With 23% of globetrotters saying they usually travel solo, the journey to win them over is taking off. It’s no longer just about safety add-ons or guided group tours: Riviera Travel announced the world’s first cruise ship built entirely for solo travelers, which is sure to make waves in the industry.
Scroll down to read about private healthcare ethics, interest rate cuts, and bite-sized anime.
Stats to power your week
4️⃣ The 4 day work week is a tale of trade-offs. Employees in companies that broadly allow it are 33% more likely than average to say they always work beyond their contracted hours - but 54% more likely to be extremely satisfied with their job. GWI Work
🗣️ What’s the best way to keep teens safe online - education or restriction? Education seems to have the upper hand. Kids whose parents chat to them about privacy are 10% more likely to believe they know how to be safe online than kids of parents who set up parental controls. GWI Kids
🏦 The US central bank just cut interest rates for the first time this year, with more on the cards. Lower borrowing costs and higher consumer confidence are set to follow, given 35% of consumers say lower interest rates would boost their faith in a country’s economy. GWI Zeitgeist
👨👨👦👦 Sports fans cheer louder in social settings, for both their team and its sponsors. Those who typically watch at a bar or friends’ house are 37% more likely to say they’d buy from a brand that sponsors their favorite team than at-home viewers are. That makes watch party promotions and branded viewing events a real game-changer. GWI Sports
🧑🏻🤝🧑🏿 Trump has been challenging diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at a federal level for some time, but is this approach trickling down to the private sector? It seems so. Since this time last year, there’s been a 13% drop in US professionals saying that improving DEI is a growth initiative. GWI Work
What’s on our radar
Ads are popping up everywhere these days - even on fridge doors. And in China, some public toilets now make you watch an ad before you get loo roll.
Brussels, London, and Singapore are rolling out car-free days, offering a glimpse into what these spaces would look like if they were pedestrianized. But EU auditors warn these zones may shift noise to nearby streets.
While some tech leaders have tried to squash claims that AI firms could cause significant unemployment, Goodwill CEO Steve Preston says it’s already happening.
Kimchi, once a humble staple of Korean households, has transformed into a billion-dollar global food phenomenon. It’s also the topic of a Korean-Indian music video that racked up over 1 million views on YouTube within days.
According to Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, heat-related deaths in European cities tripled this summer - an issue Japan is also grappling with. Cooling tech may soon be seen as a safety essential, not a luxury.
As US TV series produce longer and fewer episodes, a new genre from China is gaining American fans by going in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Webtoon is turning top webcomics into bite-sized anime, hoping to appeal to TikTok audiences.
Chart of the week
Klarna, best known for its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service, has secured a UK banking licence and is enjoying a post-IPO stock surge. That’s great news for the sector, but skeptics haven’t gone quiet.
They argue that these services lure Gen Z into debt and exploit loopholes. Bestselling finance author Scott Pape once described them as “a gateway drug” to borrowing. And the media paints a picture of a stereotypical BNPL service user as a young, cash-strapped consumer with little financial experience and no savings.
The reality looks different. That profile exists, but it’s not the norm. In fact, BNPL service users are more likely than average to have strong purchasing power and feel confident managing money. Only 14% report having no savings or investments. That’s not nothing, but it challenges the idea that BNPL is a playground for the financially reckless.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Critics call private healthcare unfair - most call it necessary”
As more people buy healthcare insurance, the public vs. private debate is heating up. On the one hand, clinicians working in both the public and private sector often prioritize paying patients or “queue-jumpers”, which leaves less fortunate people waiting longer. On the flip side, if private options suddenly vanished overnight, the surge of middle-class demand could overwhelm public services.
So how do wider societies feel? Around a third of consumers believe private healthcare compromises the ethics of universal healthcare. Yet, more are comfortable with the ethics of using private healthcare (62%) and feel it’s essential for reducing public wait times (64%). The consensus seems to be that dual-track healthcare is ethically shaky, but practically necessary.
