Sweden "best brand in the world"
Sweden has topped the rankings in an international survey of the top nation brands.
People around the world see the Swedish government as the most trustworthy administration in the world, the Swedish people as the world's most hospitable, and think of Sweden as the best place in the world to live and work.
The findings were made in the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index, a survey of 10,000 consumers in ten countries. They were asked for their impressions of the United States, Britain, Sweden, China, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Russia and Turkey.
The report's author, Simon Anholt, says Sweden is "almost universally admired".
"Its brand image boasts a rare combination of stable and responsible governance, honest and trustworthy people, successful cultural exports, a prime location for investment, and yet isn't seen as boring or predictable, but young and dynamic."
Sweden was followed in the rankings by Britain, with America sharing fourth place with Germany. Turkey and Russia prop up the bottom of the table, with many people having a particularly poor impression of Russia.
One measure in which Sweden did particularly well was hospitality. Swedes were viewed as the most hospitable people out of all the nationalities included in the survey, and Sweden (perhaps not coincidentally) was seen as the second most attractive tourist destination after Italy.
The respondents described Sweden as 'fascinating', 'exciting', and 'romantic'. Many of those questioned had heard of the Ice Hotel.
The report pointed out, however, that popular tourist destinations such as France and Australia had not been included in the survey.
Equally positive for Sweden was its high placing in the investment rankings. It was seen as the second most attractive place to invest in, behind the United States. When people were asked where they would most like to live and work, Sweden came out on top.
That Sweden came top in rankings of good government may come as something of a surprise to opposition Moderate Party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt, but he can take comfort from the fact that most people responding to the survey were probably judging Sweden from a position of complete ignorance.
"It is unlikely that many of our respondents would be able to name a member of the Swedish government, or identify the party currently in power: these scores are almost certainly pure brand image, and appear to require little substantiation," says Anholt.
Front page picture: Richard Ryan/Source: imagebank.sweden.se
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People around the world see the Swedish government as the most trustworthy administration in the world, the Swedish people as the world's most hospitable, and think of Sweden as the best place in the world to live and work.
The findings were made in the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index, a survey of 10,000 consumers in ten countries. They were asked for their impressions of the United States, Britain, Sweden, China, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Russia and Turkey.
The report's author, Simon Anholt, says Sweden is "almost universally admired".
"Its brand image boasts a rare combination of stable and responsible governance, honest and trustworthy people, successful cultural exports, a prime location for investment, and yet isn't seen as boring or predictable, but young and dynamic."
Sweden was followed in the rankings by Britain, with America sharing fourth place with Germany. Turkey and Russia prop up the bottom of the table, with many people having a particularly poor impression of Russia.
One measure in which Sweden did particularly well was hospitality. Swedes were viewed as the most hospitable people out of all the nationalities included in the survey, and Sweden (perhaps not coincidentally) was seen as the second most attractive tourist destination after Italy.
The respondents described Sweden as 'fascinating', 'exciting', and 'romantic'. Many of those questioned had heard of the Ice Hotel.
The report pointed out, however, that popular tourist destinations such as France and Australia had not been included in the survey.
Equally positive for Sweden was its high placing in the investment rankings. It was seen as the second most attractive place to invest in, behind the United States. When people were asked where they would most like to live and work, Sweden came out on top.
That Sweden came top in rankings of good government may come as something of a surprise to opposition Moderate Party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt, but he can take comfort from the fact that most people responding to the survey were probably judging Sweden from a position of complete ignorance.
"It is unlikely that many of our respondents would be able to name a member of the Swedish government, or identify the party currently in power: these scores are almost certainly pure brand image, and appear to require little substantiation," says Anholt.
Front page picture: Richard Ryan/Source: imagebank.sweden.se
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