Germany is ranked first in terms of future preparedness. Russia holds 12^th position among twenty countries. 

MOSCOW, October 18, 2017. The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) and the Valdai Discussion Club present the final G20 rating based on the Future Preparedness Index. The “Future Preparedness Index” project aims at conducting regular studies of the countries’ readiness to face the future, their role in the future scenarios, economic and political competitiveness, progress in different industries and social infrastructure.

Germany is at the top of the total index rating:  the country has the highest indicators in economy and international influence; however its weak points are culture and communications. The second place is held by the United States; the third position - by Great Britain, and the lowest ranking was assigned to Indonesia.

Russia was ranked 12^th. The country is strong in sovereignty/security; economy, resources and ecology are its growth areas.

See the detailed results and the methodology in the methodological report, in the project description in Russian or English languages, and in PPT file. 

The calculation of the preparedness index is multi-staged. The first stage is to detect the key areas that shape the development of the country (using group expert discussions); a total number of 10 areas were singled out. The second stage is to define the key trends in those areas. To determine if a trend is important means to determine the extent to which it can change the future in the studied area (foresight technique for medium-range and long-range forecasts and expert discussions were used)

The third stage is the trends’ operationalization which refers to the selection of quantitative indicators which show the country’s capacity to meet or not to meet the trends (collecting available statistical data). The fourth stage involves surveys among Russian and international experts; each expert is asked to assess a country using a number of criteria, choosing the country with the maximum score and several countries with the minimum score for each criterion. The fifth stage is the index calculation: all the data obtained are aggregated. All quantitative and statistical indicators were normalized and converted to direct or inverse scales depending on the indicator value (positive or negative). 

Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru, wciom.com and ru.valdaiclub.com as well as distributed by VCIOM or Valdai Club, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!