The international reputation of each country is important. Tourism, foreign investment, exports, and talent recruitment depend to a large extent on this, among other desirable factors for any country worth their salt. That is why various governments in our country, regardless of color, have taken many initiatives over the years to improve the image of Spain. From the Spanish brand promoted at the time by Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo to Josep Borrell’s cosmopolitan Spain, through the work of the Cervantes Institute (and the controversial Madrid office), it is clear that Spain cares about what people think of Spain.
In order to analyze our image abroad – apart from their own evaluation – Elcano Royal Institute and Rep Track Company have been conducting research since 2012. Country Representative RoadWhich analyzes the international website of the 55 largest economies in the world. In order to determine the reputation of the countries surveyed, the “heart rate index” is used, a mathematical construct “based on admiration, respect, trust and the good impression that a country makes on the interviewee,” the document states. Because this measurement focuses almost exclusively on passionate magic The country wakes up, and the survey is completed with a survey of 17 traits related to quality of life, the level of development and institutional quality of the countries assessed, and a series of questions about whether it would recommend living, traveling, studying or working (among other things) in it.
The Spanish Thought Center presented on Wednesday Survey results for 2021. Generally in most countries They have seen their reputation deteriorate this year compared to the previous year. A global trend that research attributes to the crisis and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, not only from a health point of view, but also from a social and economic point of view. “The first major finding is that we live in a bleak international climate,” explained Carmen Gonzalez Enriquez, director of the Spanish Image Observatory at the Royal Elcano Institute. Of the 55 largest economies in the world, only 11 have seen an increase in their international reputation.
In the specific case of Spain, the country fell two points on the 100 scale of the Pulse Index, 75 to 73.1. This decline has led to the fall of our country in one place in the “ranking”, Ranked 14th among the countries with the best reputation For former G8 nationals (Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and Russia). Belgium, the country that fell behind Spain (to 73.5), came in 13th place. However, Spain’s reputation remained well above average (61.9) and outperformed the corresponding European countries. Germany (71.2), France (71.1) and the United Kingdom (69.8).
Canada is the most reputable country in the world in 2021 with a score of 79. The remaining ten of the top ten (with the exception of two neighboring countries) are European countries, with Scandinavia enjoying the greatest amount of dominance. Meanwhile, the two major world powers, United States (57.9) and China (45)I They are significantly behind in the table, ranking 35th and 51st, respectively.
Drama between neighbors
The Elcano report devotes a part to analyzing Spain’s reputation from the individual perspective of several countries, in some of which significant discrepancies can be seen. Out of 24 countries surveyed Poland is more appreciative to usHe gives us 81 points, followed by Australia, France, Russia and Argentina, all with over 77 points for Spain.
On the other side of the table is Morocco, the country that gives us the worst result: Only 45.7 points. This is despite the fact that the surveys on which the study was based were conducted between January and March of this year, even before the outbreak of the diplomatic crisis between the two countries, which brought bilateral relations to their weakest point in decades. Aside from our southern neighbor, China is the only country among the consulted countries that “suspends” Spain 49.8 points more than 100.
On the other hand, the survey also showed that Spain, among the five most populous European countries, is the most self-critical, ranking the only one with lower self-esteem from abroad. So, while Britain sees itself 9.4 points higher than its external score, Our country is 1.3 points lessThis brings it to 71.9 points. We are an exception: Germany (5.9 points more), France (2.3) and Italy (0.9) are more generous in their self-perception. “There are very few countries in the world where citizens see themselves as worse than they are abroad, and Spain is one of them. It is worth further investigation in this regard,” José Juan Ruiz, President of the Royal Elcano Institute, said while presenting the report.
On the prestige scale, Spaniards are ranked 19 out of 55, which is five jobs lower than those assigned to the G8 countries. The country most admired by Spain is GermanyWith 81.9 points, it is followed by Sweden (80.2), Canada (80.1), Norway (79.9) and Australia (79.2). The Poles’ respect for our country is not mutual, because we put them in 23rd place in the table with 65 points. Morocco, since it is not one of the 55 largest economies in the world, is not reflected in the Spanish assessment. However, previous research by Elcano indicates that the hostility is mutual. “When we do polls in Spain, we ask about other countries, Morocco is always the lastCarmen Gonzalez.
Obtains
People and culture are our greatest attraction
Among the set of characteristics that the study uses to determine the strengths and weaknesses of countries, Spain particularly stands out in those related to quality of life, which are important in calculating the pulse score. This is amazing “Friendliness and kindness of people”, for example, is the factor that gives sport the most weight (7.6% of the total) and in which our country is in the best position: No. 6 out of 55. Spain also came in sixth in the categories “Entertainment” I “Civilization”.
The trait in which Spain performs poorly “Technological innovation”It ranked 21st in the table, followed by countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Ireland. However, compared to 2020, Spain improved by at least two places in the 11th of 17 attributes. In other cases, the situation improves or remains the same as in the previous year.
Once again, the G8 members rated Spain’s characteristics much higher than the Spaniards themselves. This is particularly noticeable in terms of Institutional/political environment (16.3 points less than G8), Effective use of resources (17.4 points less) i “Ethics and Transparency” (20.7 points less). The report states that “the Spaniards are particularly critical of everything related to their political system.” The trend that Gonzalez warned of could undermine foreign confidence in Spain in the long run. “We do not live in a society isolated from the rest of the world,” he stressed. “This low self-esteem has the added risk of harming the outside world.”
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