Only 50% of the English population think Wales is a good place to do business — which drops to 42% among Londoners — a survey has revealed.
Welsh communications agency Golley Slater has undertaken research to find out what people in England think about Wales.
The Cardiff-based firm worked with Beaufort Research to gather insights to better understand how people in England perceive Wales, its industries and its people.
Despite the rivalry between both sides of the Severn bridge, especially in rugby, research revealed England had an overall positive perception of Wales.
However, on business and the industrial landscape, the survey produced mixed results and showed England as having some outdated views of Wales.
Just one in 10 people consider Wales to be innovative, one in three believe Wales has poor transport connections and one in four think there is poor internet connection.
While 15% of people in England still associate Wales with the coal and steel industries, with one in five Londoners thinking it’s still a key industry.
The top industries associated with Wales by people in England were tourism (62%), food and drink (25%) and the public sector (25%).
The English population significantly overestimated Wales' reliance on agriculture at 51%, despite it only accounting for around 1% of all industries.
They also underestimated Wales’ skills as manufacturers which accounts for 16% of all industries in Wales.
Politically, one in two people in England believe Wales has strong political leadership, with 72% believing Wales is a fair society and 71% that the country offers a great quality of life.
Some 81% of those surveyed think it’s important Wales stays in the union.
Despite this 55% of English people said Wales was welcoming, with 50% more likely to classify the Welsh as patriotic.
Head of strategy and insights at Golley Slater, Angharad Thomas said: “It’s clear that our passion and patriotism hasn’t gone unnoticed by our longstanding rugby rivals. While many of the results have confirmed an English fondness for Wales, there is still evidence of some outdated views and stereotypes.”
She added: “We’ve enjoyed unpacking these gems and will be looking at how we can use these insights to support businesses, brands and organisations looking for opportunities on both sides of the border.”
