Australians are a patriotic bunch, and they have every right to be decked out in green and gold, singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’ from the top of their lungs. Not only has Australia been voted the most beautiful country and one that offers the most appealing lifestyle in the world, the country has also emerged third place in a study on 50 countries’ reputations.

Only lagging behind Canada and Sweden, Australia was ranked third highest in reputation across 50 countries according to survey of 42,000 G8 nations’ (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, USA) residents. The CountryRep Study, produced annually by the Reputation Institute together with research consultancy AMR also found that this is the third year Australia has retained its position.

According to Oliver Freedman, AMR’s reputation practice director and general manager, our country’s reputation has remained strong and steady over the past few years.

“The past 12 months have seen a number of events that had the potential to impact Australia’s reputation overseas, including a change in our Prime Minister, strong appreciation of the Australian dollar, and media coverage of the Queensland floods.

“Our reputation continues to be extremely strong among the world’s leading nations. In fact, Australia is considered to be the most reputable country in the world by residents of the USA and Canada.”

Austrade’s chief economist Tim Harcourt believes that it was the country’s “strong economic performance in the recent global credit crunch” that has help sustained its reputation.

“We’ve gone from Down Under to Down Wonder,” says Harcourt.

Unfortunately, Australia’s reputation in areas of culture, brands and innovation and technology did not rank as highly, with two-thirds of the G8 population feeling either neutral or unsure about the country’s expertise in these areas.

Patriotism, however, still remains strong in Australia, with Aussies coming in second highest for self-image.

Other study results that will give Tourism Australia a reason to pat themselves on the back include:

– Top 5 nations for ‘having an effective government’

– 6^th overall as a ‘favourable place for doing business’

– 7^th overall for being a responsible global citizen

– 5^th in terms of a place to study

– 10^th as a country that values education