| No.4/2004
Research Findings |
, Office of Permanent SecretaryOffice of Chief Researcher |
Scotland's International Image
Findings from Consultation & Research
Prepared by:
Communications & Strategic Research Team
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How do people perceive Scotland?
- Scotland was not perceived, domestically or internationally, as a country offering business opportunities.
- Scotland's education system was recognised by Scots as a potential 'selling point'.
- International perceptions of Scotland were traditional and rooted in the past.
- Perceptions of Scottish people were primarily positive internationally and generally more forward-thinking than perceptions of Scotland's capabilities in areas such as business.
What are the implications for Scotland and its future image?
- There was support for the need to actively promote Scotland to enable it to reach 'contender' status.
- There was acknowledgment that Scotland should be taken more seriously and seen as more than a tourist destination or somewhere 'to have a good time' and then leave.
- The fact that Scotland has good accessibility of outdoor pursuits could be used to help promote the broader work/ life balance and enhanced quality of life that Scotland offers.
- Education standards, ease of access (transport infrastructure), modern architecture, city life and recent advances in some fields of technology were seen to be key attractive aspects of Scotland.
- In promoting Scotland, there was a perceived need to connect the past with the present (and the future) to avoid losing the distinctiveness of Scotland.
- Those in the international media held the view that Scotland should promote the assets which make it a modern nation:
- Coherent sense of national identity;
- Agile small country;
- A culture which can be experienced.
What are the potential triggers for affecting perceptions and attitudes?
- The effectiveness of promotional material to raise Scotland's international image is likely to depend on the specific market and the country in question. For example, education, cities, ability to achieve work/life balance were most attractive attributes to younger people.
- Transport infrastructure and capacity for hosting events were attractive features for those in business communities.
- Building upon people's knowledge of Scotland and greater exposure to its people are likely to be more effective in changing perceptions.
Introduction
The purpose of the research and consultation exercises was to assess the feasibility, and inform the development, of a strategy for raising Scotland's international image.
The approach comprised three broad strands of investigation. All strands of the work included use of creative stimulus designed to help raise Scotland's international image. The three strands can be summarised as follows:
- Strand 1: Initial consultation with international 'media players/ opinion formers' - conducted by Barkers advertising agency;
- Strand 2: Initial consultation with the general public overseas (international consumers) - conducted by The Union partners; and
- Strand 3: Formal research with the general public in Scotland and England - conducted by TNS System 3.
Key findings by objective are detailed below:
Main Findings
Objective: To further develop our understanding of how people view Scotland
In Scotland
- Scots perceived themselves as a recognisable nation although there were conflicting views within this, with Scots seeing themselves as reticent and humble and yet proud.
- Also, there was divergence as to how Scots see themselves and believe others perceive them.
- These findings broadly confirm those of Project Galore i.
In England
- Views of Scotland fell into two broad categories namely 'people' and the 'physical environment'.
- Some dichotomous views emerged: peaceful versus lively, country versus city.
- Although there was some awareness of the education system (seen as different and highly regarded), notably there were no economic associations or mention of opportunities or indeed the working population.
The international markets
- Overall Scotland was perceived as having a very positive and distinctive image, a finding consistent across all markets, and with Project Galore and other relevant research exercises.
- However, awareness and knowledge of Scotland internationally were usually related to images and icons rooted in the past rather than contemporary Scotland. These can be grouped under two themes: landscape/ the colour green and tradition/history.
- As a result, Scotland was not rated as a 'place to do business' in global terms.
- Overall, international consumers held a mainly positive perception of the Scots, although some traditional stereotypes emerged.
- Not surprisingly, personal experience of Scotland and Scots appeared to be a strong influencing factor in forming perceptions.
- Word-of-mouth recommendation was reported to raise positive perceptions of Scotland. This is reflected in other research. Other influences reported were films and literature.
Within perceptions of Scotland, we were interested in how people perceive modern and successful countries and to investigate how Scotland fared in this comparison. The main findings are as follows:
In England
- Scotland did not meet English perceptions as to what constitutes a 'modern' country.
- Positive attributes for Scotland were recognised as being its people, natural beauty and culture.
The international markets
- Among international opinion formers, Scotland was reported to possess some of the attributes of an 'interesting/ newsworthy' country - with identifiable people and authentic tradition.
- There was some recognition of Scotland's 'global potential' as a small, flexible nation - this is confirmed by other research.
- Among international consumers, Scotland was not perceived as 'a place to do business' or indeed to be on the economic agenda.
- Generally, Scotland's capability as a location for hosting events was not widely recognised.
- Although, Scotland was recognised as a potential holiday location this only tended to be for short breaks.
- The weather was the main barrier to relocation followed by the image of Scotland as economically underdeveloped - a finding confirmed by other research.
Objective: To assess the reactions of people in Scotland towards raising Scotland's international image
In England & Scotland
- There were no major differences between the responses in Scotland and England on this issue. The groups in both England and Scotland believed that Scotland needed to be promoted to reach 'contender' status in terms of competing with other countries, particularly for people to consider relocating to Scotland. (Attitudes were somewhat more reserved amongst the lower socio-economic groups and older people.)
- A potential role was seen for politicians in engaging commerce in any work around building Scotland's image. The potential role of celebrity was not felt necessary.
- One suggestion to consider was to secure business testimonials from successes in Scotland. This corresponds with the experience of international participants where personal contact was a strong influencing factor in deciding to visit.
- Overall, among international participants, the promotion of Scotland was thought to be important in order for it to be considered a 'contender', supporting the findings in the UK.
Objective: To identify the triggers for changing or building upon these perceptions
Participants in each strand of investigation were shown a range of stimulus materials depicting a modern and successful Scotland.
In considering the potential of materials like these to enable a change in perceptions, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- In Scotland and England, respondents were generally encouraged by the material and expressed strong views that Scotland needed to be promoted to reach 'contender status'.
- Internationally, the material was recognised as depicting a different Scotland from the one imagined by participants, particularly in relation to the size and scope of Scotland. Some respondents reported feeling reassured that Scotland should and could be taken seriously and was in a position 'to do business' with the rest of the world, although Scotland would not rank highly when compared with other countries.
- However, whilst respondents were able to acknowledge the divergence in perceptions, the majority still did not fully accept the new images or in some cases believe the image to be true. Furthermore, not all respondents welcomed this change, preferring the image of the Scotland 'they knew'.
In summary, the extent to which participants were willing to have their perceptions changed was often related to the market being considered, cultural identification with Scotland, previous experience of Scotland and life-stage of the participants. For example, attitudes appeared to be more amenable in relation to education and Scotland as a place to live and work, and amongst students.
In order to provide greater context to the findings, comparisons have been drawn with other relevant international research where possible and appropriate:
Project Galore - CLK Research (now Corporate Edge) carried out relevant research in 1998. Eight two-hour focus groups were conducted in each of England, France, Germany, Spain, US, Japan and Scotland. A further eight one-hour business depth interviews were held in each country (20 in Scotland).
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