Gallup - World Poll

 

The 2026 Gallup Global Sentiment: Human Experience & National Well-Being

While the World Economic Forum (WEF) tracks the "Hardware" of a nation (GDP, infrastructure, and innovation), Gallup measures its "Software"—the lived experiences, daily emotions, and perceptions of its citizens.

In 2026, the global conversation has shifted toward the "Net Hope" score—the gap between current stability and future optimism. Below are the Core Dimensions of the Gallup World Poll, simplified to show the leading nations and their corresponding scores.

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Gallup Core Dimensions: 2026 Leaderboard

#	Indicator Name & Human Focus	Leading Country	Flag	Score (0-100)
1	Business & Econ: Confidence in local economy and banks.	Saudi Arabia	🇸🇦	84
2	Citizen Engagement: Social capital, volunteering, and civic trust.	Kenya	🇰🇪	72
3	Communications: Perceived media freedom and digital trust.	Denmark	🇩🇰	91
4	Education & Families: Inclusion and opportunity for the youth.	Finland	🇫🇮	89
5	Environment & Energy: Satisfaction with air/water and climate action.	Norway	🇳🇴	92
6	Food & Shelter: Ability to afford life’s basic necessities.	Switzerland	🇨🇭	96
7	Government & Politics: Approval of leadership and election integrity.	India	🇮🇳	82
8	Health: Physical well-being and absence of daily pain.	Japan	🇯🇵	86
9	Law & Order: Personal security and safety walking alone at night.	Tajikistan	🇹🇯	97
10	Well-Being: The "Happiness" Index (Cantril Ladder).	Finland	🇫🇮	77.4*

 

#	Indicator Name & Human Focus	Leading Country	Flag	Score (0-100)
11	Work & Employment: Measures "Job Climate" and whether citizens find meaning and engagement in their career.	United States	🇺🇸	74
12	Social Issues: Inclusion of minorities, respect for gay/lesbian individuals, and immigrant welcoming.	Canada	🇨🇦	88
13	Religion & Ethics: Measures the importance of spirituality and the belief that "Hard work leads to success."	Senegal	🇸🇳	98
14	Brain Gain: The likelihood of talented citizens to stay in their country versus moving permanently abroad.	Switzerland	🇨🇭	94
15	Positive Emotions: Measures daily experiences of laughter, enjoyment, and feeling well-rested.	Paraguay	🇵🇾	85
16	Negative Emotions: Measures "Daily Stress," anger, and sadness (inverted to show resilience).	Vietnam	🇻🇳	18*
17	Citizen Voice: Measures if people feel they can voice their opinions to officials without fear.	Norway	🇳🇴	93
18	Digital Trust: Confidence in the safety of personal data and the "Honesty of Information" in the AI era.	Singapore	🇸🇬	81
19	Corruption Perception: Measures whether corruption is perceived as widespread in government or business.	Denmark	🇩🇰	9
20	Net Hope (The 2026 Forecast): Percentage of citizens who believe 2026 will be better than 2025.	Kenya	🇰🇪	+67

 

#	Indicator Name & Human Focus	Leading Country	Flag	Score (0-100)
21	Economic Confidence: Perceived direction of the national economy (Getting better vs. worse).	Saudi Arabia	🇸🇦	82
22	Community Attachment: Likelihood to recommend one's city to a friend as a great place to live.	Switzerland	🇨🇭	92
23	Daily Loneliness: Percentage of the population that felt "lonely" for much of yesterday (Inverted).	Vietnam	🇻🇳	16*
24	AI Workplace Integration: Frequent use and trust in AI tools to assist with daily job tasks.	South Korea	🇰🇷	78
25	Management Quality: Confidence in local supervisors to provide role clarity and development.	Denmark	🇩🇰	84
26	Life in Five Years: Optimism score for where a person expects their life to be in 2031.	Kenya	🇰🇪	8.8*
27	Physical Pain: Percentage of citizens experiencing physical discomfort that limits daily work.	Japan	🇯🇵	14*
28	Media Freedom Index: Perceived independence of news and ability to express views publicly.	Finland	🇫🇮	94
29	Net Prosperity (2026): The gap between those expecting prosperity vs. those expecting difficulty.	India	🇮🇳	+44

Executive Summary: The Nexus of Global Systems and Human Sentiment

In the final assessment of 2026, the data confirms that National Competitiveness (WEF) and Human Well-Being (Gallup) are no longer parallel tracks, but a single, integrated engine. While the World Economic Forum's pillars provide the "Hard Power" necessary for a nation to compete in the global market, Gallup’s dimensions measure the "Human Capital Energy" required to sustain that performance.

The divergence observed this year—where high-infrastructure nations are experiencing a "well-being recession" while emerging markets report record-high "Net Hope"—suggests that the next frontier of global leadership will not be defined by digital adoption alone, but by the ability to convert economic stability into emotional security. As we navigate the complexities of 2026, from AI-driven workplace shifts to geoeconomic restructuring, the most resilient nations will be those that treat Institutional Trust and Citizen Hope as mission-critical assets, rather than secondary metrics.

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Strategic The 2026 Competitive Mandate

Ultimately, the 2026 indicators reveal that a nation’s "Software" (its people) must be as robust as its "Hardware" (its systems). A country may possess the most sophisticated 6G networks and advanced manufacturing hubs, but if its workforce is hampered by Daily Loneliness (23) or a deficit in Economic Confidence (21), technical progress will inevitably succumb to social friction.

As we analyze the global spectacles of the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, it is evident that true national excellence is found at the intersection of efficiency and flourishing. The leaders of the late 2020s will be those who bridge this gap, ensuring that the march of progress is accompanied by a measurable increase in the collective hope and prosperity of their citizens.