NEW DELHI: Adults in countries such as China, India, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, are excited about the prospect of the metaverse with more than two-thirds saying they have positive feelings about the possibility of engaging with it, according to findings of a new global survey conducted by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum.
The survey conducted across 29 countries revealed that half the adults surveyed are familiar with the metaverse (52%) and have positive feelings about engaging with extended reality in daily life.
However, the survey also highlighted wide differences in familiarity and favorability toward these new technologies across countries and demographic groups.
“Levels of familiarity with virtual reality, augmented reality, and the metaverse show a similar pattern. More than two-thirds in Turkey, India, China, and South Korea report being at least somewhat familiar with the metaverse, compared to fewer than one-third in Poland, France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands,” according to the findings of the survey.
In many countries the pandemic has prompted more consumers to spend time online. As a result, consumers are ready to embrace new technologies.
“The pandemic has put the focus on digital, and the metaverse and new technologies, and India has been an early adopter seeing the merits of the initiation of the futuristic tech solutions,” said Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India.
Excitement about extended reality is significantly higher in emerging countries than it is in most high-income countries, the survey highlighted.
Ipsos conducted the survey between 22 April and 6 May among 21,005 adults aged 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and Turkey, 21-74 in Singapore, and 16-74 in 23 other countries, via Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform.
Metaverse has been the buzzword after large companies such as Meta revealed plans to help users engage with the virtual world.
Familiarity and favorability toward the new technology are also higher among younger adults, those with a higher level of education, and men than they are among older adults, those without a college-level education, and women, they survey findings revealed.
