Global Support for International Cooperation Surges in 2026

After years of declining interest in global cooperation, people around the world are embracing internationalism again in unexpected numbers.

The 2026 Global Solidarity Report surveyed more than 22,000 adults across 31 countries and found support rising on nearly every measure. Researchers from Global Nation describe the findings as a "surprising and very pronounced reversal" of previous downward trends.

The numbers tell a striking story. Four in ten respondents now consider themselves global citizens, up from one third just last year. Nearly two thirds say international institutions should have the power to enforce solutions for problems like environmental pollution, jumping from just over half in 2025.

Even on the toughest question, the one about money, support is growing. More than four in ten people now say their taxes should help solve global problems, compared with barely over one third in 2025.

The Ripple Effect

The shift spans generations and income levels in ways researchers didn't expect. Gen Z posted the largest increase and now leads all age groups in supporting international cooperation.

But Baby Boomers moved in the same direction too, which the report calls notable because older adults' attitudes typically stay more fixed. High income households showed the strongest increases overall, but low income respondents also shifted significantly.

Support even rose among people with lower education levels, a group that moved from opposing international enforcement powers in 2025 to supporting them in 2026. Only one country in the survey showed declines across all three measured indicators, while 24 countries improved on all three.

Global Nation suggests the rebound comes precisely because the world feels increasingly unstable. Trade tensions, climate disruption, economic anxiety and conflict are making global interdependence harder to ignore, even for skeptics.

The survey measured global solidarity through three specific questions: whether people identify as world citizens, whether they'd pay taxes toward global problems, and whether international institutions should enforce solutions. Across all 31 countries surveyed, support rose on these measures in most places.

The findings echo another major survey from earlier this year commissioned by Democracy Without Borders, which found relative majorities in 101 countries supporting a citizen-elected world parliament to handle global issues.

Researchers conclude that public opinion may be turning back toward cooperation just as the international system faces its biggest challenges. The question now is whether leaders and institutions can respond to what people are asking for.