For the seventh year in a row, we surveyed 6,000 people in some of Europe’s largest economies (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Austria) to take the pulse on future prospects, policymaking and the rise of AI. Although pessimists still predominate, their lead has narrowed significantly compared to last year, from -23.0% to -8.3%. In Germany, this figure has fallen by 17pps.