“Germany is one of the most trusted countries in the G20”

The British Council has been conducting the ‘Global Perceptions Survey’ regularly for several years now. Can you briefly explain what exactly prompted this and what your methodology is?

The survey has its origins in a push to raise awareness of the work of the British Council within the UK. On that basis, the results can be seen at best as mixed, as we are still far better known overseas than we are at home. We continued to undertake the survey to better understand what the leaders of tomorrow think about the world. In terms of methodology, we ran an online survey of educated young people aged 18-34 with a weighted, representative sample of 1000 in each of the G20 member states.

Originally, we focussed on perceptions of the UK and included questions around what people around the world thought about the British people. So, in one of the earliest surveys undertaken back in 2014, respondents from Germany thought we drank too much alcohol, have bad eating habits and are ignorant of other cultures. Which remains a fair and accurate assessment!

Over time, the survey has evolved to look far more at what people from different countries think of each other rather than just the UK. This allows for comparisons such as relative levels of trust in the governments of Germany and France among Brazilians – the German government was more trusted than France in the most recent survey – and where young people from China are most interested in visiting, studying or doing business. The metrics we track have also evolved to include people’s values, how they view other countries’ societies – Are they democratic? Do they have a free press? – and their attitudes towards globalisation and nationalism.

These perceptions matter as they drive people’s behaviour and the choices they make. Will it be TU Berlin or MIT? While just one student making that very personal choice may not mean all that much, but when hundreds, thousands or more make that choice, it becomes impactful, and not just for the host university, but also the host country.

What is fascinating is that, by analysing the data, it becomes clear that it isn’t just the quality of the educational offer itself that matters to that decision, but also the quality of life on offer. A fair number of international students will have chosen Liverpool University because of Liverpool Football Club.

The last survey was conducted in spring 2023, and you are currently preparing for the 2025 survey. In your view, what are the key findings of the 2023 survey and what changes or developments do you expect to see in the 2025 survey?

The biggest story that emerged from the 2023 survey was the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on perceptions of the country. Attitudes towards Russia were already quite negative in G7 states, notably so in Germany and the UK, but in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia, Russia had previously been polling strongly on trust and other measures. This changed following the invasion. For example, in Mexico the ratings for trust in government for the UK and Russia differed by just 2 points in 2021, but in the 2023 survey Russia’s rating fell 17 points. It was a similar story across much of the G20, but with a few notable exceptions. In China, the ratings for Russia across multiple metrics increased. India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia also bucked the general trend. It will be fascinating to see how perceptions of Russia have evolved since.

However, the biggest story is likely to be the impact of a second Trump Presidency. In the 2018 survey, perceptions of the US government collapsed, leaving it as the most distrusted of any G20 country. The ratings rebounded under President Biden, so it will be very interesting to see what happens this time around.

Some commentators, at least in the UK, are talking about the Second Trump Presidency as indicative of a wider rightward “vibes shift”, something that tallies with rising nationalist sentiments that we’ve been tracking in several G20 member states, including Germany. How that plays out, rather than the impact of any one leader or event, is probably the most important development to keep an eye on in the 2025 survey.   

As a British organisation, the focus of your analyses is naturally on the findings for the UK. Can you nevertheless say something for our German readership about the findings in relation to Germany? How do you think these have developed between the 2021 and 2023 surveys?

I do find the results from Germany particularly interesting. I’ve highlighted a few already. One that would be of note to both German and British audiences is the impact of Brexit on perceptions. It has certainly been a source of anxiety for British policymakers. Yet in 2023, the UK government was the most trusted among any G20 country by German respondents. That may come as a surprise, given at that point we were on our fifth Prime Minister since the 2016 vote!

But your readership is perhaps more interested in how the world perceives Germany, rather than how Germany sees the world. Germany is viewed as a responsible international actor that works constructively with the governments of other countries on global challenges and is a “force for good in the world”. Alongside Canada, Japan and the UK, Germany is one of the most trusted countries in the G20.

I have touched on the metrics around nationalism. One thing that was really striking in the 2023 survey was how the middle ground in Germany is shrinking. There appears to be a growing polarisation of opinion among young people, between those that prioritise the national interest and those that emphasise international co-operation. It will be fascinating to see how that shift in attitudes has evolved over the past two years.

On a final note, we are bringing back that 2014 question that stereotyped the British as a drunken, junk-food-eating and ignorant bunch, but are widening it to explore perceptions of Germany and other countries. So your readers can also look forward to finding out what young people around the world have to say about the Germans.