Brouillard believes that Virgin Atlantic emerged as the clear favourite because it is seen by many as a strong performer. In this sense, it delivers its product to customers consistently on time and with a smile. The survey, which was also conducted in the United States, found that UK respondents placed roughly twice as much importance on performance criteria than their American counterparts.

When asked why they favoured Virgin however, 39% of UK respondents polled cited the company's corporate character as a reason. "In addition to having an impeccable performance record, Virgin benefits tremendously from the stellar reputation of Richard Branson," said Bill Lyddan, president and CEO of Brouillard Communications, "but the numbers suggest that performance is still at the forefront of the British consumer's mind."

Almost half the respondents named Virgin Atlantic as the most capable leader - despite the company's relative youth. "The wide gulf between Virgin and the runners-up in the survey suggests the UK is still an open field where new entrants can make a great deal of headway," Mr. Lyddan said. "So there's a tremendous opportunity for enterprising companies to accelerate corporate reputation in the United Kingdom."

By comparison, Railtrack and British Rail were least favoured to take over the government. British Telecom had the dubious honour of also appearing in the bottom five, along with the government-owned National Health Service, and Camelot - the company that runs the national lottery. Poor performance was the primary reason that four of the five least-favoured companies were named. That factor was cited by over two-thirds of those naming Railtrack and British Rail. However, of those who named Camelot as least trusted to run the government, 50 % said that they are "Only interested in profits," while 14 % responded that there are "Too many fat cats at the top." In a parallel survey conducted by Brouillard in the United States, Microsoft emerged as the runaway winner. The percentage of people naming it as their top choice to take over Washington was four times as great as the second place finisher, IBM. The research was conducted by omnibus telephone interviews with a sample of adults in the US and UK during January 17 to 21, 2001. A sample of 1,022 interviews were conducted with US adults aged 18 and over, and 1,007 UK adults 16 and over. Random digit-dial telephone samples were used in both countries.