Canada is the Country With the Best Reputation in the World Accord
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Canada has earned the highest reputation ranking in Reputation Institute's 2011 Country RepTrak?, an annual study measuring the public perceptions of 50 countries around the world. The study measures the overall Trust, Esteem, Admiration and Good Feelings the public holds towards these countries, as well as their perceptions across 16 different attributes, including a good quality of life, a safe place to live and a strong attention to their environment. Results from over 42,000 respondents worldwide showed that Canada scored well in all of these elements. "The study shows that a strong country reputation requires a solid performance across three different areas: having an advanced economy, an appealing environment and an effective government," says Nicolas Georges Trad, Executive Partner of Reputation Institute, a global consulting firm specializing in reputation management.
Canada was followed by Sweden, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, all showing stability in their high scores throughout the three years of this annual study. Their strong reputations are attributed to their steady democracies, high GDP per capita, focus on active lifestyles, well developed political systems and perceived neutrality to international political upheavals. The lowest ranked countries in the 50-country study were Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, while the United States and China were ranked in the middle and lower tiers.
One of the most interesting findings of this year's study was the significant decrease in the average score of all countries measured, suggesting a growing cynicism people have towards countries, possibly due to recent developments in the world economy and a general loss of faith in politics worldwide. The effect of economics and politics on countries' reputation also showed in some of the big movements from 2009 and 2011: Spain, Ireland and Greece dropped by 5th, 6th and 7th places respectively, while Germany climbed 5 spots to number 11. The outcome in Greece has been even more pronounced internally; the study found that, when rated by Greeks, the country scored almost 16 points lower than by people outside of Greece. "This suggests that in addition to managing their reputations externally, countries should also invest in building domestic pride to drive positive perceptions both inside and outside the country ? especially following a trust crisis like we see it in this case," says Nicolas Georges Trad.
Reputation Institute also measured the impact that people's perceptions on the 16 attributes had on the countries' overall reputation. It was found that being perceived as a safe country and a country with friendly people are the most important attributes that drive a country's reputation. This could explain Mexico's plunge from 24th place in 2009 to 35th place this year, as it increasingly struggles with an image of a violent, lawless country.
Perhaps the most important finding in 2011 Country RepTrak? is that reputation means money. Reputation Institute found a very strong correlation between a country's reputation and people's willingness to visit there, buy its exported products and services, invest there, study there or even live and work there. "Our approach provides a strategic tool that enables countries to make informed decisions about how to spend their brand and reputation building budgets," says Kasper Nielsen, Executive Partner of Reputation Institute. "When you consider that a 10% increase in your country's reputation leads to an 11% rise in your tourism receipts, and a 2% increase in your FDI ? this is something both countries and companies might want to take note of."
About Reputation Institute
Reputation Institute is the world's leading corporate reputation consulting firm. Founded in 1997, with a presence in 30 countries, we are the pioneer in reputation management. Through systematic research and analysis, Reputation Institute supports companies to build comprehensive strategies and make operational decisions that are designed to align stakeholders with corporate objectives creating tangible economic value. We enable leaders to make business decisions that build and protect reputational capital and drive competitive advantage. For more information, visit: http://www.reputationinstitute.com.
About Survey Sampling International
Survey Sampling International (SSI) is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. With offices in 15 countries, SSI provides data collection services to more than 1,800 clients, including 48 of the top 50 research organizations. For more information, visit: http://www.surveysampling.com.
About Toluna
Toluna is the world's leading independent online panel and survey technology provider to the global market research industry. We provide online sample and survey technology solutions to the world's leading market research agencies, media agencies and corporates, from our 17 offices in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit: http://www.toluna-group.com.
2011 Country RepTrak?
Global Ranking
Rank
Country
2011 Country RepTrak? Score
1
Canada
74.8
2
Sweden
74.7
3
Australia
74.3
4
Switzerland
74.2
5
New Zealand
73.1
6
Norway
73.1
7
Denmark
71.9
8
Finland
70.5
9
Austria
69.4
10
Netherlands
68.7
11
Germany
68.3
12
Japan
67.2
13
Belgium
65.6
14
Italy
64.6
15
UK
64.2
16
Spain
63.7
17
Ireland
63.6
18
France
62.1
19
Portugal
58.1
20
Singapore
58.0
21
Greece
55.8
22
Brazil
54.6
23
USA
52.9
24
Argentina
52.0
25
Taiwan
51.3
26
Poland
50.9
27
India
50.3
28
Peru
50.2
29
UAE
50.0
30
Thailand
49.9
31
Chile
49.7
32
Puerto Rico
47.4
33
South Africa
46.7
34
South Korea
46.6
35
Mexico
46.0
36
Turkey
46.0
37
Egypt
45.9
38
Venezuela
45.4
39
Bolivia
42.4
40
Ukraine
42.2
41
Israel
41.9
42
Haiti
41.8
43
China
40.7
44
Saudi Arabia
38.8
45
Russia
38.6
46
Colombia
37.1
47
Nigeria
30.9
48
Pakistan
27.2
49
Iran
22.7
50
Iraq
21.8
Effective Government
Rank
Country
1
Switzerland
2
Sweden
3
Norway
4
Canada
5
Denmark
6
Australia
7
Germany
8
Finland
9
Netherlands
10
New Zealand
Advanced Economy
Rank
Country
1
Japan
2
Germany
3
Sweden
4
Switzerland
5
Norway
6
Canada
7
US
8
Denmark
9
Finland
10
Australia
Appealing Environment
Rank
Country
1
Australia
2
Switzerland
3
Sweden
4
Canada
5
Italy
6
New Zealand
7
Norway
8
Spain
9
Austria
10
Denmark
Contact: Amy Cross, Reputation Institute 1 (212) 495-3855 x307, across@reputationinstitute.com
SOURCE Reputation Institute
FONTE Reputation Institute