How are young people’s perceptions of global powers changing, and what does declining trust in Western liberal democracies mean for international influence?
The British Council brought together researchers, policy experts and young voices in Munich today for “Is the West losing young minds? Global trust and the new soft power race”, a discussion exploring changing attitudes among young people across the G20 and what they mean for soft power, diplomacy and international relations.
Held at Amerikahaus München alongside the Munich Security Conference 2026, the event formed part of the MSC@Amerikahaus Emerging Leaders programme, an official MSC side-event series creating space for intergenerational exchange on foreign and security policy.
The discussion drew on findings from the British Council’s Global Perceptions 2025 research, which examines the views of 18- to 34-year-olds across the G20 and tracks changing perceptions of countries, institutions and values. It also explored emerging findings from the British Council’s Trends in Soft Power Projection research, comparing how countries invest in and organise their soft-power activity.
Together, the research points to an increasingly competitive global landscape in which trust, attraction and influence are shifting, and in which countries are taking different approaches to building relationships and projecting influence internationally.
The panel explored what these changes could mean for cultural relations, diplomacy and global security, as well as how countries and institutions can engage more effectively with younger generations in an increasingly multipolar world.
The discussion was chaired by Christine Wilson, Director, Research & Insight at the British Council. She was joined by Anna Duenbier, Knowledge Exchange Manager at the British Council; Stuart MacDonald, Founding Director of ICR Research; Dr habil. Hendrik W. Ohnesorge, Managing Director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Bonn; and Elisha Iannucci-Laqua, Chairwoman of Regensburg’s Academic Association for Foreign and Security Policy and a master’s student in Democracy Studies at the University of Regensburg.
The event also gave emerging leaders and audience members an opportunity to discuss the research with the panel and consider the role that values, trust and influence will play in shaping the international environment their generation will inherit.
The recording is available online.
Notes to editors
About Global Perceptions 2025
The British Council’s seventh Global Perceptions study explores how young people aged 18 to 34 across the G20 perceive other countries, including the values they associate with them and the extent to which they trust and admire them. With data stretching back to 2016, the research provides insight into longer-term changes in international perceptions and influence.
More information: Global Perceptions 2025
About MSC@Amerikahaus Emerging Leaders
The event took place as part of the MSC@Amerikahaus Emerging Leaders programme, an official Munich Security Conference side-event series providing a platform for intergenerational exchange on foreign and security policy.