AMID another global Covid-19 variant outbreak, it appears that hope is also infectious. The pollsters at Ipsos have found in their 2022 predictions that over three-quarters of people across the world are optimistic that next year will be better than 2021.

However, Brits are not so hopeful about the environment. London saw flash floods this summer, and other areas of the UK were also flooded.

According to the Met Office, between 18 to 20 January was "one of the wettest three-day periods on record" in north Wales and north-west England. It was followed by heavy snowfall.

It is therefore not surprising that more severe weather is forecasted by most for 2022.

The UK's largely successful vaccination programme has provided a boost(er) to the British public.

As of 13 December, 69.7 per cent of the UK was fully vaccinated.

However, many Europeans remain dubious about vaccine distribution in other parts of the world.

Blockchain, NFTs and the Metaverse?

You would be forgiven for falling behind on the biggest technology trends of 2021, there have been so many.

Although it is unlikely that 2022 will be any different, Great Britain is less convinced than the rest of the world that avatars will be taking over anytime soon.

The average UK salary in 2021 increased by 0.3 per cent to £25,971, according to the ONS.

However, most are anticipating prices to increase faster than their income in 2022. Freddos aren't getting any cheaper.

Despite this, the majority of people are hopeful that global stock markets will not crash.

UFOs and aliens might not be top of the priority list for the Ministry of Defence but one in seven are expecting little green men to drop by planet Earth next year. Nuclear weapons and cyber-attacks are among the predictions weighing more heavily on the minds of the world.

Ipsos interviewed over 22,000 adults aged between 16-74 as part of their survey of 33 countries, conducted in October and November 2021.

(c) 2021 City A.M., source Newspaper