Australia is ranked 13th in the world’s 60 soft power nations, as the greatest place in the world to visit and globally regarded as “fun and friendly”, according to the inaugural Global Soft Power Index.
The survey, by independent brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, gathered the opinions of more than 55,000 people in more than 100 countries and was launched in London at the Global Soft Power Summit.
The two-day conference with 600 delegates from more than 100 countries, included government officials, nation branding experts, academics, diplomats, and international media.
The Global Soft Power Index 2020 -- measuring a nation's intangible assets such as culture -- ranks the top five countries as the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China.
“Soft power transcends borders and builds bridges,” Ban Ki-moon, eighth secretary general of the United Nations, told attendees during his keynote speech.
“For instance, my country Korea is currently enjoying considerable soft power on the global stage.
“Korean soft power assets such as K-Pop music, Korean food like kimchi and bibimbap, and our Oscar-winning best picture film Parasite are incredibly well known and increasingly popular around the world. This Hallyu, or Korean Wave, has captivated foreign publics the world over.”
Australia performed strongly in the index, according to Mark Crowe, managing director of Brand Finance Australia.
“We ranked 13th in the index overall, with a Soft Power Score of 48.8 out of 100, only marginally behind the Netherlands (48.9),” he says.
“Most notably, Australia is ranked 6th in the People & Values pillar and declared the greatest place to visit in the world in the general public survey.
“To quote the survey’s official debrief: `The nation welcomes over eight million tourists a year from across to the globe who are eager to visit the land Down Under, with hopes to soak up the fun and friendly culture. Through its robust relationship with the US and the Asia Pacific region, the nation has continued to defy its distant geography and successfully wield its soft power on the global stage’.
“The Global Soft Power Index enables – thanks to the scale of the sample – a more granular snapshot of nation-to-nation attitudes.
“These findings are vital for governments seeking to better manage their nation brands and improve their soft power influence in specific countries and on specific metrics.”
The 60 nations were scored across three key metrics: Familiarity, Reputation, and Influence, as well as the seven soft power pillars: Business & Trade, Governance, International Relations, Culture & Heritage, Media & Communications, Education & Science and People & Values.
Other highlights:
- Teen activist Greta Thunberg generates soft power for Sweden, earning top spot for climate action
- Canada is seen as world’s most generous nation, and ranks first for People & Values
- Australia is world’s 13th top soft power, ranked best place in the world to visit
- Ireland scores high for People and Values, world’s 24th soft power nation
- UAE is Middle East’s top scorer, familiarity high following nation brand launch
- Singapore is highest ranked nation in Southeast Asia
- South Africa on a high following Rugby World Cup victory, ranked 36th
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