International Institute of Social Values

How values, trust and expectations are changing

We follow the major international studies on what people believe, whom they trust and what they expect from the future, with a particular eye on young people. Our research digest condenses each one into a few minutes of reading and links straight to the original.

Browse the digest Our current study

About IISV

IISV is an independent research initiative on the sociology of values: how people understand fairness, freedom, family, faith and belonging, and how those ideas shift between generations and across countries.

Our main focus is young people. Students and young workers meet questions about jobs, housing, trust and the future first, and their views are an early signal of where societies are heading.

The research digest below summarises studies carried out by other organisations. IISV is not the author of these studies; every summary names the organisation that conducted the research and links to the original publication, where full methods and data can be found.

Research digest

Summaries are written by IISV in plain language. Figures are as reported by the original authors; follow the link under each study for the full report and methodology.

2025EdelmanTrust Barometer: Trust and the Crisis of Grievance

Trust & institutionsYoung people

A widespread sense of grievance, and a youth minority open to hostile tactics

Edelman's annual barometer surveyed more than 33,000 people in 28 countries in October–November 2024. Its central finding is that most people feel institutions serve narrow interests at their expense. Among those aged 18 to 34, more than half said they approve of at least one form of hostile activism, such as online attacks, deliberate disinformation or threats, as a way to drive change. Trust is markedly higher among high-income than low-income respondents.

61%report a moderate or high sense of grievance

>50%of 18–34s approve of at least one form of hostile activism

48% vs 61%average trust in institutions, low- vs high-income respondents

Method: online survey, 28 countriesRead the original

2025Reuters Institute, University of OxfordDigital News Report 2025

News & mediaYoung people

Social video is now the main route to news for the young

The Reuters Institute's annual report surveyed almost 100,000 people in 48 markets. Overall trust in news is low, and a large share of people sometimes avoid news altogether. The shift towards social and video platforms is most pronounced among under-25s, who are also the earliest adopters of AI chatbots as a news source. Online influencers and personalities are named as a leading misinformation risk.

44%of 18–24s use social media or video networks as their main news source

40%trust most news most of the time

15%of under-25s use AI chatbots for news each week (7% overall)

Method: online panel by YouGov, 48 marketsRead the original (PDF)

2025DeloitteGen Z and Millennial Survey

Young peopleWellbeing & economy

Cost of living tops young people's worries

Deloitte's 14th annual survey of more than 23,000 respondents in 44 countries finds money worries dominating the outlook of younger generations. Around half say they live paycheck to paycheck, many doubt they will retire comfortably, and a sizeable share has left a job that lacked a sense of purpose. Roughly one in three Gen Z respondents reports feeling anxious or stressed most of the time.

37% / 47%of Gen Z / millennials name cost of living as their top societal concern

52%of both generations live paycheck to paycheck

44%of Gen Z have left a job because it lacked purpose

Method: online survey, 44 countriesRead the original

2025Gallup World PollRecord numbers of younger women want to leave the US

MigrationYoung people

Desire to emigrate has quadrupled among young American women

Gallup's World Poll asks people in each country whether they would move abroad permanently if they could. Among US women aged 15 to 44 the share has risen steeply since 2016, peaking in 2024 and staying near that level in 2025, while young men's responses changed far less. The resulting gender gap is the widest Gallup has recorded on this measure, and US young women now stand well above their peers across OECD countries.

40%of US women aged 15–44 would move abroad permanently (2025)

10%the same figure in 2014

19%of US men aged 15–44 in 2025

Method: Gallup World Poll, annual national samplesRead the original

2025IpsosLGBT+ Pride Survey 2025

Social attitudesYoung people

Most people still back anti-discrimination protections, but support is slipping

Ipsos surveyed 19,028 adults online in 26 countries in spring 2025. Majorities in every country support protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination at work and in housing, yet support on several issues has drifted down since 2021. The survey also records a widening gender split within Generation Z, with young women far more supportive than young men of companies and employers actively promoting LGBT+ equality.

72%support protecting LGB people from discrimination (down 5 points since 2021)

69%support same-sex marriage or legal recognition (74% in 2021)

53% vs 29%Gen Z women vs men supporting employer LGBT+ programmes

Method: Ipsos Global Advisor online panel, 26 countriesRead the original

2025Pew Research CenterDissatisfaction with democracy remains widespread

Trust & institutions

Most people are unhappy with how their democracy works

Pew's spring 2025 surveys in 23 countries show more people dissatisfied than satisfied with the way democracy is working in their country. The mood is gloomiest in the 12 high-income democracies Pew has tracked since 2017, where satisfaction briefly recovered during the pandemic before falling again. Views of democracy tend to move with views of the economy: several countries are upbeat about both, others downbeat about both.

