Munich Security Index 2022
Against a rising tide of mutually reinforcing crises, our new Munich Security Index (MSI) provides unique insights into perceptions of risk that pervade the societies of G7 and BRICS countries. It also shows how risk perceptions have changed since the first edition of the Munich Security Index.
In the face of growing geopolitical tensions and an increasing number of interlocking global crises – from the climate crisis and the global health crisis to democratic backsliding – it is important to assess and compare risk perceptions in different parts of the world and track changes over time in the way people view risk. To this end, in 2021, the MSC and Kekst CNC together have built a new data set on global risk perceptions: the Munich Security Index. Based on a survey conducted among 12,000 people globally, the index provides in-depth insights into how G7 and BRICS nations view 31 major global and domestic risks by combining five metrics – overall risk, potential damage, expected trajectory, perceived imminence, and feelings of preparedness. Published annually, the index also allows us to closely monitor how risk perceptions in core countries evolve, how they are affected by emerging security threats, and how they are shaped by competition and cooperation among states.
The overall picture painted by the second edition of the Munich Security Index, based on surveys conducted in November 2021, is one of growing concern about risk. Overall, the people polled are now even more risk-aware than they were in February and March of 2021, when the first wave of research was conducted. Moreover, in Europe and beyond, a sense of “collective helplessness” in the face of global events is prevalent.
The Munich Security Index is the latest addition to our annual Munich Security Report (MSR). Its first edition was published as part of the Munich Security Report 2021.
