- The desire for progress is most prominent in the area "Economy", particularly on sustainable technologies, e-mobility, and greater investments in education.
- Gender equality and the desire for greater provisions in public childcare rank high across nations when weighing progress pressure in "Society".
- The area of "Politics" shows the least desire for acceleration, with political polarization even placing as the strongest topic on the reversal side of the barometer.
Progress Barometer – Credit Suisse
International research study that shows where there is pressure for social, economic and political progress. Download a summary of the Progress Barometer for all 16 countries surveyed.
Progress Barometer: An international focus
Measuring the pressure for progress: The international progress barometer.
Our International Progress Barometer shows how people around the world view progress. The study, commissioned by Credit Suisse and conducted by the research institute gfs.bern, asked 16,000 people across 16 different countries about their appetite for progress in 3 key areas: the economy, society and politics.
Our study shows that pressure for progress on sustainability and equality stands out and transcends national borders.
About our research
The Progress Barometer, whose first edition focused on Switzerland, now includes 15 additional countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, the UK, and the US. We base our findings on a survey of 1,000 voters in each nation.
We've used a 'progress wheel' as an index for attitudes towards progress. This reveals the areas where voters desire faster progress or a deceleration of recent developments.


Test your desire for progress
Take the test to see where you score on your desire for progress.
The top 10 areas for change
The Progress Barometer has identified the top ten ranking topics trending across the 16 nations surveyed:
- e-mobility
- Furthering education
- Expansion of public childcare
- Gender equality
- Work/life balance
- Free trade
- Underground transport
- Tax money for research
- Social media power
- Development aid
Perceptions of progress over the last decade
According to the voters in the 16 countries, sustainable technologies, infrastructure in cities, and inventiveness and ingenuity have seen the largest improvements in the last ten years. In contrast, voters perceive a deterioration in social security, national unity, and the protection of privacy in the same decade.