2022 review: Biggest disappointments

Shazia Ginai, chief growth officer, Catalyx
A huge disappointment (in fact, rage-inducing) was when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. We take one step forward with gender equality but then end up several steps back. It’s extremely disappointing, angering and disheartening, to continue seeing how women’s rights are being disregarded.

Back in 2020, the Neuro-Insight white paper Beyond Binary talked to the issues around deep-rooted gendered conditioning. As researchers, we have tools to bring more of these insights to life and help guide a shift in the social narrative. Its sad that this isn’t happening fast enough. This industry is male heavy at the top (like most) so we need all those male leaders to step up and become allies in this journey.

Sabine Stork, founding partner, Thinktank
I normally love watching World Cups. After the pleasure that was the women’s European Cup, I’m quite depressed that too many brands sponsored a sporting event that cost thousands of lives and that Western teams bowed to Fifa and didn’t dare wear pro-rainbow armbands. Hoping for a genuine anti-climax in the viewing figures.

Joe Staton, client strategy director, GfK
That the UK is still working out what ‘get Brexit done’ actually means for its people, the economy, and our place in the world.

Frederic Charles-Petit, chief executive, Toluna
Without a doubt, the biggest disappointment is that the world has seen war in the midst of Europe.

Jane Frost, chief executive, MRS
Like many, I would have preferred a slightly less interesting year in terms of national and global events – after two years of the pandemic we were of course hoping for a calmer 2022. To call events such as the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis a disappointment would be the understatement of the decade.

However, there have been rays of light closer to home through the last 12 months. We’re making real progress on our MRS Net Zero and Inclusion pledges, which is something to really celebrate – at times like these it’s important to focus on those things we have some control over.

Ray Poynter, chief research officer, Potentiate
The continued underperformance of opinion polling – and the damage it causes to our industry.

Crawford Hollingworth, founder, The Behavioural Architects
The Cop 27 cop out. It’s disappointing how quickly other issues can take saving the planet off the table.