their country. Another 31% say it is a moderately big problem.

People in some middle-income countries are particularly likely to see gender inequality as a major problem. In Latin America, for example, six out of ten Colombians see it as a big problem, as do about half of Peruvians. In sub-Saharan Africa, about half of Kenyans and South Africans also hold this view.

Of the high-income nations surveyed, people in France, Spain and Italy express the most concern about gender inequality. On the other hand, only one in ten adults in high-income countries such as Singapore and Sweden see unequal rights for men and women as a major problem where they live.

Reviews by gender

In half of the surveyed countries, women are more likely than men to say that gender inequality is a big problem. For example, 34% of women in Greece hold this opinion, compared to 17% of men. There are also large gender differences on this issue in Italy, Peru and Colombia.

Views by ideology

In about a third of the countries surveyed, people on the ideological left are more likely than those on the right to see unequal rights for men and women as a very big problem. For example, 38% of Israelis on the left say this, compared to 23% in the middle and 8% on the right. The ideological gap also exceeds 20 points in Brazil, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the USA

Religious discrimination

In general, concerns about religious discrimination are somewhat lower than the other issues we asked about in this survey. Still, a median of 29% of adults say discrimination against people based on their religion is a very big problem, and 27% say it’s a moderately big problem.

In five countries – Bangladesh, France, India, Nigeria and Sri Lanka – half or more believe that religious discrimination is a big problem. On the other hand, only one in ten says so in Poland and Australia.

Views on the importance of faith

In more than a third of the countries surveyed, people who say that religion is very important in their lives are more likely than other adults to say that religious discrimination is a big problem.

For example, around half of Britons who say religion is very important to them believe religious discrimination is a very big problem, compared with 22% of those who say religion is only somewhat, not very or not at all important.

In several countries, attitudes also differ according to religious identity. For example, 64% of Israeli Muslims say religious discrimination is a big problem, compared to 15% of Israeli Jews. Among Nigerians, Muslims are much more likely than Christians to say this is a big problem (68% versus 45%).