58%median dissatisfied across 23 countries (42% satisfied)

64%median dissatisfied in 12 high-income democracies, up from 49% in 2017

75% vs 19%satisfied in Sweden vs Greece, the two extremes

Method: national surveys, January–April 2025Read the original

2025Pew Research CenterHow the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020

Values & religion

The religiously unaffiliated were among the fastest-growing groups of the decade

Drawing on censuses and surveys worldwide, Pew estimates how the world's religious composition shifted over ten years. The number of people with no religious affiliation grew faster than the religiously affiliated population as a whole, outpaced only by Muslims. The rise was steepest in North America and Latin America, largely as people raised Christian ceased to identify with a religion.

1.9 bnreligiously unaffiliated in 2020, up 17% from 1.6 billion

24%of the world's population, up from 23%

30%share in North America, up 13 points

Method: demographic analysis of censuses and surveysRead the original

2024OECDSurvey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions

Trust & institutions

Trust in national governments is low, and unevenly spread

The OECD's second round of its trust survey covered 30 member countries, with fieldwork in late 2023. It finds that people who distrust their national government now outnumber those who trust it. The survey also examines what drives trust, such as whether people feel they have a say in what government does and whether public services are seen as reliable and fair.

39%have high or moderately high trust in their national government

44%have low or no trust in it

≈60,000respondents across 30 OECD countries

Method: national samples representative of adultsRead the original OECD press release

2024World Happiness ReportGallup, Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, UN SDSN

Young peopleWellbeing & economy

The young are still happier than the old, but the gap is closing

This edition ranked countries separately by age group. Globally, 15–24 year olds report higher life satisfaction than older adults, but the advantage is shrinking in Europe and has reversed in North America. Since 2019, youth wellbeing has fallen in North America, Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and South Asia, while rising elsewhere. Lithuania tops the ranking for under-30s.

#1Lithuania for under-30s; Finland overall, for the seventh year

#23the US, out of the top 20 for the first time, driven by lower youth wellbeing

+69places gained by Serbia since 2013, the largest rise

Method: Gallup World Poll life evaluationsRead the original (PDF)

2024European Parliament / EurobarometerYouth Survey 2024 (Flash Eurobarometer)

Young peopleTrust & institutions

Young Europeans put prices and climate first, and get their news from social media

The European Parliament surveyed more than 18,000 people aged 16 to 30 in all 27 member states. Rising prices lead their list of priorities for the EU, ahead of climate and jobs. Participation takes many forms beyond voting, from petitions to volunteering and political consumerism, and social media has overtaken television as the leading source of information on political and social issues.

40%name rising prices and cost of living as a top EU priority

42% vs 39%get political news from social media vs television

26%have created or signed a petition

Method: Flash Eurobarometer, carried out by IpsosRead the original

2024WHO Europe / HBSCHealth Behaviour in School-aged Children: teens, screens and mental health

Young peopleNews & media

Problematic social media use among teenagers is rising

The HBSC study surveyed almost 280,000 11, 13 and 15 year olds in 44 countries and regions across Europe, Central Asia and Canada. The share showing signs of problematic, addiction-like social media use rose markedly between 2018 and 2022 and is higher among girls. A similar share of adolescents, mostly boys, is at risk of problematic gaming.

11%show problematic social media use, up from 7% in 2018

13% vs 9%girls vs boys

36%are in near-constant online contact with friends

Method: school-based survey, 44 countries and regionsRead the original

2024International Labour OrganizationGlobal Employment Trends for Youth 2024

Young peopleEducation & work

Youth unemployment at a 15-year low, but one in five young people is left out

The ILO reports that the global youth unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years. That headline hides a large group of young people who are neither working nor studying, two-thirds of them young women. More than half of young workers are in informal jobs, and in low-income countries secure, regular employment remains the exception.

13%global youth unemployment rate in 2023 (64.9 million people)

20.4%of 15–24s not in employment, education or training

28.1% vs 13.1%NEET rate, young women vs young men

Method: ILO global estimatesRead the original

2023World Values Survey AssociationWVS Wave 7 (2017–2022) and the Inglehart–Welzel cultural map

Values & religion

A slow, uneven drift towards secular and self-expression values

The seventh wave of the World Values Survey, run jointly with the European Values Study, covers 111 countries and societies. Placed on the updated cultural map, societies differ along two axes: traditional versus secular-rational values, and survival versus self-expression values. According to the project's coordinators, the overall direction is towards more emancipatory values, with wealthier, longer-living and better-educated populations moving furthest, while large cultural differences between regions persist.

111countries and societies on the 2023 cultural map

2dimensions: traditional–secular, survival–self-expression

1981–the survey's time series, now in its seventh wave

Method: face-to-face and mixed-mode national samplesRead the original

2023Open Society FoundationsOpen Society Barometer: Can Democracy Deliver?

Trust & institutionsYoung people

Democracy is still preferred, but the young are less sure it delivers

Fielded in 30 countries between May and July 2023, the barometer finds broad support overall for living in a democracy. Yet younger respondents are noticeably more open than older ones to alternatives: a strong leader who bypasses parliament and elections, or even military rule. The authors read this as doubt about whether democratic institutions can deliver on young people's priorities rather than a rejection of democracy as an ideal.

