Culture wars around the world: how countries perceive divisions For more information, contact: Bobby Duffy bobby.duffy@kcl.ac.uk Gideon Skinner gideon.skinner@ipsos.com Political correctness When asked to rate their feelings about political correctness on a scale, the British public emerge as joint-most likely of 28 nationalities surveyed to say that people are too easily offended. Only those in Australia and the US feel as strongly that people take offence too readily – although other nations, such as Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands are not far behind. At the other end of the spectrum, people in India, Turkey and China are most likely to feel that people need to change the way they talk to be more sensitive to those from different backgrounds. On balance, most countries tend towards thinking that we need to change the way people talk. 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 Some people think that the way people talk needs to be more sensitive to people from different backgrounds. Others think that many people are just too easily offended. Where would you place yourself on this scale? 0 – people are too easily offended, 7 – need to change the way people talk Global country average GGrreeaatt BBrriittaaiinn Australia United States Sweden Netherlands Canada Belgium South Korea France Hungary Poland Spain South Africa Argentina Mexico Singapore Germany Italy Chile Brazil Peru Russia Malaysia Saudi Arabia Japan Turkey India China 0–3 31% 51% 50% 49% 47% 45% 45% 42% 40% 39% 36% 33% 31% 29% 29% 27% 27% 27% 25% 24% 23% 23% 23% 22% 21% 21% 16% 15% 12% 4–7 60% 43% 46% 45% 43% 49% 48% 52% 57% 48% 58% 62% 63% 66% 60% 67% 67% 59% 67% 70% 70% 70% 69% 71% 61% 58% 76% 76% 72% 3 Culture war divisions People in South Africa (58%), India (57%) and the US (57%) are most likely to feel that their country is divided by culture wars, with a significant gap in opinion between them and people in Brazil (47%), who are next most likely to think their nation is divided in this way. 32% of Britons believe culture war divisions are a problem in their country, placing them in the bottom half of nations surveyed and in line with the global country average (35%) for perceptions of such tensions. But Britain still comes higher than some similar countries surveyed – for example, 19% of people in Germany think they have such divisions and 21% of those in the Netherlands feel the same. In most countries, relatively few actively disagree with the statement. Instead the level of don’t knows is often notable, suggesting this is not a familiar concept to many. Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 From what you see on TV, in the news media and online, and in your conversations with others, to what extent do you agree or disagree that [country] is divided by “culture wars”? % who agree Global country average South Africa India United States Brazil Belgium Turkey Poland South Korea Malaysia Italy France Argentina Chile Peru Australia Hungary Great Britain China Canada Sweden Singapore Mexico Spain Saudi Arabia Netherlands Germany Russia Japan 35% 58% 57% 57% 47% 46% 45% 44% 41% 40% 39% 38% 38% 37% 37% 34% 33% 32% 29% 28% 28% 28% 26% 24% 21% 21% 19% 18% 9% 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 5 Tensions between different groups in society On average across the 28 countries surveyed, people perceive most tension to exist between the rich and poor, followed by divisions by politics, social class, immigration, and between those with different values. There is relatively less tension (but still mentioned by nearly half) seen between cities and those outside cities, between old and young, men and women, or by levels of education. How much tension, if any, would you say there is between […] in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Rich and poor People who support different political parties Different social classes Immigrants and people born in [country] Those with more socially liberal, progressive ideas and those with more traditional values Different ethnicities The metropolitan elite and ordinary working people Different religions Men and women Those with a university education and those without a university education Old and young Those in cities and those outside of cities 74% 69% 67% 66% 65% 62% 62% 57% 48% 47% 46% 42% Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 7 People’s views of tensions between different groups in Britain are largely in line with the global country average of perceived tensions in other countries surveyed. But Britons are notably less likely to think there are tensions between those with a university education and those without one (36% vs 47%), and somewhat more likely to feel there are tensions between different ethnicities (70% vs 62%) and between immigrants and people born in Britain (72% vs 66%). Across virtually all groups asked about, the US comes out worse than Britain for perceived tensions between them. For example, 90% of people in the US think there is a great deal or fair amount of tension between people who support different political parties – compared with 70% who say the same in Britain. There is a similar divide in views when it comes to perceived tensions between those who have more socially liberal values and those with more traditionalist values (85% vs 67%). Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between […] in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Rich and poor People who support different political parties Different social classes Immigrants and people born in [country] Those with more socially liberal, progressive ideas and those with more traditional values Different ethnicities The metropolitan elite and ordinary working people Different religions Men and women Those with a university education and those without a university education Old and young Those in cities and those outside of cities US GB 74% 81% 72% 69% 90% 70% 67% 76% 66% 66% 78% 72% 65% 85% 67% 62% 83% 70% 62% 73% 64% 57% 63% 62% 48% 53% 36% 47% 50% 36% 46% 54% 43% 42% 46% 40% 23,004 adults, including 1,000 in Britain and 1,000 in the US, interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 8 The US comes top for perceived tension between different ethnicities, with 83% believing there is a great deal or fair amount. South Africa, where 79% feel this way, comes second. 70% of the British population think significant tensions exist between people from different ethnic groups, in line with other western nations, such as France (70%), the Netherlands (70%), Italy (72%) and Sweden (72%). People in Japan (26%) and China (31%) are least likely to perceive such tensions. How much tension, if any, would you say there is between different ethnicities in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average United States South Africa Chile Brazil Belgium Sweden Italy Netherlands Great Britain France South Korea Hungary Australia Peru India Spain Canada Malaysia Germany Turkey Mexico Singapore Poland Russia Saudi Arabia Argentina China Japan 31% 26% 50% 49% 44% 44% 62% 83% 79% 75% 73% 73% 72% 72% 70% 70% 70% 67% 67% 66% 66% 66% 65% 64% 61% 61% 59% 58% 58% Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 9 67% of people in Britain think there is at least a fair amount of tension between those with more socially liberal, progressive ideas and those with more traditional values in the country. Among western European nations, Spain (77%) has the highest perceptions of tension between these two groups. South Korea (87%), Chile (86%) and the US (85%) come top overall for such perceived tensions. Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between those with more socially liberal, progressive ideas and those with more traditional values in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea Chile United States Argentina Spain Brazil Peru Mexico Poland South Africa Turkey Hungary India Great Britain Italy Singapore Malaysia Canada Australia Belgium Netherlands Russia Germany Saudi Arabia France Sweden China Japan 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 38% 34% 65% 87% 86% 85% 80% 77% 76% 74% 74% 72% 72% 71% 70% 69% 67% 66% 65% 65% 61% 60% 58% 56% 55% 55% 52% 52% 51% 10 Chile (84%) and Russia (82%) are ranked top for perceived tensions between the metropolitan elite and ordinary working people. The British public’s views of tensions between these groups are in line with the global average (64% vs 62%), while among the western European nations surveyed, people in Germany are least likely of think these tensions are particularly significant (45%). Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between the metropolitan elite and ordinary working people in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Chile Russia South Korea Hungary United States Peru Argentina Brazil Turkey Mexico South Africa India Great Britain Malaysia Singapore Italy France Sweden Belgium Spain Poland Canada Australia Netherlands Germany Saudi Arabia Japan China 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 62% 84% 82% 78% 76% 73% 73% 70% 69% 69% 69% 68% 65% 64% 63% 61% 61% 60% 60% 59% 59% 57% 56% 55% 49% 45% 40% 39% 37% 11 36% of Britons say there is tension between men and women in the country – among the lowest of the nations surveyed and much lower than the US, where 53% of Americans think such tensions exist. The Netherlands and Russia do best on this measure, with around a quarter of those in each nation believing there is tension across the gender divide. Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between men and women in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea South Africa Mexico Brazil India Chile Turkey China Peru Argentina Australia United States Spain Italy Malaysia Singapore Saudi Arabia France Belgium Sweden Poland Canada Great Britain Germany Japan Hungary Russia Netherlands 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 48% 80% 71% 69% 68% 65% 63% 63% 63% 62% 58% 58% 53% 50% 49% 47% 44% 41% 40% 39% 38% 37% 37% 36% 35% 33% 31% 27% 25% 12 By global standards, relatively few people in Britain feel there is a notable amount of tension in their country between people who went to university and people who didn’t – 36% think there is, compared with 70% who say the same in South Korea. And these perceived tensions in Britain are in line with similar European countries, such as France (35%) and Spain (34%). Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between those with a university education and those without a university education in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea Peru Brazil Singapore India Chile Mexico South Africa Malaysia Turkey United States Argentina Italy China Saudi Arabia Belgium Hungary Poland Great Britain France Sweden Spain Canada Germany Japan Australia Russia Netherlands 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 47% 70% 66% 63% 62% 62% 61% 61% 61% 59% 54% 50% 50% 47% 46% 43% 42% 41% 41% 36% 35% 34% 34% 33% 33% 33% 31% 30% 27% 13 Britain is in line with the global country average for perceived tensions between people who support different political parties (70% vs 69%). People in South Korea (91%), the US (90%), Hungary (88%) and Argentina (87%) are most likely to feel there is significant political tension in their country. Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between people who support different political parties in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea United States Hungary Argentina Chile Turkey South Africa Poland Brazil Mexico Peru Spain Malaysia India Italy Great Britain Singapore France Canada Belgium Germany Sweden Netherlands Australia Russia Saudi Arabia China Japan 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 40% 38% 31% 69% 91% 90% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 84% 83% 82% 82% 81% 77% 73% 72% 70% 65% 61% 59% 57% 57% 55% 54% 53% 50% 14 South Africa stands out for perceived tension between immigrants and those born in the country, with 89% thinking there is at least a fair amount of unease. Britain is above the global country average on this measure (72% vs 66%), although perceptions of tensions around immigration are similar to other European nations, including Germany (74%) and France (75%). Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between immigrants and people born in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Africa Belgium Peru Italy Chile United States Singapore Sweden France Germany Turkey Netherlands Great Britain Malaysia South Korea Spain Hungary Canada India Mexico Australia Russia Poland Brazil Saudi Arabia Argentina Japan China 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 66% 89% 81% 80% 79% 78% 78% 78% 76% 75% 74% 73% 73% 72% 70% 67% 65% 65% 63% 62% 61% 61% 60% 53% 51% 49% 49% 35% 35% 15 Chile (91%) and South Korea (91%) come top for perceived divisions between rich and poor. European countries fare comparatively better, with Italy ranked highest among this group, with 77% believing there is at least a fair amount of tension between rich and poor. 72% of Britons feel this way, placing it in the bottom half of countries surveyed for perceptions of tension between these two groups of people. How much tension, if any, would you say there is between rich and poor [in country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Chile South Korea Hungary Russia Argentina Mexico Peru South Africa United States Turkey Brazil Italy Belgium India Singapore France Great Britain Germany Canada Spain Malaysia Australia Poland Sweden Netherlands China Japan Saudi Arabia 74% 91% 91% 86% 85% 85% 84% 84% 82% 81% 80% 79% 77% 76% 75% 75% 74% 72% 71% 69% 69% 68% 68% 67% 60% 57% 55% 54% 50% Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 16 People in Chile (88%) and South Korea (87%) are also most likely to think there is tension between different social classes in their country. Again, Britain is ranked in the bottom half of countries surveyed for perceptions of this kind of tension (66%). How much tension, if any, would you say there is between different social classes in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Chile South Korea Argentina Peru Mexico Brazil Hungary United States Russia South Africa Turkey Italy India Singapore France Belgium Spain Great Britain Malaysia Germany Sweden Canada Poland Australia Netherlands Japan China Saudi Arabia 44% 43% 41% 67% 88% 87% 85% 81% 80% 77% 76% 76% 76% 74% 72% 69% 69% 69% 68% 67% 66% 66% 64% 63% 61% 59% 59% 57% 51% Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 17 80% of people in South Korea think there is a great deal or fair amount of tension between old and young people in their country – far above India, where