Statista

A new report sheds light on the level of trust - or in many cases distrust - in governments around the world. According to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, Saudi Arabia came first for government credibility among the public in 2024. Germany is towards the opposite end of the scale, with its government trusted by a mere 35 percent of respondents. This is a drop of 7 percentage points since the same time one year ago. Only Spain and Japan scored lower, at 33 and 32 percentage points, respectively. Of the 38 countries surveyed, Argentina saw the greatest improvements in trust for its government since 2023, rising 21 percentage points to 42 percent. According to the report, fear that leaders are lying reached an all-time high in 2024. Across the 26 nations surveyed, the share of people who worry that government leaders deliberately mislead the public rose by an average of 11 percentage points between 2021 and 2025. By 2025, 69 percent of respondents held this belief. Meanwhile, on average, business remained the most trusted institution in 2024 (62 percent trust), followed by NGOs (58 percent), government (52 percent) and the media (52 percent). More statistics on this topic can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eTBpjWax

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China is currently the world’s largest CO₂ emitter, with 13.1 billion tons. As our racing bars animation shows, that wasn’t always the case. In 1970, China ranked fourth - behind the United States, Russia, and Germany. During the 1990s, China’s emissions rose sharply, largely driven by rapid economic growth. By 2006, China had finally overtaken the United States and has held the top position ever since. The ten countries with the highest CO₂ emissions released a total of 11.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 1970. By 2024, this figure had climbed to roughly 27.4 billion tons - an increase of 140 percent. Today, most of the leading emitters are Asian countries, whereas in 1970, European nations dominated the list. Although China has begun its energy transition, it continues to build new coal-fired power plants and export this technology to other countries. Between 1990 and 2018, India recorded the strongest increase in emissions: the country’s CO₂ output rose by around 330 percent in that period. India remains heavily focused on combating widespread poverty, leaving climate protection lower on the list of priorities. In the United States, the transport sector has recently contributed to higher CO₂ emissions, with planes and trucks showing particular growth over the past few years.

Only 18 countries in the world can be considered truly free when it comes to the internet. What was once envisioned as a space to exchange information and foster community by connecting people around the world has, in some instances, turned into a tool of control and censorship. As our chart shows, most of the world's population has to live with only slightly free internet. According to this year's Freedom on the Net report by Freedom House, 32 of the 72 assessed countries only have partial freedom when it comes to user rights and state control of the internet. China and Myanmar have the questionable honor of coming in joint last place in 2025, scoring only nine of a maximum of 100 points. This development correlates with recent reports of the Chinese government further tightening regulations on online gaming and internet use by minors. Inhabitants of Iceland and Estonia, on the other hand, are given almost completely free reign over their internet experience, with both countries coming in over 90 points. The United States scored 73 points, behind France (76), Germany (74) as well as some more unlikely candidates like Chile (87), Costa Rica (86) and Taiwan (79). Even though some countries were awarded high marks, the report also finds that global internet freedom has declined for the fifteenth year in a row. Of the 72 countries assessed, conditions deteriorated in 27, including in half of the 18 countries ranked as free. The report underlines that governments in the countries that suffered the most extreme declines over the 15 years of global deterioration in internet freedom - Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela - intensified their control over the online environment in response to challenges to their rule. According to Freedom House, of the 5.5 billion people who have access to the internet, 70 percent live in countries where individuals were attacked or killed for their online activities, and 61 percent live in countries where access to social media platforms was temporarily or permanently restricted. The internet freedom ranking by Freedom House is based on three broad categories: obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of users' rights. More statistics on this topic can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gp6kTmDX

EA SPORTS FC, the rebranded successor to the FIFA series, remains one of the most recognised sports franchises, with over half of respondents being familiar with it. Although only 15 percent of respondents played it recently, it has strong brand loyalty, with 68 percent saying they would buy it again, which underlines its continued relevance in the gaming market. More consumer insights can be found here: https://lnkd.in/dY89cVcm

