Global research shows recession depression slowly fading

KUALA LUMPUR — Leading global market research firm Synovate today released its latest global survey results on the economy, finding that people are slowly becoming more optimistic.

Synovate surveyed more than 17,300 people across 26 markets and found that people are regaining their positive outlook on the economy, becoming more optimistic for themselves and their country’s economy.

While the recession has cut a swathe through economies across the world, it has damaged some more than others - and changed people’s mindsets and habits in some places far more than others.

Synovate’s Global Director of Knowledge Management and Insights, Mike Sherman, said some people remain mired in gloom; some are just seeing an impact from the recession and others are over it... if not in their wallets, certainly in their minds.

"This global survey is useful for seeing overall trends and getting a sense of how people are feeling right now in individual markets. For an overall picture, we compared results from the 17 markets¹* that conducted the same survey in May 2009 and November 2008 and we see growing optimism across the world... or at least the slow abandonment of pessimism"