Oxford-GlobeScan Survey 2026: Geopolitics and AI Shape the Corporate Affairs Agenda

Oxford-GlobeScan Survey 2026: Geopolitics and AI Shape the Corporate Affairs Agenda

For the seventh time, the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and the consulting firm GlobeScan surveyed communications and corporate affairs professionals worldwide. For the 2026 edition, 294 experts from 51 countries provided responses between February 4 and March 27. The annual survey examines the risks and opportunities that corporate communicators foresee for the next two years, how priorities are shifting across the three ESG pillars—environment, social, and governance—and how the corporate affairs function itself is positioned.

As is the case worldwide, geopolitical risks are also the top concern in Europe, followed by risks related to AI and technology, which have jumped globally from 17 to 44 percent. A distinctive feature in Europe is the focus on regulation: 17 percent of respondents in Europe cite regulatory pressure as one of the greatest risks—significantly more than in other regions. When it comes to opportunities, innovation, digitalization, and AI also lead the way here, at 73 percent. Unlike in most regions, however, stakeholder engagement and trust-building rank second in Europe, and the issue of skills development and talent acquisition plays the most significant role here, alongside South America.

What stands out is how companies approach their purpose and values. Only 24 percent of European respondents report more discussions about purpose among senior management—the lowest figure of all regions. At the same time, European professionals are particularly self-critical when it comes to their own discipline. This criticism extends as far as calls for a radical realignment of their own role.