Interesting data from Google Trends comparing the search terms of “I hate” and “I love” (in blue and red, respectively) seems to indicate that the English speaking world is becoming a more loving place, despite the recent recession and other problems involving people from English-dominant nations.
A similar trend was found for equivalent terms in Spanish (Odio, Amo), though none was found for Chinese (我恨, 我爱), even though China is the fastest rising economy these days.
Maybe financial success won’t be such a boon to China in the future as expected. In the West, though, it seems like many more people will be happier and friendlier toward each other: the true meaning of civilization perhaps.