If you ask the average Western youth what they think about the chances of the World Economic Forum (WEF) bringing about positive global change, you might expect to get a pessimistic response, or even an eye roll.
But you’d most likely be wrong — at least according to a new survey by Salesforce.
The company, in partnership with YouGov, polled more than 6,000 people in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Switzerland, where the WEF annual meeting is held each January in the small, Alpine town of Davos, to find out what they think of the gathering of the global elite.
The event has long been criticized as little more than a winter getaway for the super-rich and powerful — opulent, out-of-touch and ultimately ineffective.
Yet according to the survey, a majority of people (54 percent) are optimistic about heavyweights in politics and business having the power to do good at Davos.
And out of everyone polled, Gen Z are — quelle surprise! — the most enthusiastic, with 60 percent hopeful about the ability of leaders at the summit to use their influence to make the world a better place.
Naturally, climate change and sustainability top the list of issues respondents want tackled at Davos.
But while 83 percent have at least heard of the summit, most have little clue about its goals, and three quarters don’t think attendees are open about what’s discussed behind closed doors.
(Or in terms Gen Z will understand, they still think it’s a bit suss.)
