The OECD Risks That Matter (RTM) Survey is a biennial cross-national survey examining people’s perceptions of the social and economic risks they face, how well they think their government addresses those risks, and what preferences they have for social protection going forward. This is the most extensive global survey of perceptions of and preferences for social protection. Nationally representative samples in 27 OECD countries offer governments important insights into how to expand and reform social programmes.
Social and economic risks
Social and economic risks
Global megatrends like population ageing, rising inequalities, climate change, and the changing nature of work are requiring changes in social protection systems to make them fit for the future. This requires a data-driven understanding of what social and economic risks people worry about – and how well they think their government addresses those risks
Key messages
In the 2024 RTM, although most people predict positive changes related to digitalisation and technological change, one‑third of respondents, on average, worry that they will lose their job to artificial intelligence (AI) or to a worker on an internet platform. Meanwhile, despite over 60% of respondents reporting concern about population ageing and its implications for worker shortages, fewer than half say governments should encourage people to have more children. Efforts to get more women and underrepresented groups into labour markets, and shift more part-time workers to full-time are far more popular.
The OECD Risks That Matter (RTM) Survey illustrates that gender gaps emerge in how social protection systems are perceived: women are far less confident than men in their ability to access social programmes when they need them. This perceived inaccessibility likely reflects gender gaps in “hassle costs” associated with programme applications and the allocations of the administrative burden within households , but it also likely reflects women’s lower social security contributions.
Context
Access to long-term care is a major concern
The Risks that Matter Survey reveals that people are concerned about their own and their family members’ access to long-term care (LTC) – likely reflecting that population ageing is going to put major pressure on LTC systems. Looking at the next year or two, an average of 54% of respondents indicate that they are concerned about accessing good-quality LTC for elderly family members. When looking at the next decade, 61% of people worry about access to LTC for elderly family members and 65% worry about LTC for themselves.
Many call for policy measures to support workers through technological change
When thinking about new technology in labour markets, respondents are most concerned that the digital transition will require significant skills retraining for evolving and new jobs. These concerns are matched by the public’s policy preferences to support workers affected by digitalisation and technological changes. 74% of respondents say that they support their national government investing in retraining opportunities for working-age people, and 72% say they support their government investing more in university education and vocational training opportunities for young people. There is also broad support for other policy measures, such as greater investments in digital infrastructure and improved accessibility and/or generosity of the safety net.
Concerns about population ageing are widespread across countries
On average, across countries, 65% of RTM respondents say they are somewhat or very concerned about population ageing beyond the next ten years. The share expressing concern about population ageing is a majority in 25 of the 27 surveyed countries, with rates highest in Korea (85%), Portugal (80%), and Spain (77%), where populations are indeed ageing relatively quickly. In light of these concerns, including the negative implications for growth, a majority of respondents, on average, support governments getting more women into the workforce, the use of technology to improve efficiencies in workplaces, and moving part-time workers to full-time jobs to address projected worker shortages driven by population ageing. Fertility measures are less popular.
