If you had to bet on who has a brighter outlook for the future—a tech worker in Tokyo or a farmer in rural Indonesia—who would you pick?
Conventional wisdom suggests that economic stability, advanced healthcare, and physical safety are the bedrock of optimism. We assume that as a nation’s GDP rises, the hope of its citizens should rise with it.
However, new research my colleagues and I published in the Journal of Happiness Studies reveals a startling paradox: the world’s wealthiest nations are facing a hope deficit, while developing nations are thriving.
The Geography of Hope
In our study, “Where Hope Thrives,” we analyzed data from the Global Flourishing Study, the largest initiative of its kind, covering over 202,000 participants across 22 countries. We measured “Hope” not as mere wishful thinking, but as the perceived ability to see a pathway to the future and the agency to walk it.
The results were undeniable. The country with the highest hope score was Indonesia (9.17/10), followed closely by Mexico and Argentina. Conversely, the countries with the lowest hope scores were highly developed, industrialized nations: Japan (5.95/10), Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
How is it possible that citizens of countries facing significant economic volatility possess more hope than those in the world’s most stable economies?
The Theory of Spatial Hope
The answer lies in a concept I call “Spatial Hope.” This theory suggests that hope is not merely a cognitive process inside your brain, but tethers to one’s context. In other words, hope is an spatial-environmental resource that is sustained through stable relationships with place, people in place, and the sacred in place.
In highly individualistic societies (like the US, UK, and Japan), we have optimized for independence. We have more money, but fewer safety nets. When a crisis hits, the individual faces it alone. This isolation breeds anxiety and limits our ability to envision a positive future.
In contrast, collectivist societies (often found in the Global South) optimize for interdependence. In Indonesia or Nigeria, this cultural communitarian philosophy is deeply relational. When you suffer, the community suffers. When you dream, the community supports that dream. This “social scaffolding” allows individuals to maintain high hope even in the face of economic hardship because they know they will not fall alone.
The “God Factor”
Perhaps the most significant finding in our demographic analysis was the role of spiritual community. Across almost every nation studied, the strongest predictor of high hope was Religious Service Attendance.
People who attended a house of worship more than once a week reported significantly higher hope than those who did not. I don’t think this is a theological issue but mostly about sociology. Religious communities provide a “secure base”—a network of shared meaning and support that buffers against the stress of modern life.
Reclaiming Our Future
This research serves as a wake-up call for the West. We have spent decades building economies that produce wealth but deplete the very relationships that sustain us.
Hope is not a luxury product of capitalism. It is a byproduct of connection. If we want to flourish in 2026 and beyond, we must stop looking for hope in our bank accounts and start looking for it in our neighborhoods, our families, and our communities.
We are learning that you cannot flourish alone. As the African philosophy of Ubuntu teaches us: “I am, because we are.”
Citations:
Counted, V., Long, K. N. G., Cowden, R. G., Witvliet, C. V. O., Gibson, C., Cortright, A., Purcell, E., Walsh, J., Hathaway, W., Garzon, F., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025). Where hope thrives: Demographic variation in hope across 22 countries. Journal of Happiness Studies, 27(5) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-025-00981-6
Counted, V., & Newheiser, D. (2024). How place shapes the aspirations of hope: the allegory of the privileged and the underprivileged. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(4), 724–731. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2257654
Dr. Victor Counted is a researcher, author, and expert in the psychology of religion and human flourishing. Watch his full analysis of this research on his YouTube channel: [Link to Video]
