I agree, the statement is just poorly written. A qualifier like "awful" is only ever in relation to something else. Statement 3 (the world can be much better)

I agree, the statement is just poorly written. A qualifier like "awful" is only ever in relation to something else. Statement 3 (the world can be much better) is essentially a better formulation. 4.4% is awful in relation to 0.47%, which is possible.