A decade after the global financial crisis of 2008, public sentiment about the economy has rebounded, especially in some of the hardest-hit advanced economies, according to a new Pew Research Center report with data from 27 countries.

The change in the public’s economic mood has been dramatic in some nations. In 2018, nearly eight-in-ten Germans (78%) say economic conditions in their country are good, up 50 percentage points from 2009. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) are similarly upbeat about their economy, with their assessment up 48 points. And the economic mood has improved 40 points in Poland, 35 points in the United Kingdom, 34 points in Japan and 24 points in Kenya since the depths of the Great Recession.

More positive public feelings about the current economy have not erased concern about the future, however. In 18 of the 27 nations surveyed, including 80% in France, 76% in Japan and 72% in Spain, half or more of the public believes that when children today in their country grow up they will be worse off financially than their parents. In previous Pew Research Center surveys, such worries were largely confined to advanced economies, but now people in emerging markets increasingly express concerns about the financial well-being of the next generation.

Economic nostalgia also is widespread. In roughly half the countries surveyed, a plurality to majority of the public says the financial situation of average people today is worse, compared with the pre-crisis era 20 years ago. This includes 87% of Greeks, 75% of Tunisians and 72% of Italians.

These are among the major findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 30,133 respondents in 27 countries from May 14 to Aug. 12, 2018. The nations included in the survey account for roughly two-thirds of the global gross domestic product. The findings are for immediate release and are available at http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/09/18/a-decade-after-the-financial-crisis-economic-confidence-rebounds-in-many-countries.

In addition, the Center has published the dataset for its Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey, which is now available here: http://www.pewglobal.org/dataset/spring-2017-survey-data/ 

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Director of Global Economic Attitudes Bruce Stokes, please contact Stefan Cornibert at 202.419.4372 or scornibert@pewresearch.org. 

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. Subscribe to our daily and weekly email newsletters or follow us on our Fact Tank blog.