perceptions of generational tensions are second-worst, on 61%. People in Sweden (29%) and France (31%) are least likely to perceive such tensions, while Britain comes in the bottom of half of nations surveyed (43%). How much tension, if any, would you say there is between old and young in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea India Singapore Peru United States Brazil South Africa Mexico Hungary Italy Chile Malaysia Turkey Argentina Poland Australia Great Britain Japan Germany China Belgium Spain Canada Saudi Arabia Russia Netherlands France Sweden 46% 80% 61% 58% 55% 54% 53% 53% 53% 52% 49% 49% 48% 47% 45% 44% 43% 43% 42% 42% 42% 41% 40% 38% 37% 36% 34% 31% 29% Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 18 People in South Korea (78%) and India (75%) are most likely to say there is at least a fair amount of tension between different religions in their country. The proportion of the British public who feel the same (62%) is the same as in the US (63%), and in line with the global country average (57%). Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between different religions in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average South Korea India Brazil Belgium France Mexico South Africa Sweden Netherlands United States Malaysia Italy GGrreeaattBBrrititaainin Germany Australia Turkey Poland Spain Peru Canada Chile Singapore Russia Argentina Saudi Arabia Hungary China Japan 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 57% 78% 75% 73% 73% 72% 66% 66% 64% 64% 63% 63% 62% 62% 61% 60% 58% 57% 56% 55% 53% 52% 48% 45% 45% 37% 37% 35% 23% 19 Tensions between people living in and outside of cities are seen to be the worst in Peru, where 66% there is at least a fair amount of unease between these two groups. This is more than twice the proportion of people in Germany (25%), at the other end of the spectrum, who feel the same. Culture wars in the UK | June 2021 How much tension, if any, would you say there is between those in cities and those outside of cities in [country] today? % who say a great deal or fair amount Global country average Peru India South Korea South Africa Malaysia Mexico Chile Argentina Brazil United States Poland Great Britain Hungary Sweden Italy Russia Turkey Australia France Saudi Arabia Canada Japan China Belgium Singapore Netherlands Spain Germany 23,004 adults interviewed online between 23 Dec 2020 and 8 Jan 2021 42% 66% 61% 58% 56% 55% 53% 52% 50% 49% 46% 40% 40% 40% 40% 39% 38% 38% 38% 37% 36% 36% 33% 32% 32% 32% 29% 29% 25% 20 Technical note These are the results of a 28-market survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform. Ipsos interviewed a total of 23,004 adults aged 18-74 in Singapore, 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey, 21-74 in Singapore and 16-74 in 22 other markets between 23 December 2020 and 8 January 2021. The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals in each of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the U.S., and 500 individuals in each of Argentina, Chile, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Turkey. The samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the U.S. can be taken as representative of their general adult population under the age of 75. The samples in Brazil, Chile, mainland China, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Turkey are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these markets should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population. The data is weighted so that each country’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. “The Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the countries where the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country and is not intended to suggest a total result. Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don’t know” or not stated responses. For more information, contact: Bobby Duffy Gideon Skinner bobby.duffy@kcl.ac.uk gideon.skinner@Ipsos.com @bobbyduffykings @gideonskinner @@ppoollicicyyaatktkininggs s @ipsosMORI wkcwl.wac.k.uckl./apco.luicky/-sinssptpit/uptoelicy-institute ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk Rebecca Benson Research Fellow The Policy Institute King’s College London Kirstie Hewlett Research Associate The Policy Institute King’s College London Bobby Duffy Director The Policy Institute King’s College London Glenn Gottfried Research Manager Ipsos MORI Rachel Hesketh Research Associate The Policy Institute King’s College London George Murkin Acting Head of Communications The Policy Institute King’s College London Ben Page Chief Executive Ipsos MORI Gideon Skinner Research Director Ipsos MORI The authors would also like to thank Alexa Dewar, Jack Summers, Sophie Townend and Constance Woollen for their work on various aspects of this study. doi.org/10.18742/pub01-054
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