UK and US political turbulence dents reputation

Where the US and the UK have lost out, Canada has gained as it is ranked the world’s most well reputed country. Switzerland was second and Sweden third. The UK fell five places to be ranked no. 1.

James Bickford, managing director, Reputation Institute, said: “A country’s reputation has a direct impact on tourism, exports and foreign investment.

“The fact that the UK has seen such a significant drop in perceptions among those in countries around the world could spell trouble for the country’s prospects once the Brexit process is finalised. It is however encouraging to see that despite the political and economic turmoil experienced in recent months and years, that morale remains high and Brits have a more positive attitude towards their own country.” The United Kingdom’s internal reputation has improved by 7.5%.

The US has not only experienced the worst reputation loss in terms of percentage, but also in terms of ranking index positions, dropping from 27th in 2016, to 38th in 2017.

The main US reputation setbacks are in the variables: ‘is run by an effective government’ (-21.6%); ‘has adopted progressive social and economic policies’ (-11.8%); ‘ethical country with high transparency and low corruption’ (-11.0%); ‘is a responsible participant in the global community’ (-9.2%); and ‘operates efficiently – it does not impose unnecessary taxes or waste resources’ (-5.8%).

Canada, with 82.8 RepTrak^® Pulse points (the indicator that quantifies esteem, admiration and good image that a country evokes), leads the Country RepTrak^® report. However the difference is so minor, it’s almost a tie for the top three places.

The Reputation Institute’s Country RepTrak^® report measures the reputation of the 55 countries with the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP), based on 17 variables grouped into three dimensions: effective government, advanced economy and appealing environment. The study, conducted in March, consists of more than 39,000 interviews by G8 citizens.