During July and August 2020 Anholt Ipsos have surveyed respondents regarding 50 countries’ management of health crises and how comfortable they are with visiting the counties within the next 12 months and the next five years, respectively. The ranking is based on net score, the differential based on positive and negative shares respectively.
The results show that:
- Health crises management impacts the willingness to travel to a country within the next five years
- Sweden ranks 15 of 50 countries regarding health crises management and ranks 10 of 50 regarding how comfortable travelers are with travelling there
- 40 percent of respondents have a positive view of Sweden’s management of health crises, 43 percent are neutral, and 17 percent have a negative view
- 47 percent of Swedish respondents have a positive view of Sweden’s management of health crises
The nations with the greatest “net positive” favorability for health crises management are Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and Japan. Mexico, Nigeria, India, Brazil and the US are the nations with the greatest “net negative” favorability.
Sweden ranks 15 of 50 nations. 40 percent of respondents have a positive view of Sweden’s health crises management. The corresponding share for Germany is 53 percent and for the US 25 percent. The respondents that are the most favorable to Sweden’s management of health crises are respondents in India, Egypt and China. Respondents in Japan, Italy, Germany and France are the least positive.
– The results mirror what we have seen in international media regarding how Sweden’s strategy during the coronapandemic has been perceived. Sweden has been perceived as a country that has chosen a different path in managing the pandemic and there have been different views with regards to the strategy. Based on the results from respondents in Germany, Italy and France there may be a correlation between the media coverage of Sweden’s handling of the pandemic and the overall view of Sweden. On the other hand, even though media coverage of Sweden also has been considerable in the US, the UK and in Russia, respondents in those countries are relatively positive to Sweden’s health crises management, says Sofia Bard, acting head of Image of Sweden Analysis unit.
The more favourable respondents are regarding a nation’s management of health crises, the more comfortable they are travelling to that country. In this respect, Sweden ranks 10 of 50 countries. Respondents in China, India and Egypt are the most comfortable travelling to Sweden (63 percent of Chinese and Indian respondents and 57 percent of Egyptian respondents). Respondents in these countries are also positive to Sweden’s management of health crises. Of respondents in Germany and in France about 30 percent are comfortable travelling to Sweden.
Of Swedish respondents, 47 percent are positive to how Sweden manages health crises, whereas 27 percent are neutral and 26 percent are negative.
The Swedish Institute will publish the results of the 2020 Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index in full in October/November 2020.
– The image of a country is shaped by several factors and there is an overall positive image of Sweden abroad. Sweden is traditionally ranked very highly with regards to governance, people and climate. To date, the Swedish nation brand has proven to be stable over time. Whether the results from this part of the survey suggest that nation brands will change due to the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be seen, says Sofia Bard.
About Nation Brands Index
The Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI) is an annual survey that measures the strength of 50 nation brands. 20 000 respondents in 20 countries, including Sweden, rate 50 nations regarding perceptions in six categories of questions: Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/investment. In 2019, Sweden ranked 9 of 50 nations.