Across three questions covering hope, economic prosperity and peace, Ireland underperformed the global average, with the results 'pointing to a consistent pattern of lower confidence and more cautious sentiment in Ireland compared with respondents worldwide,' the poll suggests. The survey of 60 countries, conducted by Red C and Gallup International, suggests that when asked about the world’s prospects for 2026 when compared with 2025, Ireland consistently features among the 10 most pessimistic countries. Across three questions covering hope, economic prosperity and peace, Ireland underperformed the global average, with the results “pointing to a consistent pattern of lower confidence and more cautious sentiment in Ireland compared with respondents worldwide,” the research suggests. Looking across hope, economic expectations and views on global peace, countries tended to “cluster into distinct global mood groups,” the researchers said. As part of the research pollsters interviewed 59,636 adults aged 18 and older across 60 countries worldwide, with Red C interviewing a random sample of 1,006 adults aged 18 and older online between December 10th and 16th.

Source: The Irish Times January 01, 2026 19:57 UTC