Ireland Ranked Top 10 in Global Reputation Study

The Reputations Agency announced today that Ireland has been ranked in tenth position by the general public across the G8 nations, out of 55 countries surveyed in the annual Country RepTrak^® 2017 study. Last year, Ireland entered the top ten rankings for the first time in ninth position. This year Ireland has fallen one position to tenth place but has nevertheless improved its reputation score and maintained its top 10 position. Canada is the country with the world’s best reputation, according to the study.

Canada, with a RepTrak^® Pulse score of 82.8 points out of 100 (the indicator that quantifies esteem, admiration and good image that a country evokes), leads the Country RepTrak_^® ranking. Whilst Ireland dropped one place to tenth in the rankings, it significantly improved its score by 3.3 points, increasing from a score of 74.1 out of 100 in 2016 to a score of 77.4 in 2017 - its highest recorded score ever. Ireland was ranked as low as 17th place with a score of 63.6 in 2011.

Niamh Boyle, Managing Director at The Reputations Agency commented: “Ireland’s robust performance in this study and its strong global reputation is positive news in an uncertain political international climate. As competition intensifies internationally, a country’s reputation matters more than ever. It is encouraging to see Ireland consolidate its strong global reputation in this year’s study. Attracting foreign direct investment, tourists, high-skilled workers and international students are all facilitated by having a strong country reputation. In addition, the G8 countries are important trading partners and sources of revenue for Ireland. Therefore, improving our reputation scores amongst people from these nations helps us promote Irish products abroad and is very positive for our economy.

“Ireland continues to be viewed as one of the most beautiful countries in the world, along with being a safe place, with friendly and welcoming people. These are the top three drivers of a country’s reputation, of the 17 attributes we measured. As a result, Ireland scores highly as a country where people would wish to visit, live and work”.

The report highlights the risks and opportunities for each of the 55 countries studied, providing particularly useful information for those devising strategies around country reputations such as country government bodies, FDI agencies, tourism bodies, business chambers, inward investment agencies and enterprise agencies.

The global study measures the reputation of the 55 countries based on the evaluation of 17 attributes grouped into the following three dimensions that drive a country’s reputation: Appealing Environment (with a 38% reputation weighting), Effective Government (37%), and Advanced Economy (25%).

The study, which took place in March 2017, consists of more than 39,000 ratings by G8 citizens.

The Top 10 countries in the 2017 Country RepTrak^®

Canada is ranked number one as it is perceived by the public in G8 nations to be a safe place with an Effective Government and progressive social and economic policies. In addition, Canada is seen to be an ethical country.

Ireland improved its overall reputation score in 2017 but also improved its scores across 14 of the 17 attributes which drive a country’s reputation. It improved scores most significantly in “Is a beautiful country”, “Is an enjoyable country”, “The people of the country are friendly and welcoming” and “Offers an appealing lifestyle”.

In 2017, Greece’s reputation has seen the biggest improvement (+14.3%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (+13.6%), and Egypt (+10.7%). On the other hand, the United States (-8.1%), Russia (-6.4%), and Nigeria (-5.4%) show the most diminished reputations.

Donald Trump’s presidency appears to be having serious consequences for the reputation of the United States. The US is not only experiencing the worst reputation loss in terms of percentage, but also in terms of ranking index positions, dropping from 28th in 2016, to 38th in 2017.

Brexit, the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union (EU), is also taking its toll on the country's reputation, which has sunk 5 places in the ranking index, from 13th in 2016, to 18th in 2017. The consequences of Brexit are mostly impacting supportive behaviours towards the country, with significant drops in “invest”, “work” and “buy”. In contrast, the UK’s internal reputation has noticeably improved by 7.5%.

Russia's increasing international activity hasn’t won over G8 citizens, who have ranked the country lower in terms of reputation (-6.3%) after the recovery it achieved in the 2016 ranking index. Russia's biggest losses in terms of reputation can be seen in the Effective Government dimension, in “is an ethical and transparent country” and “is a responsible participant in the global community”.

Although some of its reputation indicators are very low, China's reputation has been maintaining steady growth in recent years as it assumes its role as a key player on the world stage.

Greece's reputation has maintained its positive growth trend, driven by the recovery of its economy as well as the absence of negative headlines in the world's financial press. However, despite these advances, its recovery is still far from its position before the European Union bailout.

The lowest rated countries in this year’s study are:

• Iraq (28.3)
• Iran (32.8)
• Pakistan (37.3)
• Nigeria (38.8)
• Russia (40.3)

Here is an example of an ordered list: 

1. Iraq (28.3)
2. Iran (32.8)
3. Pakistan (37.3)
4. Nigeria (38.8)
5. Russia (40.3)

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

About Country RepTrak^® 

Country RepTrak^® 2017 ranked the reputations of 55 of the largest countries based on levels of trust, esteem, admiration and good feeling. The study is commissioned annually by The Reputations Agency and Reputation Institute. The study took place through an online questionnaire among 39,000 members of the general public in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and US. Perceptions regarding 17 attributes are grouped into three dimensions: Advanced Economy, Effective Government and Appealing Environment. Countries with strong reputations are perceived positively in all three dimensions. The study took place in March 2017.

The Reputations Agency

The Reputations Agency, a public relations and communications consultancy which specialises in reputation management, is the exclusive Irish associate of the global Reputation Institute, and part of the ddfh&b Group and JWT Worldwide. www.thereputationsagency.ie

Reputation Institute

Reputation Institute is the world’s leading reputation-based research and advisory firm. RI’s most prominent management tool is the RepTrak^® model for analyzing the reputations of companies and institutions - best known via the Forbes-published Global RepTrak^® 100, the world’s largest study of corporate reputations. Reputation Institute has offices and associates in 30 countries around the world. www.reputationinstitute.com