Russia's reputation falls by 19 percent worldwide - Switzerland slips three places

The study shows: All countries surveyed hold Russia responsible for the war in Ukraine - except China and India. Solidarity with Ukraine is great and has a positive effect on the global perception of the country. The current study is a supplement to the "Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2022" report, which annually measures the perception of country brands. First place in the ranking is occupied by the USA, followed by the UK in second place and Germany in third place. When asked who bears the main responsibility for the war in Ukraine, a clear majority of those surveyed in the study blamed Russia. This was also the case in Germany: 67 percent of the Germans surveyed held Russia responsible for the war in Ukraine. As a result, Russia is losing 19 percent of its reputation worldwide. Other countries, such as China (52 percent) and India (46 percent), on the other hand, see the USA as being to blame. Interestingly, almost a quarter - 22 percent - of Americans blame their own country for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Division in the USA

"This new study shows how strongly different news sources influence how people around the world classify current events. While on a global level, perceptions of Russia have undoubtedly worsened, the specific impact varies from country to country. What is most surprising, however, is how divided the American public is about the war in Ukraine," explains David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance. Last year's winner, Germany, slips to third place in the Global Soft Power Index 2022 - overtaken by the USA (first place) and the UK (second place). And yet: The overall ranking for Germany remains very stable and at a high level. Switzerland slips three places Switzerland and Austria also lose places in the "Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2022" report. Switzerland is in the top ten - but it has slipped from fifth place (2021) to eighth (2022), with an overall score of 56.6 points. Austria dropped four places compared with the previous year - to 27th place. The Global Soft Power Index is a fully survey-based annual research study on the perception of country brands. The Global Soft Power Index captures the opinions of over 100,000 respondents worldwide on 120 national brands. Brand Finance is a global market-leading independent brand valuation and brand analysis consultancy headquartered in London. Soft power is defined as the ability of a nation to influence the preferences and behavior of different actors in the international arena (states, companies, communities, the public, etc.) through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion.  

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The report on the Download and more information