Global Barometer of Hope And Despair (PHOTOS): World's Outlook On 2011 Economy

Yes, We Can? See Which Countries Are Most Hopeful For 2011

Perhaps it's no surprise coming from the nation that gave us Les Misérables: the French have the world's gloomiest economic outlook for 2011, according to a new report.

Released last week, the 2011 Global Barometer of Hope And Despair polled 53 nations on topics such as economy, unemployment and job safety and overall well-being. As Time magazine is reporting, France came in as the global champions of skepticism, with a whopping 61 percent of French respondents saying they think 2011 would be "a year of economic difficulty," and a mere 15 percent feeling the new year would be better than 2010 in terms of overall well-being.

Americans were slightly more optimistic about their economic prospects, with just 34 percent agreeing that the new year would bring further economic difficulty, but 45 percent having high hopes for 2011 overall. Interestingly, pessimism for the coming year was considerably lower in emerging areas than in the developed world. Vietnam has the honor of being the world's most optimistic nation for 2011, with just 9 percent believing 2011 would be another year of economic hardship, and a staggering 73 percent saying that it would be a better year in terms of well-being.

View the full report here.

See a selection of the report's findings, from most optimistic to most pessimistic, here:

Vietnam

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