In CEMEA, the majority of FT readers remained pessimistic about local economic conditions over the next six months, perhaps a product of Germany’s ongoing malaise, which saw the regional powerhouse’s economy contract by 0.3 per cent in 2023, the worst performance of any major economy.

Globally, FT readers remained broadly positive about the outlook for their industry sector over the next six months, with only 22 per cent thinking it would decline. Readers working in finance were most positive, particularly in the US, where 62 per cent of respondents felt things would improve over the next six months, up from 34 per cent last quarter, possibly the result of growing optimism that AI will boost productivity in the sector.

However, FT readers working in the CEMEA energy manufacturing and engineering sector were much more pessimistic about the future. In Q3 ’23, 62 per cent of respondents in this demogrphic had thought conditions would improve for their industry and 21 per cent had thought things would decline, but by Q4 ’23, optimism had fallen to 34 per cent and those feeling pessimistic had risen to 34 per cent, possibly a product of the European energy sector being both flooded with cheaper Chinese imports and left behind by American competitors boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Understandably, there has been a dip in confidence among FT readers in the Americas, where net confidence fell from 81 per cent to 77 per cent, likely a result of growing concerns that 2024 will be a destabilising and chaotic election year.

Conflict in the Middle East, from Gaza to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has also caused a slump in tourism to the region, one of the likely reasons why 45 per cent of FT readers who work in the retail, travel and leisure sectors in CEMEA are prioritising risk management. In the UK, finding and keeping talent was by a long way the top priority for FT readers who work in the government, health and NGO (74 per cent) and education (69 per cent) sectors, possibly a product of the expected changes to immigration rules that will considerably increase the costs of hiring from overseas.

Geopolitical tensions and this year’s historic number of elections around the world unsurprisingly top the list for FT readers. Geopolitically, the rest of 2024 looks likely to be fraught, with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, heightened tensions across the Middle East and the growing sense that we are entering an era of multipolarity with all the battles for influence that implies.

This feeling of uncertainty is compounded by the unprecedented number of elections this year, from Bangladesh to the US, each of which will be a test of one of today’s thorniest topics: whether democracy can survive 2024.

Existential threats such as climate change, however, aren’t receiving enough attention from news outlets. On average, 35 per cent of FT readers believe the looming crises need more coverage (a figure that jumped to 46 per cent among women). This frustration could be interpreted in the context of the recent fracturing of the media, which has created new platforms for climate denialism, particularly online.

When asked about the impact of current affairs on their personal lives, FT readers globally were most concerned about changes in the political landscape and geopolitical tensions. But for UK readers, access to and quality of healthcare topped the pile with 55 per cent (compared to just 34 per cent of readers in CEMEA), a consequence, clearly, of the ongoing fragility of the NHS.

Unsurprisingly, there was considerable divergence between the under 45s and over 45s, with the former more likely to think they will be affected by financial uncertainty, the acceleration of new technologies and changing work models. Interesting patterns emerge when it comes to intergenerational attitudes to issues such as climate change. In the Americas there is a 15 point gap between the 45+ cohort and their younger peers, but it’s only four points in the UK, confirmation perhaps of the FT’s John Burn-Murdoch’s findings on Britain’s non-partisan approach to climate issues.

69 per cent of FT readers saw expenses increase, but the great majority lived comfortably (81 per cent). This was reflected in respondents' philanthropy with 64 per cent regularly donating to NGOs and charities.

When it comes to planned purchases, nearly half of our cohort of FT readers (49 per cent) plan to spend substantially on travel this year, reflecting optimism among Europe’s airlines, who are preparing for a bumper summer.