Ireland is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of its global reputation, according to a recent study.
The results come from Country RepTrak, who produce an annual list of countries with the best reputations. The order of the list is based on several factors such as levels of trust, esteem, admiration and good feeling.
The rankings came after 58,000 members of the general public in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and US answered questions in an online questionnaire.
In 2016, there were three areas that helped to define a country’s reputation – effective government (37.1% weighting), appealing environment (36%), and advanced economy (26.9%), according to the study.
A total of 55 countries are ranked and Ireland has made the top ten for the first time – finishing 9th in the list.
Niamh Boyle, Managing Director at The Reputations Agency said that Ireland’s growing reputation couldn’t have come at a better time, with global uncertainty following Brexit.
She said: “Reputation is increasingly important in a very competitive global marketplace. Ireland’s positive reputation and top ten position is encouraging as we look to showcase our country to international visitors and investors.”
She said that the reputation of a country was based more on people’s emotional connection to it rather than its size or economic power.
She continued: “Being welcoming, safe and beautiful are the top three drivers of a country’s reputation, and nations with strong reputations such as Ireland are better positioned to welcome more tourists, increase exports, improve diplomacy and attract foreign direct investment, knowledge and talent.”
Ireland ranked highly in a number of areas – seventh in the list of countries that G8 consumers would like to visit, ninth for where the public would like to live and for where they’d like to organise or attend an event, and 10th place for the propensity to buy products and services from that country.
Here is the top 10 countries in terms of global reputation
1 – Sweden
2 – Canada
3 – Switzerland
4 – Austria
5 – Norway
6 – Finland
7 – New Zealand
8 – Denmark
9 – Ireland
10 – Netherlands
