Political Interest Varies Globally

Political interest differs from country to country. According to a survey conducted by Statista Consumer Insights between July 2023 and June 2024, politics was not a top interest for most of the 21 nations surveyed. Out of 18 personal interests surveyed, politics often fell in the bottom half.

Lowest Interest in India, Mexico, France, and South Africa

As detailed by Statista's Kathartina Buchholz, the interest in politics ranked lowest in India, where it was 15th out of 18. Mexico followed closely, with politics ranking 14th, and France and South Africa, where it was 13th.

Varied Interest in Countries with Similar Rankings

The percentage of respondents who named politics as an interest also varied in countries where politics had similar rankings. For instance, in France, where politics ranked 13th, 19% of people expressed interest in politics. In contrast, in South Africa, where politics also ranked 13th, 35% of respondents showed interest in the subject.

U.S. Interest in Politics

In the United States, politics and current events were of interest to 24% of respondents, placing it 11th out of 18.

High Interest in Finland and Brazil

The highest percentage of respondents interested in politics was in Finland and Brazil, both at 36%. However, the rankings varied significantly, with politics being the 6th most frequently named interest in Finland and 12th in Brazil. In Japan, 19% of respondents expressed interest in politics, making it the 8th most popular subject. Politics ranked highest in Germany, where it was 5th.

Interest in Multiple Topics

The differences in rankings are due to the number of topics respondents expressed interest in. Brazilians, for example, were interested in an average of seven topics, similar to South Africans and close to respondents in India (6.6) and Mexico (6.2). Germans and Finns, on the other hand, were interested in an average of 5.4 to 5.9 topics. French and American respondents named an average of 4.8 interests. South Koreans (4.1) and Japanese (3.4) named the fewest interests.

Popular Topics

Topics more popular than politics in all surveyed countries included movies, music, TV, travel, health, and fitness. Sports, food, and dining were also more popular in almost all countries. The only topics consistently less interesting than politics were gaming, eSports, VIPs, and celebrities.

Bottom Line

It's fascinating to see how interest in politics varies from country to country, and how it competes with other topics for attention. These findings raise questions about what drives interest in politics and how it might be increased. What do you think about these findings? Do you find them surprising, or do they align with your observations? Feel free to share this article with your friends and discuss it further. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, delivered every day at 6pm.