Made in Germany: German products have best reputation
September 30, 2019
Global consumers value products manufactured in Germany above all others, according to a YouGov survey published on Monday. Meanwhile, products made in China now have the worst reputation.
In the survey, which polled people in 23 countries, 50% of respondents said that they positively perceived a "Made in Germany" label while only 6% saw it as something negative. This gave Germany an average rating of 45 approval points.
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"Our study shows that the origin of products continues to play a significant role in how they are perceived," said Phillip Schneider, head of marketing at YouGov Germany.
The study, carried out by the polling organization in combination with the University of Cambridge, gave respondents a choice of 12 countries. Italy came second with an approval rating of 38 points, while the UK and France tied for third place, both scoring an approval rating of 34 points.
Global manufacturing powerhouse China came last with an approval rating of negative 29 points. of those surveyed, 44% saw Chinese products as being of negative quality and only 15% took a positive view.
Humble Germany
The survey also asked consumers within each country to give their opinions of their own countries, giving what YouGov pollster Matthew Smith described as a "home team advantage."
Despite having the highest overall score, Germans reported the most muted home team advantage, with only 59% valuing products manufactured domestically. In contrast, Mexican, Canadian, Japanese, French and Italian consumers all valued products manufactured in their own countries higher than those manufactured anywhere else.
The lack of international enthusiasm for Chinese-manufactured goods comes as tensions rise between the US and China in terms of trade agreements. Chinese electronics are increasingly important on the international market.
The countries of origin of the respondents included high-income nations like the US and Australia but also low-income countries like Nigeria and Mexico.
dpa contributed to this report