Which Asian economy is most optimistic about the future?

Taiwan has emerged as the Asian economy that is most optimistic about the future, in Mastercard’s Next Generation Well-Being Index.

The index asks respondents 10 questions related to the issues and outlook for the next generation – the next generation being anyone born since the year 2000. The results were averaged to generate the index, which operates on a scale of 0-100 – with 0 the most negative, 50 neutral and 100 the most positive.

In second place is South Korea, with a score of 71.8, nearly 10 points lower than first-placed Taiwan. The top three is completed by Hong Kong, with a score of 69.3.

Developed economies feature strongly at the top of the list, while emerging markets are generally more pessimistic about the future. For example, China, India and Vietnam all fall below 50, so are classed as not feeling optimistic for future generations.

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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: The Taipei 101 building is seen in hazy weather January 4, 2010. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang