According to new polls conducted by HSBC Bank, residents across the planet rank climate change as the biggest global issue. Residents in major US cities, however, cited the economy as the biggest issue, but elsewhere on a global scale climate change topped the polls.
Two-thirds of residents in Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, and London all claimed that climate change was their biggest concern at the moment. Citizens in the US, however, ranked climate change as third with the economy and terrorism taking a forefront in the polls.
The HSBS-sponsored survey targeted households in 11 cities across the globe. Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Hong Kong, Paris, London, Sao Paolo, and Sydney. The survey took place online between 17 February and 1 March. All respondents had university level education, were aged between 25 and 64, and had at minimum $100,000 in investable assets.
According to Andy Ireland, head of premier banking at HSBC Bank NA, the US residents most likely cited the economy as number one because the US took the largest hit during the economic downturn. According to Mr Ireland US residents had a larger portion of their portfolio affected negatively, which may have influenced their answers.
Only 55 per cent of Parisians stated that their portfolios had declined in value, with just 45 per cent of Londoners citing a loss. However, the lowest percentage was in Hong Kong, where only 19 per cent of respondents had lost value in their portfolios.
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