Canadians looking for another reason to be glad to be Canadian can look to a new survey ranking the countries of the world.
In the annual Nation Brand Index (NBI), which measures global perceptions of 50 countries around the world, Canada ranks third overall behind only Germany and the U.K.
Ipsos conducts the NBI annually. This year, researchers interviewed more than 20,000 people from 20 countries around the world. The survey looks at six categories: people, governance, culture, tourism, exports and immigration.
Canada ranked first in three of those categories — people, governance and immigration/investment.
“This year, Canada’s reputational strengths are on the People and Governance categories – driven by positive opinion about the welcoming nature of Canada’s people and the competence and honesty of its government,” Simon Anholt, one of the survey’s authors, wrote.
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So yes, this gives you full permission to say Canada has the best people in the world. For the record, Australia and Italy ranked second and third when it came to people.
As for the negatives, Canada ranked poorest when it comes to Culture and Exports.
“[That’s] particularly on the perception of contribution to science and technology and its historic buildings,” Anholt wrote.
Apparently the parliament buildings just didn’t do it for the survey’s interviewees.
“This year, Canada’s reputational strengths are on the People and Governance categories – driven by positive opinion about the welcoming nature of Canada’s people and the competence and honesty of its government.”
- Simon Anholt
Germany rocketed to first-place overall in the NBI for the second year in a row based on the country’s high ranking across categories.
“Global citizens have positive feelings about buying German products, the employability of the German people, and the appeal of investing in German businesses, placing Germany first in all three categories for 2020,” Anholt wrote.
France slid out of second place to fifth overall, making way for a resurgent U.K.
As for our neighbours to the south? Things are not looking so peachy keen for the world’s perceptions of the United States, which fell to 10th overall this year.
“The United States’ decline is triggered by a sharp decrease in public opinion of its Governance, People, Tourism, as well as Immigration and Investment – traditional areas of reputational strength for the United States,” Anholt wrote.
The U.S. was previously ranked first in 2009-2013, 2015, and 2016. Anholt said this year’s ranking is its lowest placement ever.
As for the true north strong and free, it’s another great day to be Canadian.