How The World Sees Britain

The survey conducted by MORI on behalf of the British Council among the successor generation in thirteen countries reveals what foreigners think about all aspects of British society and culture.

The United Kingdom is both loved and loathed for its traditions. The images most often quoted of the Great Britain in the survey are the Queen and the Royal Family, kilts, castles and rugby. This has implications for public diplomacy. What can be done to close the gap between perceptions overseas and the reality of contemporary Britain without ignoring the strengths of our traditions for which we are respected?

Arts (pages 20-22)

"British arts represent their culture - very reserved and grey" - Malaysia

"Avant-garde, eccentric, mad" - France

"They don't have any famous artists. They like soccer." - Saudi Arabia

Sixty-six percent of those polled believe that Britain's reputation in the arts is based more in the past than in the present. There is a clear lack of knowledge about British contemporary arts. When asked to identify one or two contemporary artists Elton John and Hugh Grant topped the list with 5% each. A worrying 60% were unable to name a single artist. The area of British culture where people had the most knowledge was pop music and film.

Business and finance (pages 17-19)

"The British are managers by nature." - Egypt

"They manufacture things carefully. You buy a British garment and you know it will last forever." - Mexico

Whilst 81% of people rated British goods and services as "good" overall and 74% think British managers are good, the country comes behind the United States, Japan and Germany when it comes to having world-beating companies. British business is seen as too risk averse. "This permanent up-and-down risk which the Americans take is much too exhausting for the Britons." - Germany. However Britain is recognised as a financial centre, though still behind the USA and Japan.

Education (pages 13-15)

"They are well educated, well brought up people, able to keep up conversation." - Russia "There is a high educational standard which the English are associated with, and if I wanted to go abroad to study, this would be the only place." - Poland

Seventy-six percent of people questioned regard the British as well educated. British higher education is particularly well respected with 88% of people rating it as "good". However the United States still emerged as the market leader in higher education. Fifty-eight percent of respondents believe that qualifications from the United States have the most credibility with potential employers.

Media (pages 28-30)

"Even the more cultured people read the tabloids to be informed. Most of the scandals coming from the Royal Family are found there." - Mexico

A significant minority (28%) believe that the British media cannot be relied on to tell the truth. In Germany only 5% of people trust the truthfulness of the British media. However the British media were regarded as being more truthful than their counterparts in most of the countries surveyed.

Science and Technology (page 16)

"The British are exploring more ... cloning sheep and genetics and scary stuff." - South Africa

Whilst 62% of respondents agree that Britain has a b reputation for scientific and technological innovation, the UK was ranked well behind the United States, Japan and Germany.

Society (pages 23-27)

"They are well brought up people. Even if they don't like you too much, they try to be nice." - Russia

"The UK are one of the first democracies in Europe" - France

Sixty-five percent of people questioned agree that the UK is a good model of democratic government. A grudging 58% agree that the British legal system ensures that everyone gets a fair trial. Sixty-five percent also believe that the country has a good health care service. British institutions may be respected but a significant 41% believe that British people are not very welcoming towards foreigners.

You can download a pdf version of "through other eyes" - How The World Sees Britain, from the British Council website: www.britishcouncil.org/work/survey/index.htm

1. The British Council promotes a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom overseas. It has offices in 110 countries, a staff of 7,500 and a turnover of 163420 million.
2. The purpose of the research was to provide reliable data to be used to target the work of the British Council and to measure its effectiveness.
3. The British Council is grateful to the representatives of the following organisations, all of whom assisted in the preparation of the research report and contributed their experience: BBC World Service, British Airways, British Tourist Authority, CLK, Confederation of British Industry, Design Council, Department of Trade and Industry, British Trade International, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Invest in Britain Bureau.

Technical details

The survey was carried out in 13 key countries during May to August 1999: Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey. Interviews were conducted with approximately 200 members of the successor generation in each country. These were generally defined as people aged 24-35, well educated and either studying for a post-graduate qualification or employed in government/industry on a fast track to the top.