Meet the AI Avoider, a consumer which watches the AI hype with suspicion and is often unimpressed or uneasy about what progress in tech brings. Delving into our new whitepaper, Consumer Trends 2026: Decoding AI Consumers, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of four key personas, revealing surprising trends in how individuals interact with technology at every stage of the buying experience. Get your free copy here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eXcUeZjE

Statista’s Consumer Insights survey has been tracking which issues adults in the United States consider to be the most important in the country right now, and how they have shifted over time. The following chart provides just a snapshot of these, listing the eight most cited concerns out of a possible 20 options, in the most recent survey wave as well as in the survey wave at the start of the pandemic. Where health and social security came first in the earlier iteration, likely in reference to Covid, it had dropped by six percentage points by 2024/25. In the meantime, inflation and the cost of living has risen from third position to first position (+12 p.p). Other notable changes include a drop in the share of people citing immigration in the latest wave and a slight increase in the share of people picking crime. Six of the eight most recent most pressing issues are social, with the sole environmental topic of climate change having dropped off the list, coming in 11th position with 26 percent of respondents picking it, following education with 32 percent and food and water security with 28 percent. As this chart shows, poverty and housing are now on the minds of more U.S. adults, at least more imminently, than before. Where poverty had previously tied in 9th position with education in 2019/20 with a 32 percent share of respondents picking it as one the most important issues facing the country right now, the share rose to 35 percent in the latest survey wave. Similarly, where housing had been in rank 11 with 22 percent, it has now risen to position four, with 39 percent of respondents selecting the option. More statistics on this topic can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eg5d_rvA

How is AI transforming the way people shop in the U.S., UK, and Germany?  After surveying 12,000+ consumers, we uncovered four key personas that reveal surprising trends in how individuals interact with technology at every stage of the buying experience. Our latest whitepaper brings these insights together. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e27HC8jp #AIConsumerTrends2026

Originated at Nanjing University in China in the 1990s as a celebration for single people, Singles' Day has evolved into the world’s largest online shopping festival. After having been adopted by Alibaba 2009, other Chinese e-commerce later joined the trend before it eventually jumped overseas as well. Despite there being no shortage of online shopping holidays, more and more U.S. retailers also began Singles' Day discounts, although the day's timing just week's before Black Friday and Cyber Monday has probably limited its impact in the U.S. Over the past two decades, online shopping has evolved from novelty to norm, with many Americans routinely ordering stuff online that they used to purchase in brick-and-mortar stores. These days, nearly everything can be bought online, with clothing, shoes and groceries the most popular categories, according to Statista Consumer Insights. Statista found that 93 percent of U.S. adults purchased something online in the past 12 months, with two online retailers their clear go-to shopping destinations: Amazon and Walmart. Nearly three out of four U.S. consumers (73 percent) reported making a purchase on Amazon in the past year, while more than half (51 percent) bought from Walmart online. Behind the two leaders, the market is more fragmented: Target, Temu and eBay all trail at half of Walmart’s reach, while Apple, Best Buy and SHEIN complete the top 8. Chinese Temu and SHEIN quickly captured significant market share in recent years, as they served American customers directly from China with prices that U.S. retailers struggled to compete with. Tariffs on Chinese imports and specifically the end of the de minimis exception for packages valued under $800 have forced Temu to abandon shipping directly from China, though, adding another layer of costs, which could be passed on to U.S. customers. It remains to be seen if and how the platform can manage to keep prices down while shipping from warehouses located in the United States.

More than 17,000 U.S. veterans across all industries shared their insights to reveal which employers truly deliver on their commitment to those who’ve served. Discover the 150 companies that stand out for creating meaningful careers and strong support systems for veterans. Explore the full America’s Best Employers for Veterans 2025 ranking. More information can be found here: https://lnkd.in/d9qFhf7 Salesforce Google Fidelity Investments Delta Air Lines Microsoft