The improvement in the public’s economic mood has been dramatic in some nations, but pessimism about the future lingers, as does a sense that economic conditions were better pre-crisis.

Regardless of populist sentiments, people in Western Europe tend to favor parties that reflect their own ideological orientation. With regard to policy, too, ideology continues to matter.

Remittance flows decreased worldwide for a second consecutive year in 2016, the first back-to-back decline in over three decades. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, however, rose to a record high.

Americans adopted around 5,370 children from other countries in fiscal year 2016. For the first time, males outnumbered females among adoptees from abroad.

Public debt has increased sharply in many countries in recent years, particularly during and after the Great Recession.

Nearly two-thirds of Mexicans express a negative opinion of the U.S., more than double the share in 2015. Mexicans are dissatisfied with their country’s direction and economy, and many are concerned about crime and corruption.

The European Union ranks as the world’s second-largest economy by gross domestic product, but few people globally see it as an economic leader ahead of China or the United States.

A global median of 54% consider climate change a very serious problem. But there are regional differences on the issues, with the U.S. and China among the least concerned.

People in many countries around the world, particularly in Latin America and Africa, list climate change as a top worry. Americans, Europeans and Middle Easterners, however, most frequently cite ISIS as their top threat.