86%would prefer to live in a democratic state

35% vs 26%of 18–35s vs over-55s back a strong leader who bypasses elections

42% vs 20%young vs over-55s who call military rule a good way to govern

Method: online panels and local vendors, 30 countriesRead the original

2023ASDA'A BCWArab Youth Survey, 15th edition

Young peopleTrust & institutions

Fewer young Arabs feel their leaders are listening

The 15th annual survey interviewed 3,600 people aged 18 to 24 face to face in 18 Arab states. The share who believe their voice matters to their country's leadership fell sharply in one year, with a stark regional split: young people in the Gulf states are far more confident than their peers in North Africa and the Levant. Rising living costs top the list of concerns, ahead of unemployment and corruption.

46%feel their voice matters to their leaders, down from 67% in 2022

78% vs 32%say the same in the Gulf vs the Levant

89%are concerned about rising living costs

Method: face-to-face interviews, 18 countriesRead a summary (Communicate)Arab News

2023Meta & GallupGlobal State of Social Connections

Young peopleWellbeing & economy

Loneliness peaks in young adulthood, not old age

Gallup asked people in 142 countries and areas how lonely they feel. Almost a quarter of adults worldwide report feeling very or fairly lonely. Contrary to the common image of loneliness as a problem of old age, young adults in their twenties report the highest levels of any age group, and those over 65 the lowest.

24%of people worldwide feel very or fairly lonely

27%among 19–29 year olds

17%among those aged 65 and over

Method: Gallup World Poll, 142 countries and areasRead the original

2023OECDPISA 2022 Results

Young peopleEducation & work

An unprecedented fall in 15-year-olds' maths and reading

The eighth round of PISA tested 15 year olds in 81 countries and economies, and was the first large-scale assessment with data on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected students. Maths performance dropped by a margin never seen before in the programme's history, and reading also declined, while science held roughly steady. The OECD stresses that the decline can only partly be attributed to the pandemic.

−15points in average maths score since 2018, about three-quarters of a year of learning

81participating countries and economies

#1Singapore, roughly three to five years of schooling ahead of peers

Method: standardised tests of 15 year oldsRead the original Al Jazeera summary

2021UNICEF & GallupThe Changing Childhood Project

Young peopleWellbeing & economy

The young are more optimistic than their elders, except in rich countries

This multi-generational survey compared young people with older adults in 21 countries. Young respondents were far more likely to believe the world is getting better. Their economic outlook, however, depends sharply on where they live: in high-income countries most young people expect today's children to end up worse off than their parents, while in lower-income countries most expect them to do better.

57% vs 39%young vs older people who say the world is getting better

31%of young people in high-income countries expect children to be better off

69%say the same in low and lower-middle income countries

Method: Gallup surveys, 21 countriesRead a summary (World Economic Forum)

2021Hickman et al., University of BathClimate anxiety in children and young people (The Lancet Planetary Health)

Young peopleWellbeing & economy

Climate worry is widespread and tied to distrust of governments

This study surveyed 10,000 people aged 16 to 25 in ten countries spanning both rich and poor nations. A majority are seriously worried about climate change, and for almost half that worry affects daily life. Distress was linked to a sense that governments are failing to respond to the crisis.

59%are very or extremely worried about climate change

45%say climate feelings affect their daily life and functioning

65%think governments are failing young people

Method: survey of 10,000 respondents, 10 countriesRead the original

2018Pew Research CenterThe Age Gap in Religion Around the World

Values & religionYoung people

Younger adults are less religious in many countries, especially in Europe and the US

Drawing on surveys in more than 100 countries, Pew compared adults under 40 with older adults on several measures of religiosity. In 46 countries the younger group is less likely to say religion is very important to them; in 58 there is no significant difference, and in only two is the pattern reversed. The gap is widest in parts of Europe, North America and Latin America and almost absent in sub-Saharan Africa.

46countries where under-40s are less likely to call religion very important

51% vs 57%global average, under-40s vs 40 and older

16% vs 40%Poland, one of the largest gaps recorded

Method: Pew surveys in 100+ countriesRead the original

Reading the data

Different methods, different numbers

Online panels, telephone polls and face-to-face interviews reach different people. A figure from an online survey in a country with limited internet access describes the connected population, not everyone.

Averages hide countries

Multi-country averages are useful for trends but can mask large national differences. Each original report includes country-level results, and they often tell a different story.

Wording matters

"Trust", "religiosity" or "young people" are defined differently from study to study. Compare figures across studies only after checking how each question was asked and which ages were included.

In preparation

Students and studenthood

Our own study is a survey of university students on the issues that matter most to them, the groups they identify with, the values they consider important and how they see public life and their own future.

The questionnaire covers:

Personal priorities: jobs, income, housing, cost of living
Belonging, values and religious practice
Civic involvement and youth subcultures
Attitudes to public institutions and current affairs
Media habits, bloggers and platforms

Participation is anonymous and voluntary. Results will be published here in aggregated form only.

Contact

Questions about the digest, suggestions for studies to include, or corrections: write to us and we will reply.

feedback@IISV.com