Young Britons are more positive about Germany than they were this time last year – although it remains questionable as to whether Germans will ever be seen as “cool” by their British opposite numbers, according to a survey released by the British Council and the Goethe-Institut.
There has been a rise of 1% among those Britons who see Germans as nice, efficient and well-organised and a similar rise among those who admire German industry, science and technology and who view the stable German economy with admiration. Those who see Germany as having high taxes, a high cost of living and high unemployment fell by 5%.
Even better news for the Anglo-German relationship is that political issues such as wrangles over Europe and the conflict in Iraq have not had the expected negative impact on the genera image of the UK in Germany. Young Germans see the United Kingdom as a modern multi-cultural society with a trendsetting music and arts scene.
The differences of opinion over the Iraq war had no apparent negative impact on the mutual perceptions of either country, although the standing of the USA in Germany has plummeted. A year ago America headed the list of countries of which Germans thought most highly with 14% of the total. Now America has slipped to third place with 9%.
There remains a significant gap in language learning between the two countries. 97% of young Germans in the survey said they had a basic knowledge of English, while 25% considered their English to be fluent. Only 22% of the young British respondents had any German at all.
84% of Germans know at least one British celebrity, with Robbie Williams, David Beckham and The Queen being among the most popular. The same is not true in reverse as 64% of young Britons could not name a single German celebrity and most of the rest were aware only of tennis players.
“These figures are a cause for optimism” said Klaus Krischok, Head of Communications and Marketing at the Goethe-Institut in Munich. “A country's image does not change quickly. Within the UK the Goethe-Institut attempts to raise the profile of Germany and to counter stereotypes through culture, education, politics and economics across the board”.
Kathryn Board OBE, Director British Council Germany said:
“It's very satisfying to see that young Germans regard the UK as being trendsetting in arts, arts, music and fashion. The British Council in Germany focuses much of its activity on the very dynamic and diverse contemporary arts scene in the UK and it's great to see the impact of this investment. We will have to redouble our efforts to ensure that UK cultural icons besides Robbie Williams are included on future lists!”
Notes to Editors
In May and June 2003 and 2004 GFK questioned 1000 young Germans and British between 16 and 25 years of age on behalf of the British Council and the Goethe-Institut. The research provides insights into the perceptions and attitudes of young people in the UK towards Germany and vice-versa.
Key findings for download: English summary | deutsche Zusammenfassung
More information
Detlef Thelen
British Council
Tel. 030 30 31 10 99 64
e-mail detlef.thelen@britishcouncil.de
Klaus Krischok
Goethe-Institut
Tel. 089 15921 500
e-mail krischok@goethe.de |
