Over the past two years the British Council has been running an ambitious programme of research to find out what young people in certain countries think about the United Kingdom.

We are using the results to inform our policy making and put together programmes that will capture the interests of young men and women rising in their careers. The goal is to challenge and change outdated perceptions and to project an image of the UK as a creative and innovative society with much to offer the world's young people.

The results are reported in two British Council publications, Through other eyes (1999) and Through other eyes 2 (2000), both of which can be downloaded from this site.

The 28 countries selected are:

In addition, independent surveys have been carried out in Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. (Their results are included in the 2000 report.)

The target audience is the 'successor generation' . The precise way we define this group varies a little from country to country, but it may be generally understood as 'men and women, aged between 24 and 35, well educated, with above-average incomes, and likely to rise to positions of influence in their society'.

We have commissioned the international opinion research organisation MORI to advise us about the programme of research and to carry out the fieldwork.

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