In many of the countries surveyed, those who say their country’s current economy is in bad shape are more likely than those who say the economy is doing well to believe that the economy will worsen in the next 12 months. In South Korea, for example, 68% of those who say the current economy is bad also say they expect it to get worse in the coming year, compared with just 22% among those who say the current economy is good. In almost every country included in the survey, public perceptions of whether the national economy is bad are related to assessments of how the country has handled the coronavirus outbreak. Those who view their country’s coronavirus response negatively are more likely to describe their country’s current economic situation as bad.
