In this era of aggression, recessions and possible secessions, there is apparently a lot of appeal to just staying out of things and remaining neutral.
That was at least the finding of a new survey that was conducted following the election by U.S. News & World Report that found Switzerland was considered to be the best country in the world.
The survey — which polled more than 21,000 “business leaders, informed elites and general citizens” — determined its rankings by asking respondents to score 65 attributes spread across nine broad categories (adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, open for business, power and quality of life).
Respondents felt that Swiss views on education, democracy, business and social systems were worthy of giving it the top spot, displacing last year’s winner, Germany, to fourth on the list.
On the homefront, the United States came in seventh, partially because almost 75 percent of respondents said they lost respect for the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected as president.
“The new rankings reflect people’s desire to restore some sense of order by rewarding nations they perceive as championing neutrality, stability and diplomacy,” survey conductor John Gerzema told The New York Times.
Here’s the top 15:
- Switzerland
- Canada
- UK
- Germany
- Japan
- Sweden
- United States
- Australia
- France
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Finland
- New Zealand
- Singapore
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