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The UK is Still a Major Presence on the World Stage
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14/11/00
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The UK still enjoys a considerable presence around the world, according to a
survey of overseas attitudes towards the UK conducted by MORI on behalf of
the British Council. In the 17 countries surveyed, well educated young
people aged 24-40 said that they knew the UK better than France, Germany and
Japan. Of the five countries tested, only the USA enjoyed a higher degree of
familiarity.
The survey also found that:
Young people overseas are generally positive about the UK, especially its
economy and institutions, but are less keen on British people. Negative
personal qualities such as an inability to change with the times and an
unwelcoming attitude to outsiders constitute the biggest weakness, in the
eyes of many
The main channels for finding out about the UK are the local media,
notably the press and TV news. But one young person in five also uses the
Internet
On balance, a 'Made in the UK' label is seen as a mark of quality and
positively influences prospective consumers
Young people in Europe think that the UK puts a higher premium on its
relations with the USA than it does with them
The UK is second only to the USA as a favoured provider of international
higher education and, with the USA, emerges as a clear world leader in this
field
However, relatively few young people overseas are aware of recent UK
breakthroughs in science and technology.
The UK has a lacklustre reputation for creativity and innovation in the
arts, with reputation felt to be based more on the past than the present.
The UK's leading symbols are The Queen/Royal Family (England), kilts
(Scotland), the late Princess of Wales (Wales) and conflict (Northern
Ireland)
"Through Other Eyes 2" follows last year's Through Other Eyes report, which
presented MORI's research into attitudes to the UK in 13 other countries.
The British Council believes that together the two surveys constitute the
most comprehensive survey of international attitudes towards the UK ever
undertaken.
The countries surveyed this year were: Argentina, Bangladesh, Czech
Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
MORI interviewed, face-to-face, 3,505 people aged 24-40, postgraduate
students and fast-track junior managers in industry and government in 17
countries between 26 January and 16 June 2000.
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