Supported by Priorities of Progress Understanding citizens voices An Economist Intelligence Unit report commissioned by Nitto Denko1 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2018Priorities of progress: understanding citizens voices About the report 2 Introduction: building inclusive societies 4 Chapter 1: Taking societys pulse 11 Chapter 2: Science, technology and skills of the future 15 Chapter 3: The environment takes centre stage 22 Chapter 4: Ask the public? Participatory budgeting, governing by poll and engaged democracy 25 The road ahead 34 Contents2 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2018Priorities of progress: understanding citizens voices About the report study aims to contribute to the current debate on how well societies are meeting the needs of their populations, how citizens feel about their countrys progress, and how closely this progress aligns to their preferred vision of society. The !ndings do not necessarily re“ect the views of the sponsor. We would like to thank the following for generously sharing their time and expertise for the project. John Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics, University of British Columbia, and editor, World Happiness Report Tobias Böhmelt, professor, Department of Government, University of Essex Craig Bennett, CEO, Friends of the Earth Alessandro Bellantoni, deputy head, Public Governance Reviews, and head, Open Government Unit, OECD Marc Tucker, president, National Center on Education and the Economy Christiane Arndt-Bascle, head of programme, Measuring Regulatory Performance, OECD Citizens dont often think about resource constraints when they vote or talk about the kind of society they want to live in. Many want free education and healthcare, security, high incomes, low taxes, a clean environment, and affordable housing. However, resource constraints mean that societies need to prioritise their focus areas. And citizens opinions have become an increasingly relevant policy input as governments seek to restore trust in institutions and better serve their populations. How do citizens feel about the state of society today? What are the most important priorities in the eyes of citizens? While cultural, historical, economic, technological and geographical factors shape peoples views about how one wishes the society to change and progress, there are also common issues that cut across various boundaries. Priorities of progress: understanding citizens voices is an Economist Intelligence Unit report commissioned by Nitto Denko that sheds light on citizens priorities among issues that range from healthcare, education, social protection, public safety, R one US-based study found that 54% of people felt negatively about the current state of the world but 86% were optimistic about the future. 7This wellspring of public opinion and poll data, whichever direction it points, are crucial for all social stakeholdersgovernment, non-state actors, the private sector and civil societyto understand one another better. Polls, enabled by the ubiquity of social media, mobile phones and internet-based engagement platforms, give us a richer picture of social attitudes and provide the tools to engage people in shaping decisions that affect them. This can enable the co-production of policies, programmes and even scienti!c research to align with what people want and need. To contr ibute to the current debate over how well societies are meeting the needs of their populations, and what populations themselves There are generational divides on future trends: 50.7% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 2000) believe humanity is moving towards a better society, compared with only 44% of Gen X (1965-80) and 28.7% of Baby Boomers (1946-64). Asked about their expectation of progress towards a better society, the largest share of Millennials expected considerable gains, more than three times higher than Baby Boomers.