WIN International, the world’s leading association in market research and polling has published the Annual WIN World Survey – WWS 2022 – exploring the views and beliefs of 28,702 respondents in 39 countries across the globe. WIN has released the latest results of the survey to uncover the findings, any improvements, or developments, made globally in various areas related to health, including fitness, weight management, mood, and stress.
Mapping Health Scores around the World
The country with the highest reported levels of poor health is Poland, with a total of 49% of respondents citing either “very” or “quite” poor health. Meanwhile, Mexico and India stand out for their high levels of self-perceived good health, with 88.3% and 91.5% of respondents rating themselves as “very healthy” or “healthy”, respectively.
There are notable differences between regions, with Europeans being more likely to report “somewhat unhealthy” or “unhealthy” (28.8%) compared to respondents from the Americas (24.6%), Middle East and North Africa (19.5%), and Asia-Pacific (17%).
Gender Disparities in Self-Perceived Health
According to our global data, there is a disparity in how men and women perceive their health. Nearly 20% of men describe themselves as “very healthy,” compared to only 15% of women. Conversely, more women than men (20.8% versus 17.4%) consider themselves “somewhat unhealthy.”
The perception around weight and fitness also varies. A total of 23.1% of men state that their fitness is “very good” as opposed to 16.5% of women. On a global scale, women are also more concerned about their weight, with 32.8% of women rating their ‘weight’ as either “quite poor” or “very poor” versus 27.2% of men.
Countries which ranked their fitness levels best, “very good” or “quite good”, include Vietnam (94.8%) and South Korea (83.1%). While countries who ranked their fitness levels lowest, “quite poor” or “very poor” consisted of Serbia (50.2%) and Germany (48.6%).
High Post-Pandemic Stress and Rising Costs on Young Adult Health
As the world slowly emerges from the grip of the pandemic, our data reveals that global stress levels remain alarmingly high. With 40.3% of participants rating their overall stress levels as “quite poor” or “very poor”. More specifically, the most impacted countries include Peru, 64.1% of respondents reported “quite poor” or “very poor” stress levels, while in the Philippines, 55.5% of respondents said the same.
The findings suggest that many people continue to struggle with the mental and emotional toll of the past few years. Notably, this figure marks a 7.5% increase from 2021, indicating a growing trend of stress and anxiety across the globe.
Interestingly, the age group most impacted by negative stress and mood are the youngest surveyed (aged 18-24), with 46.2% reporting “quite poor” or “very poor” stress levels and 23.5% reporting “quite poor” or “very poor” mood. This is different to respondents aged 65+ who have reported “very good” or “quite good” mood at 83.6% and 67.9% stating “very good” or “quite good” stress levels.
Vilma Scarpino, President of WIN International Association, said:
“The results of the 2022 Annual WIN World Survey highlight important differences in how men and women and different age groups perceive and prioritise their health, as well as the concerning trend of rising stress levels globally. As we continue to navigate the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, it is crucial that we address these disparities and provide support to those who may be most vulnerable to health risks.”