As 2026 begins, many people are entering the new year with a mixture of exhaustion and cautious hope. After years marked by economic pressure, political volatility, and overlapping global crises, optimism feels less like enthusiasm and more like necessity. Something, many sense, has to change. It is within this context that Changemaker Q&A host Tiyana Jovanovic has offered a series of predictions for the year ahead—less as firm forecasts, and more as hypotheses grounded in long-term observation of social movements, political communication, and the social impact sector.
Together, these predictions offer a lens for understanding how power, trust, and collective action may continue to shift throughout 2026.
Prediction One: Digital Influencers Will Function as De Facto Political Interpreters
One of the clearest trends shaping public life is the erosion of trust in traditional institutions. Governments, political parties, legacy media, and even universities no longer hold unquestioned authority for large sections of the public. In their place, individuals—podcasters, commentators, content creators, and influencers—are increasingly becoming the primary sources people turn to when trying to make sense of political and social issues.
In 2026, this shift is likely to accelerate. Digital influencers are no longer simply sharing opinions; they are functioning as political interpreters. Their audiences rely on them not just for what to think, but for how to understand complex events, how to feel about them, and how to position themselves socially and morally. In an information environment defined by overload and exhaustion, this reliance is understandable. Few people have the time, training, or cognitive bandwidth to deeply engage with policy detail, competing data sets, and multiple perspectives on every issue.
The consequence, however, is a growing intolerance for ambiguity. Influencer-led political interpretation rewards clarity, certainty, and emotional resonance over nuance. Algorithms then reinforce these dynamics by amplifying content that aligns with existing beliefs. Over time, this narrows the space for complexity and makes it harder for people to sit with uncertainty or hold contradictory ideas at once. The result is a political culture that is increasingly polarised and less capable of sustaining meaningful dialogue across difference.
Prediction Two: The Political Right Will Gain Momentum Through Future-Focused Messaging
A second prediction for 2026 is the continued relative momentum of the political right, particularly when compared with progressive movements. This shift is not necessarily driven by widespread ideological conversion, but by differences in narrative framing and emotional appeal.
Periods of economic insecurity and social stagnation tend to heighten people’s desire for direction and certainty. In recent years, progressive messaging has increasingly centred on opposition—opposition to injustice, authoritarianism, inequality, and environmental destruction. While these critiques are vital, they are often framed in terms of what must be stopped or resisted. By contrast, many right-leaning movements have become more explicit about what they claim to be building. Their narratives, however selective or misleading, offer a sense of order, stability, and imagined future coherence.
For individuals experiencing precarity, aspirational storytelling can be deeply compelling. Research in political communication consistently shows that future-oriented narratives mobilise support more effectively than problem-centred critique alone. When one side articulates a vision—however flawed—and the other primarily articulates resistance, undecided or disengaged audiences are more likely to be drawn toward the former. Unless progressive movements reclaim the ability to articulate clear, hopeful, and concrete visions of alternative futures, this imbalance is likely to persist throughout 2026.
Prediction Three: Anti-Intellectualism Will Become More Visible and Politically Normalised
A third trend expected to intensify in 2026 is the rise of anti-intellectualism. This does not simply manifest as hostility toward academics or universities, but as a broader cultural suspicion of expertise, evidence, and complexity. Scientific consensus is increasingly dismissed as elitist, and nuanced explanations are often rejected in favour of simplistic narratives and quick solutions.
This shift is closely tied to unmet economic expectations. For decades, higher education has been framed—particularly under neoliberal capitalism—as a guaranteed pathway to secure employment and social mobility. As this promise has eroded, frustration has increasingly been directed toward educational institutions themselves rather than the economic system that shaped those expectations. Universities have become symbols of broken guarantees, even as their research functions remain critical to addressing global challenges.
In 2026, this dynamic is likely to further erode public trust in expertise at precisely the moment when issues such as climate change, migration, and geopolitical conflict require sophisticated, evidence-informed responses. The challenge will be to defend the value of intellectual inquiry while also addressing the material conditions that have fuelled public disenchantment.
Prediction Four: Fundraising and Volunteering Will Become More Polarised in the Social Impact Sector
These broader political and cultural shifts are also reshaping the not-for-profit sector. One prediction for 2026 is increasing polarisation between large, highly professionalised organisations and smaller, community-based initiatives. Cost-of-living pressures are reducing people’s capacity to give, while well-resourced organisations are using advanced technologies to demonstrate impact, segment donors, and personalise engagement at scale.
Smaller organisations often lack the infrastructure to compete in this environment, even when they are deeply embedded in communities and addressing urgent needs. As funding concentrates among larger institutions, the diversity of approaches within civil society risks narrowing. Without deliberate efforts to support grassroots work, the gap between professionalised nonprofits and community-led organisations is likely to widen further.
Volunteering patterns are also changing. Long-term, regular commitments are declining, replaced by shorter, skills-based, and digitally mediated forms of engagement. People remain willing to contribute, but they do so within the constraints of increasingly precarious work, caregiving responsibilities, and time scarcity. Organisations that adapt to these changing rhythms—while still fostering meaningful relationships—are likely to be better positioned in the year ahead.
Prediction Five: Social Movements and Alternative Futures Will Continue to Grow Beneath the Surface
Despite these challenges, the final prediction for 2026 is a hopeful one. As dissatisfaction with “business as usual” deepens, more people are likely to move beyond critique and toward creation. While some will respond to uncertainty by retreating into polarisation or disengagement, others are increasingly drawn to grassroots movements, cooperative models, and regenerative alternatives.
This shift aligns with the framework articulated by eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, who described three dominant stories shaping our time: business as usual, the great unraveling, and the great turning. While many people feel trapped in the second—aware of systemic breakdown but unsure how to respond—there are growing signs that more are stepping into the third. Community energy projects, mutual aid networks, cooperative enterprises, and alternative education models all reflect efforts to build new systems within the shell of the old.
These initiatives may not dominate headlines in 2026, but their significance lies in their cumulative impact. They offer people a sense of agency, purpose, and belonging at a time when many feel disempowered. In doing so, they quietly challenge the narrative that collapse is inevitable and that alternatives are impossible.
The year ahead will undoubtedly bring further uncertainty, conflict, and moments of collective strain. Yet it will also present opportunities to choose how we engage with the systems and stories shaping our world. Whether through the media we consume, the organisations we support, or the futures we help build, participation remains possible—even under difficult conditions.
If there is a unifying thread across these predictions, it is this: while many institutions are under pressure, the human capacity to imagine, organise, and care has not disappeared. Change may be uneven and slow, but it is still unfolding. The task of 2026 is not merely to endure what comes next, but to decide—individually and collectively—how we help shape what follows.
