Survey: "Made in Germany" Label Most Trusted Worldwide, What About China?

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The “Made in” label on a product serves as a crucial indicator in the global market. This label reflects assessments of quality, reputation, and consumer trust in a particular item.

A global survey summarised in the Made-In-Country Index (MICI), involving more than 43,000 respondents from 52 countries, shows that perceptions of a product’s country of origin greatly influence purchasing decisions.

Germany Takes the Top Spot

In this global ranking, Germany occupies the first position as the country with the most trusted “Made in” label, with a trust score of up to 66%.

This reputation stems from Germany’s image as a nation with high manufacturing standards, particularly in the automotive and industrial product sectors.

In second and third places, Switzerland and Japan follow with scores of 64% and 63%, respectively. Overall, European countries dominate the top 10 list of most trusted “Made in” labels. Here is the ranking:

However, interestingly, when viewed in aggregate, the “Made in EU” label, representing the 27 European Union member states, records a slightly lower score of 55%.

This is thought to reflect more diverse perceptions of product quality from member countries, not all of which possess industrial reputations as strong as the major nations in the region.

Nevertheless, the European Union continues to enforce strict rules of origin to maintain quality standards and protect strategic economic sectors in each member state.

USA Outperforms China, Taiwan Still Lags Behind

In the survey, “Made in China” only achieves a trust level of 31%, placing it in the lower group, although it still enters the top 10. This means fewer than one-third of respondents consider this label among the most trusted.

In contrast, “Made in USA” records a score of 55%, equivalent to the European Union average. This gap may partly be influenced by the survey’s methodology, given that respondents come from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Mexico, South Africa, and the European Union, but not including China.

On the other hand, Taiwan shows a somewhat surprising position. Although known as a key player in the global semiconductor industry, the “Made in Taiwan” label only garners a trust level of 33%.

This figure places Taiwan far below countries like Japan and Germany, reflecting a disparity between Taiwan’s strategic role in the global technology supply chain and general consumer perceptions.