• The majority of Oman’s public regard themselves as optimistic individuals, says new survey

• Omani residents are part of 20,000+ respondents across 23 countries surveyed by YouGov

The majority of Oman’s public believe that greater-knowledge sharing between communities is needed to shape a positive future for humanity, according to a major new global survey.

Commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai and conducted by YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, the world’s first Global Optimism Outlook Survey questioned over 20,000 people across 23 countries, broken down by geographic region, gender, employment, marital status, and income to track individual, national, and global priorities for the future; namely sustainability, economic development, technology, travel, and climate change.

On a regional level, the survey includes 4,000 participants from five countries (Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan) across the Middle East.

The survey findings reveal that 63 per cent of Oman’s public consider themselves optimists with most (90%) believing that sharing knowledge between communities plays a vital role in solving issues and creating a better world for the coming generations. Greater communication (88%) and collaboration (87%) between communities were also highly rated by citizens and residents in Oman.

The results resonate on a global and regional level, as nine in 10 respondents also believe individuals and communities can shape the future through greater-knowledge sharing, communication, and collaboration.

A vast majority of locals surveyed (69%) also agree that knowledge-gathering and having access to better education and more advanced learning will be an effective way to unlock opportunities for the future. Knowledge-sharing, learning, and greater access to education also stood out as a dominant theme across regions: Middle East (55%), Western and Eastern Europe (61%), Asia (61%), North America (63%), South America (68%), and Africa (72%).

Further findings show that the rise of technological innovation is equally important to a positive perception about the future, with a large cross-section of the Omani public (87%) believing that technological advances and inventions will continue to build communities around the world, connect people globally (87%), and bring the world closer together (83%).

Interestingly, the Middle East’s hopes on combatting climate change are also above the global average, with almost two-thirds of regional respondents (64%) optimistic about humanity’s ability to save the planet, with 61 per cent of Oman’s public optimistic about our ability to combat climate change.

Tolerance and respect also emerged as of key importance in the Middle East, cited as vital for the creation of a better world for all.

Survey findings also indicate that optimism towards a sustainable future is considerably higher in developing countries versus their Western counterparts. Oman (60%), the UAE (70%), KSA (65%), Indonesia (78%), and Nigeria (72%), all displayed more optimism than the UK (43%), France (45%), Germany (45%), and the US (51%).