Personal consumer optimism holding firm against global pressures, study finds
Consumers are losing faith in AI, increasingly focusing on the short-term and retreating to individualism, says Ipsos’ Global Trends Report.
· Marketing WeekBy Josh Stephenson 24 Sep 2026 2:00 pm
Consumers around the world are losing faith in the state of the world but personal optimism is holding firm in spite of this, according to the latest Ipsos Global Trends study.
The report shows that across the 38 markets it covers, only a quarter of people are optimistic for the world over the coming year, dropping from 28% in 2025 to 24% in 2026. The national picture isn’t much better, with a little over a third of people (36%) optimistic about the direction of their country, with optimism at its lowest in Europe.
Yet when it comes to personal optimism for themselves and their family, consumers continue to see the “silver lining” in their situation, with 55% of the global sample believing things will get better on an individual level.
While this may seem like positive news on the face of it, the report notes personal optimism is at its lowest recorded level since Ipsos began tracking data in 2013. It is resilient but under pressure, the report concludes.
Views on optimism diverge sharply across the world, with Saudi Arabians the most optimistic country across the three measures (+215) while France and Japan are the least optimistic (both at +53). Great Britain sits towards the back of the pack with a net optimism score of +83.
Of the nine trends that Ipsos has been tracking since 2013, the report considers three of them to be accelerating: Technowonder, Nouveau Nihilism and Escape to Individualism.
AI scepticism
The public’s attitude towards technology, and in particular towards AI, is perhaps the most striking. The study shows 56% of global respondents believe AI is having a positive impact on the world, with 35% disagreeing.
But in countries like the United States, a key driver of the AI revolution, just one-third of Americans believe it is having a positive impact. In the UK, the net balance of AI views sits at -14, meaning, like America, British consumers aren’t seeing the benefits of AI.
This scepticism towards AI is being driven by younger generations, with agreement that AI is having a positive impact on the world having fallen seven points among 16- to 24-year-olds and four points among those aged 25 to 34, while attitudes among older groups remain broadly unchanged.
All this means brands need to be smarter in how they frame their AI innovations. Broad generalisations around productivity may sound exciting to the CFO, but the regular consumer sees it as an excuse to pile on more work with little benefit to their lives.
Instead, brands need to return to the “wonder” part of the trend, the report says, and talk about the tangible benefits that can come from AI in healthcare, scientific discovery, education and entertainment. The report is clear that consumers aren’t rejecting AI, rather they want to have more control over who benefits from it.
Nouveau Nihilism, meanwhile, shows an increase in the public living for today as the traditional milestones of life (home ownership, career progression, family life) are out of reach for many. A majority of people (62%) believe the most important thing is to enjoy today rather than worry too much about tomorrow, with only Poland and Japan disagreeing with this assertion.
Brands, then, have the opportunity to fill that gap. The report suggests that more brands should look to deliver moments of reward and progress – be that through a loyalty programme or product experiences that deliver a sense of achievement – and that it is incumbent on brands to shift the perception of what success looks like. The brands that can meet consumers where they are have a better chance of success.
Need for control
The final accelerating trend is Escape to Individualism which sees consumers focusing on things they can control in a world that feels unpredictable.
There is a broader trend for consumers to measure success by the material possessions they own (+6 in the UK, +11 in Australia) and traditional markers of success like career progression are up from 39% to 51% since 2013.
All of this adds up to agency, the report says, being a valuable currency to the modern consumer. The public wants brands to give them greater flexibility and to celebrate increasingly individual ambitions.
The Ipsos Global Trends report also identifies those trends which are consolidating (Globalisation Fractures, Splintered Societies, Retreat To Old Systems) and those that are transforming (Climate Convergence, Conscientious Health, The Power of Trust).
According to Ipsos, none of its established nine trends are currently in reverse.
All told, the report shows the balance that brands need to play in guiding their customers through a period of low optimism. Consumers may feel beaten down by a decade of disruption but they are willing to believe that progress is possible.
“Building that optimism requires visible action, achievable goals and the accumulation of small successes over time. There are no quick fixes for the challenges of a restless decade. But there is reason to believe that progress remains possible,” the report concludes.