Semrush unveils "2023 Annual Global Issues Index" to inspire societal change, mental health comes up as leading concern

Boston, September 26, 2023. Semrush, a leading online visibility management SaaS platform, has unveiled its "2023 Annual Global Issues Index," a study co-authored by Columbia Professor Jeremy Kagan. The index sheds light on the most-searched societal issues from January 2019 to June 2023, offering insights into 35 countries. It presents the Top 10 issues in each country and a global ranking from 24 core issues, including racism, gun control, sustainability, pollution, unemployment, and mental health.

Key findings include:
- The top 5 global societal issues are Mental Health (1), War on Drugs (2), Sustainability (3), Public Health (4), and Pollution (5).
- In the US, the top 5 issues are Unemployment (1), Mental Health (2), War on Drugs (3), Public Health (4), and Sustainability (5).
- Europe has seen significant growth in online interest for Energy, Pollution, Sustainability, and War on Drugs
- Oceania prioritizes Mental Health, with concerns about the War on Drugs and Sustainability steadily increasing
- The Middle East witnessed growth in online interest in Education, College Debt, and Mental Health.
- Africa ranks Pollution and Sustainability as top social issues, while Asia focuses on Mental Health and the War on Drugs.

“Understanding the social concerns of different countries can be challenging, especially when trying to compare these issues around the world. Protests, local news, segment surveys, and political debate give some indication, but search volume is an amazing way to gain deeper insights on what populations are concerned with- people with access to the internet turn to search to solve problems and to get more information on topics of interest and debate. The trends we see in the Annual Global Issues Index give us a sense of the changing priorities and relative importance of common topics across nations,”said Jeremy Kagan, Columbia University Professor.

The Annual Global Issues Index employed the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool to collect keywords related to each core issue. It will be co-authored annually to track trends over the past five years.To explore societal issues, change-driving organizations, and areas for improvement, you can download the full report here.