Ipsos survey: Malaysians believe 2022 will be better than 2021, predict global economy will be stronger

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — As they head into another year impacted by Covid-19, Malaysians are positive that 2022 will be a better one compared to what they endured in 2021.

A recent survey by market analysts Ipsos found that 82 per cent of Malaysians are optimistic that 2022 will be a better year for them than 2021.

The survey by the international research firm that polled 500 Malaysians on ‘Predictions for 2022’ also found that 75 per cent felt that the global economy will be stronger this year compared to last year.

The survey also polled 22,023 people across the world on the same subject, where 77 per cent felt that 2022 will be a more promising year for them.

Among the Malaysian respondents, 77 per cent of them agreed that 2021 was a bad year for Malaysia.

On May 28, 2021, then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that a nationwide “total lockdown” or full movement control order (FMCO) would be imposed on all social and economic sectors in Malaysia for two weeks.

The total lockdown was then extended to more than a month as Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases and daily deaths increased to a worrying level.

Lars Erik Lie, Associate Director Ipsos Public Affairs said: “One year ago, there was widespread optimism that 2021 would be the year that the world had turned a corner in its struggles with Covid-19.

“With the first vaccines being rolled out, the end of the pandemic seemed to be in sight.

“2021 did not turn out as many had hoped — boosted by new variants, Covid-19 impacted our lives as much, if not more than in 2020. As Malaysians and their fellow global citizens look back, the verdict is that 2021 was a year to forget,” he said.

Lie said despite the disappointment, 2022 comes with renewed optimism, with 82 per cent of Malaysians expecting this year to be better than the last.

“The belief in a better year to come is echoed among people across the world,” he said in a statement.

The survey also showed that 82 per cent of respondents plan to make some personal resolution to do specific things for themselves and others in 2022.