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Why Countries Should Measure Dreams and Ambitions (Just like GDP) | Lance Katigbak | TED

What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a universal question — and yet at some point, people stop asking you. Drawing on a nationwide survey across the Philippines, consumer researcher Lance Katigbak makes the case that countries should keep track of their citizens’ ambitions and aspirations. His radical proposal: What if…

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What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a universal question — and yet at some point, people stop asking you. Drawing on a nationwide survey across the Philippines, consumer researcher Lance Katigbak makes the case that countries should keep track of their citizens’ ambitions and aspirations. His radical proposal: What if governments didn’t just track GDP but also started measuring dreams? (Recorded at TED@BCG on October 23, 2025)

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19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. @MARahman26

    August 21, 2026 at 11:07 am

    Nice

  2. @swasti2103

    August 21, 2026 at 11:08 am

    I want to just live peacefully around nature!🥺 That’s what I really dream about these days

    • @OHM-786-one

      August 21, 2026 at 11:29 am

      💚

    • @fiasc0b0x

      August 22, 2026 at 12:21 am

      @swasti2103 may your dream come true ✨️

  3. @ماجدفارس-ع7ص

    August 21, 2026 at 11:18 am

    Good

  4. @OHM-786-one

    August 21, 2026 at 11:28 am

    Like it. Perhaps we could also consider rating our leaders, like Bhutan does its King.

  5. @larriveeman

    August 21, 2026 at 11:50 am

    I want the UN to disband, they are anit Israel, anti U.S., anti capitalist and a socialist hack org

  6. @erickmiranda3600

    August 21, 2026 at 11:58 am

    All great ideas but tell it to the ones in the back full of corruption and malice. We are hindered by those who wanna perpetuate bs harmful practices

  7. @ExistentialWolf

    August 21, 2026 at 12:41 pm

    Maybe Liechtenstein. 😴😴😴😴🤣

  8. @lolahbarrett

    August 21, 2026 at 12:52 pm

    I’ve been thinking about this topic for most of my life and I don’t think I ever could have presented it as succinctly as this

  9. @RusticRaver

    August 21, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    you guys living in a dream at ted talks, seriously, we cannot afford food and we get told live your dreams, what a joke!

    • @AjafikChristian

      August 22, 2026 at 3:15 am

      @RusticRaver there is a very serious problem every child in this world has a great ambition but reality always hinders the progress.

    • @RusticRaver

      August 22, 2026 at 1:16 pm

      @AjafikChristian Yes, I cannot blame parents making me think everything is possible, but i do think ageing is related to loosing illusion, i’m 44 now, thx f I dont have kids, I’m not sure what I would tell them, too depressing realistic vision. Plants and animals, you cannot go wrong. I dont think youtube is actually an evolution in general for humans, drama, addiction, listen to deluded people.

  10. @John-SE

    August 21, 2026 at 2:28 pm

    The idea is good but it is just that. It is plainly idealistic to think this would be good at a ted talk when the effects and impacts of a measurement about dreams is not talked about, so people will think that most of the time occupied was mostly empty talk and end up getting annoyed or angry, moreso, keywords like “imagine” gets overused too much, society and the world current revolved in being practical – talking about dreams and making people imagine by constantly telling them to do so and not giving any further information or elaborating on the impacts or effects of such a policy is too … unadulterated.
    This idea does not fit the adult world, it belongs in the teenager phase of being stuck in theoretical pursuits – shielded by the impacts of the practical adult life

  11. @splakacheus

    August 21, 2026 at 2:40 pm

    These TED talks are getting more and more ridiculous 😂

    • @erickmiranda3600

      August 21, 2026 at 9:37 pm

      Really just an entertainment show now. No practicality unless you go back 2015

  12. @Jasonxbr

    August 21, 2026 at 3:32 pm

    Not unless the countries are rule by dictators oppression demagogue complex pathological disorder of corruption and greed 😢😢😢😢😢😢Jesus Christ man my god we failed as a society

  13. @James-n5q2g

    August 22, 2026 at 9:28 am

    Well, good idea, except that it’ll likely hit goodhart’s law

  14. @shimora12

    August 22, 2026 at 10:19 am

    A Filipino speaker. ❤️

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