Introduction im4u.world launched its Global Survey on April 22, 2021 (Earth Day). The survey asks what people worldwide believe are humanity's most urgent issues. It follows up by asking how those issues affect our lives and communities, the opportunities and constraints to finding resolution, and our willingness to participate in the solution. The im4u.world Global Survey Report 2022 is the first annual report of the results. The report is presented here as a series of Learn-Engage-Empower blog chapters. The series will follow the 15 questions of the survey over two months (July and August). The report represents some summary results of one year of data collection and analysis. We hope you find the results thought-provoking and inspiring. The results will be the basis of engaging in productive discussion to find solutions to some of our most pressing problems facing humanity. We hope this inspires you and your communities of interest to take action and make a meaningful difference in our world. The Learn-Engage-Empower series, What the World Told Us, to date: Part 1 - July 7, 2022 - A Vision and Challenges
Question 1: Imagine you are now living 25 years into the future. What is your vision of the world, then? What do you hope it would be like?
Question 2: What problems do you have in your community today that must be solved before they could be part of your vision of the future?
Question 3: How do those problems in your community affect your life today?
Question 4: What happened that created those problems in your community?
Question 5: What will happen to your community if it cannot, or will not, solve those problems?
Question 6: How much better would the quality of life in your community be if it could solve those problems?
Question 7: Where did you learn about those problems in your community?
Question 8: What are the opportunities available today to solve them?
Question 9: What are the most important questions that must be answered before those problems can be solved?
Question 10: What must change to solve the problems you identified?
Question 11: Who should be working on these solutions?
Part 6 - August 18, 2022 - A Better Life? Who is Responsible?
Question 12: How would your life be better once those problems were solved?
Question 13: What is the role of an individual person in finding solutions?
Question 14: What would prevent you from helping to find solutions in your community?
Did you know? The Global Survey is ongoing, and it is never too late to complete one. Please visit the im4u.world Global Su vey today at https://www.im4u.world/globalsurvey. Every voice matters. 15 simple quest ons. That is all it takes for you to begin making a positive difference in the world!
Question 12: How would your life be better once those problems were solved? (This question references the problems in your local community that you identified in an earlier question. Those problems require resolution before your larger, global vision is realized.)
People responded that if they could resolve their local problems, the top five categories in which they would see improvement are Government & Society, Planet & Environment, Home & Family, Spiritual, and Economic. These categories accounted for almost 80% of the responses.
Government & Society.
Many people referenced less crime, feeling safer, and having less fear.
Improvements in Climate Change topics didn’t rank highly (#8 out of 14). Conditions resulting from Climate Change may be in other categories. For example, wildfire is showing up in the Planet & Environment category. Some people expressed that the Climate Change and Planet & Environment categories should be one. This was not done because Climate Change as a stand-alone topic is garnering so much attention worldwide.
The Planet & Environment category ranked #2, but it is much less than the number of responses received by the Government & Society category (35.58% vs. 20.25%). Cleaner air and water, fewer wildfires, sustainable forests, a healthier environment, and more respect and honor for the environment and wildlife are some of the improvements cited.
Respondents didn’t believe their personal lives would be better if local problems in the Poverty & Wealth (#10) category improved, and no one mentioned any personal life improvements resulting from the resolution of issues in the Education, Equality, and Housing categories.
Perhaps the survey respondents had education, power privileges, and adequate housing that solutions to problems in these categories would not improve their well-being much. One respondent said, “I don’t know if my life would improve but I know that other’s lives would.” Perhaps it is a commentary that people think of themselves more from a self-interest perspective rather than a collective whole.
Some comments made in the Economic category include more income equality, a balanced economy, and more economic opportunities.
Improvements in people’s lives based on issues from the Home & Family and Spiritual categories ranked highly (#3 and #4), which is interesting.
Spiritual topics are related to individual and internal growth. Some of the comments in this category include: there would be more peace, less fear, less stress, less worry, more hope, a feeling of safety, more happiness, more security, calmer people, a kinder, gentler world, better attitude, more support and love, productive life for everyone, harmony, a deep change in attitude, something bigger than myself, less tension, less anger, hopeful, sense of belonging, fewer people in pain. Some people felt they would feel more included and part of the community. Others put aside self-interest and thought about the generations ahead and the need to make a difference for people living here now and for people in the future.
Sentiment Extracted by Survey: The majority of people felt their lives would be better or much better (71%). 13% felt their lives would be about the same and 12% believed life would be negatively impacted once those problems were solved.
Question 13: What is the role of an individual person in finding solutions?
Most of the topics in the responses to this question are from the Government & Society category (55.12%). It dwarfed the other categories. Many fundamental concepts are about governance, leadership, and politics, and some said individuals are powerless to address systemic changes. Many stressed the importance of voting as a means to send a signal for change.
The #2 rated category is Spiritual. This category acknowledges the individual’s role to change themselves, their attitudes, perceptions, outlooks, and actions. There is a lot of discussion on willingness, asking if people are willing to think, feel or do something different, and a desire to think collectively. Responsibility is another dimension raised in the responses. Still, another is about getting into action. Yet another, is the idea that each of us needs to play to our strengths, that each of us has different skills and interests to contribute.
The #3 rated category is Planet & Environment. Consuming less, being more self-aware of our individual actions and impacts on the environment, our use of energy, and its effects on climate change, and a greater need for collective action was cited. The idea we have hit a tipping point and individual action may no longer be enough were interesting.
The Home and Family category came as #4 and this is the first time we see it rise up the scale in importance. The role of the individual starts with the family. Are we bringing up our children to carry the values that will create the change was a question raised. Another mirrored that question but then continued by asking if we can teach youth to be better problem solvers.
Examples from other categories:
In the Economic category, some saw a link between the broader economic interests and the drive to increase consumer goods spending. The individual could consume less but it would have negative repercussions for the economy. Can we make that shift?
In the Poverty and Wealth category, some people saw a role for social services to play that could get disenfranchised people to participate in finding solutions.
Question 14: What would prevent you from helping to find solutions in your community?
The top five categories of topics that prevent people from participating in finding a solution:
Government & Society. Reasons cited include inability, unwillingness, or lack of understanding or knowledge to work with government, leaders, or community groups. Also mentioned are cultural and language barriers.
Spiritual. Values representing the antithesis of positive internal growth that cause us to resist, procrastinate, paralyze, refuse, fear, and be angry prevent some respondents from participating in a solution.
Health. Real-time health issues from chronic illness, aging, and perceived health threats will prevent some people from participating.
Economic. The demands of employment and day-to-day survival affect people’s capacity to participate.
Planet & Environment. People cited their interest and ability to meaningfully participate as reasons that prevented their involvement in finding solutions.
Many responded that ‘Nothing’ would prevent them from helping them find solutions in their communities.
Examples from other categories:
Home & Family. Time constraints because of the demands of raising children.
Next week we examine the final question of The Global Survey, question 15, What is the likelihood that humanity can resolve this problem?
Important Caveat
The Global Survey is not a statistical survey, meaning that the method by which it was designed and administered yielded statistically significant results. The results are not a statistical representation of the world's population. Anyone was welcome to answer the survey. More importantly, the survey results will define the topics and framework starting the next phase of im4u. world's development, Engagement. Subscribe to im4u.world for updates and an invitation to join global conversations. There is no cost and no obligation. Visit: https://www.im4u.world/join-subscribe-contact
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