The Week in Charts

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Voters Bringing the Heat This Midterm?

Line Chart: 50% of Americans say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting in the November 2022 midterm elections.

As election season approaches, Americans' interest in the midterm elections and enthusiasm to participate this November is higher than usual for this early in the year. Republicans hold the edge on both potential indicators of voter turnout in this poll, conducted after the leak of the Supreme Court's majority draft opinion on Dobbs but before the final decision on abortion rights was reached. When asked what would be on their mind when voting, there was above-average focus on the economy being "extremely important" but also record-high focus on abortion, gun policy and climate change — issues that could cut both ways in November.
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2. Hope in Africa

Line Chart: 54% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa aged 15-29 say their standard of living is getting better in 2021.

We've been looking for good news worldwide and found this gem: Like other young people around the world, young adults in sub-Saharan Africa are more likely than older adults to be optimistic about many key aspects of their lives. This includes their hope for their economic situation. Although their optimism took a slight hit in 2021, over half of those aged 15 to 29 describe their current standard of living as getting better. Young adults' optimism for their living standards is highest in Burkina Faso and Senegal.
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3. Confidence in U.S. Institutions Hits a New Low

Line Chart: 27% of Americans say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in major U.S. institutions in 2022.

Our annual measure of public confidence in U.S. institutions finds significant declines in confidence for 11 of the 16 institutions tested. The biggest declines in 2022 are for the presidency (down 15 percentage points) and the Supreme Court (down 11). Congress and television news fare the worst, at the bottom of the list. Small business and the military stand out for earning significantly higher confidence than all other institutions, consistent with prior years.
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4. LGBT Experiences In and Out of the Workplace

Grouped Column Chart: When asked about their workplace, LGBT employees indicate they experience less inclusion than their non-LGBT peers.

We've found that many U.S. workers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have a less-than-fulfilling experience in the workplace. Our latest analysis based on a nationally representative sample of over 15,000 workers highlights critical gaps between LGBT and non-LGBT employees in perceptions of inclusion, including care about employee wellbeing, perceptions of fairness and equity, and confidence in organizations to do the right thing. We also document significant gaps in life evaluation, as well as heightened experiences of depression and anxiety among LGBT workers.
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5. Something Going Right With China?

Line Chart: 19% of Chinese employees are engaged at work.

With much of the world's focus on China often highlighting its challenges, there's one positive story not being told — Chinese employees' engagement at work is moving in the right direction. Despite the massive growth the nation has seen in these past two generations, not much but the very worst is reported on the experiences of those making ends meet. Our trend on employee engagement in China is a rare positive sign for a country facing many headwinds.

And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

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