Only 7 Countries Where Citizens Remain Optimistic, Indonesia Among Them
The majority of the world’s population does not believe their country is moving in the right direction, according to a new global survey. Out of 30 countries polled, only seven recorded optimism levels above 50%.
Interestingly, six of those seven countries are in Asia. Singapore tops the list as the most optimistic nation, while France sits at the very bottom. The findings come from the Ipsos Global Opinion Polls 2026, which surveyed 25,709 respondents aged 16-74 across 30 countries. Respondents were asked whether they felt their country was moving in the right direction or the wrong one. Globally, only 41% of respondents felt their country was on the right track, while 59% held the opposite view.
Asia dominated the top rankings. Singapore led with 86% of respondents believing their country was heading in the right direction. Malaysia followed with an optimism level of 74%, and India with 69%. Thailand and Indonesia both recorded 62%, while South Korea reached 58%. Argentina was the only country outside Asia where a majority held a positive view, with 55% optimism.
Indonesia’s 62% optimism rate places it significantly above the global average of 41%. The country is among the few able to maintain majority support for its national direction, as 23 of the 30 countries surveyed had a majority of respondents feeling their nation was on the wrong track. Visual Capitalist noted that Indonesia’s status as one of the world’s largest emerging markets may help underpin this confidence. However, the survey measures general perception of the country’s direction and does not specifically gauge satisfaction with the government or assess economic conditions alone.
Beyond the top seven, optimism drops sharply. Chile follows with 48%, Colombia with 46%, and Canada with 45%. Japan recorded an optimism level of 41%, exactly the global average, despite other Asian nations dominating the top spots. The United States fell slightly below the global average at 40%. European countries dominated the lower rankings, with the Netherlands at 32%, Sweden, Spain, and Italy at 31%, and Belgium at 30%. Germany and Hungary both recorded 23%, while the United Kingdom saw just 21% optimism. Peru was the second-least optimistic country at 15%, while France ranked last with only 10% of respondents feeling their country was on the right path.