Half of Russians Believe That People Should Support Their Country Even if its Actions are Wrong, According to RIWI’s New Cold War II Index

Bias Minimizing Technology used to gather independent data from citizens in Russia, China, and the United States

Toronto, ON – April 21, 2022 – A new Compass Cold War II (CW2) Index launched by data firm RIWI (Real-Time Interactive Worldwide Intelligence) and macro strategist and Unbound founder, David Woo, shows that, as of April 18, 2022, half of Russians remain uncritically loyal to their country. Forty-eight percent of Russians agree that “people should support their country even if their country’s actions and policies are in the wrong.” This compares with 35 percent of Chinese and 32 percent of Americans who are uncritically loyal to their countries. To learn more about the study visit: https://riwi.com/research/how-do-russians-americans-and-chinese-perceive-the-new-cold-war/

chart showing russian, american, and chinese citizens' opinions on uncritical loyalty toward their countries

Interestingly, the vast majority of Russians (80%) and the majority of Chinese (64%) believe that Russia, China and their allies have the “upper hand” in the “global power struggle while nearly three out of four Americans (72%) believe the US and its allies have the advantage.

Chart on chinese, russian, and american citizens' perceptions of which countries have the upper hand in the world's power struggle

“Both sides believe they hold the superior position, which doesn’t bode well for a quick resolution,” said David Woo, founder of Unbound and former Head of Global Interest Rates, Foreign Exchange, Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy & Economics Research, Bank of America and former Head of Global Foreign Exchange Strategy, Barclays Capital, London. “Moreover, the conflict between Russia and its allies and the US and its allies is, at its core, not about political systems but about economic outcomes which is really what’s at stake here.”

When asked what would be most threatened if their side were to fall behind in the global power struggle, the most selected answer in all three countries was “economic growth” (39% of Russians, 35% of Americans, and 37% of Chinese). The country’s political system was the least selected answer in all three countries (16% of Russians, 19% of Americans, and 15% of Chinese).

Leveraging RIWI’s “Random Domain Intercept” Technology that minimizes bias and provides more reliable signals, the data in this study were collected anonymously and on a 24/7 basis from more than 1300 Russians, more than 1600 Americans, and over 2200 Chinese between March 30 to April 18. This is the first study of its kind to collect real-time data from Russian, American, and Chinese citizens about the global geopolitical realignment.

“Typical survey data from China and Russia are widely viewed as unreliable,” said Greg Wong, CEO of RIWI, “The information war being waged alongside the military one is making it even more difficult for analysts and decision-makers to reliably gauge current, let alone future, economic and political conditions. This ongoing study aims to fill part of this information gap by providing, to our knowledge, the only independent, broad-based, anonymous, real-time data on the realignment underway.”

The Compass Series of Indexes are fashioned to help financial institutions, multinational corporations, international organizations, government agencies, universities, think tanks, and individual retail investors to have their fingers on the pulse on the political-economic mega trends occurring in the world today. For more information on The Compass Series, visit https://riwi.com/compass-series/. Data collection continues on an ongoing basis and Index data subscriptions are available here: https://riwi.com/compass-series/compass-series-data-subscriptions/

Methodology

Unlike typical sentiment and behavior data in these countries, the data in the Cold War II Index draws on a unique technology which minimizes biases associated with typical survey methods. The core concept behind the technology’s algorithms is that anyone surfing the Web has a random chance of exposure to the questions, which results in the inclusion of those who are not typically included in opinion polls.

No identifiable information is collected (e.g., names, email), no incentives for participation are provided, and respondents may end their participation at any time. These security measures/methodological characteristics encourage individuals to respond honestly (avoiding social desirability bias and incentive bias).

RIWI further announces that it has granted 25,000 stock options (“Options”) to an officer of the Company pursuant to the Company’s stock option plan. The Options are exercisable at a price of CAD$0.98 per share, expire on April 20, 2027, and will vest 25% on each of the following dates: April 20, 2023; April 20, 2024; April 20, 2025; and April 20, 2026.

About Unbound:
Unbound is a global forum devoted to the promotion of fact-based debates about markets, politics, and economics. Created by renowned macroeconomist and former Wall Street strategist David Woo, Unbound takes on groupthink, propaganda and conspiracy theories through a critical analysis of markets, economics, and politics. Known for his contrarian calls on pivotal global events, Woo recently served as Head of Global Rates, Foreign Exchange, Emerging Market Fixed Income & Economics Research at Bank of America, where he managed the top ranked global macro strategy team on Wall Street. He was previously the head of Global Foreign Exchange Strategy at Barclays Capital and the Head of Local Markets Strategy for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Citigroup. Woo started his career as an Economist at the International Monetary Fund and completed his Ph.D in Economics from Columbia University. Woo was voted one of the twelve smartest people on Wall Street in 2013 by Business Insider. To learn more visit https://www.davidwoounbound.com or follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter @Davidwoounbound

About RIWI

Founded in 2009, RIWI Corp. (TSXV: RIWI) (OTC: RWCRF) is a leading provider of accurate and real-time global consumer and citizen sentiment data, which reaches more countries and markets than any other firm. In order to improve global prosperity and equity, RIWI’s global machine-learning Web architecture conducts continuous, privacy-compliant surveys and ad tests that help organizations and government agencies break through the noise to find the truth about what people really think, want for themselves, and observe in the world around them. To learn more visit www.riwi.com or follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter @RIWIdata.

https://riwi.com

RIWI CORP.

Signed: “Greg Wong”

Greg Wong, Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please contact :

Chris McCoin or Rick Smith
McCoin & Smith Communications, Inc.
chris@mccoinsmith.com or rick@mccoinsmith.com
+1 (508) 429-5988 (Chris) or +1 (978) 433-3304 (Rick)

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

Information and statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation that involves risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information included herein is made as of the date of this news release and RIWI does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking information unless required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information relates to future events or future performance and reflects management of the Company’s expectations or beliefs regarding future events. This forward-looking information is based, in part, on assumptions and factors that may change or prove to be incorrect, thus causing actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking information.