What Do Brits Know About Brazil? Not a lot, says the British Council

11 September 2012

 

It’s hosting the next Olympics, it’s one of the biggest economies in the world and it’s of vital importance to the UK’s future – but research by the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations body, shows that Brits don’t know nearly as much about Brazil as they should.

The survey found that:

  • Nearly two thirds don’t know that the capital of Brazil is Brasilia.
  • Nearly two thirds aren’t aware that Brazil is one of the world’s top 10 economies.
  • More than a third don’t realise that Portuguese is Brazil’s main language.
  • Less than a quarter even know that Brazil’s Gisele Bündchen is a model – more than 1 in 10 think she’s a Brazilian politician.

(See the Notes to Editors for a further break-down of the results)

With the handover of the Olympic baton to Brazil, the British Council commissioned Populus to conduct the survey as it gears up to build relationships and create opportunities for the UK in Brazil by launching a cultural programme, Transform, to bridge the London and Rio games and continue to grow the Olympic legacy.

Commenting on the survey results, British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson said: “As the world’s sixth largest economy with growing international influence, Brazil matters now to the UK, and will matter even more in the future. So it’s alarming to see that one in four of us might try and go to the capital but arrive in Rio with a Spanish phrasebook.

Mr Davidson added: “Cultural interaction is about more than elite athletes competing on a Rio beach or at Wembley. There is a huge opportunity over the next decade to share the best of the UK’s education and culture with Brazil. That will build trust as well as strong and enduring ties with people at all levels in our countries, which will help trade flourish. The UK and Brazil both enjoy great cultural heritage and ambitions, so the relative lack of partnership between our two nations has gone on for far too long.”

The programme, being launched on September 12th in London, will begin with a six-month season of high-profile events featuring the works of well known artists such as Gilbert and George, which will show off the best of UK art and culture, as well as our commitment to learning, partnership and collaboration with Brazil.  This season will heighten awareness of the initiative and encourage participation in the four-year programme.

Historically, Brazil has had a relatively low level of engagement with UK cultural institutions, artists, producers and entrepreneurs.  As Brazil develops as a major economic and political world power, both the UK and Brazil are committed to further developing a long term strategic relationship that will deliver mutual benefits and create new opportunities to strengthen relationships between the two nations.

ENDS

For More Information contact:

Tim Sowula, Snr Press Officer tim.sowula@britishcouncil.org or 0207 389 4871

Note to Editors

The online survey of more than 2000 people across Britain, conducted on 24th-27th August 2012 by Populus for the British Council revealed that:

  •  Nearly two thirds of people in the UK don’t know Brazil’s capital city

o  Only 39% of people know it’s Brasilia – as many people think it’s Rio.

  • Nearly two thirds of people don’t realise Brazil is one of the world’s 10 biggest economies.

o  Almost 40% think it ranks below the Netherlands. 1 in 4 have no idea where it ranks.

  •  More than a third of people don’t know Brazil’s language

o  1 in 4 think it’s Spanish.

  • 1 in 10 people think Brazil’s population is smaller than the UK’s

o  Only a third know it’s almost 200 million.

  •  Less than a quarter of people even know who Brazilian model Gisele is.

o  53% had no idea. More than 1 in 10 think she’s a Brazilian politician.

About Transform

Curated by Graham Sheffield, British Council director of arts, and Jude Kelly, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, the innovative four year programme will span all art forms, exemplifying the UK’s world-class excellence in the fields of art and culture, and provide opportunities for creative professionals from both nations to take risks, share experiences and collaborate with a concentration on projects producing lasting and significant social change.

TRANSFORM complements the British Council’s work in Brazil in English, education and society, and will be initiated through a six month season of high-profile events launching with Lina Bo Bardi: Together, a video and art installation of the work of the Italian architect whose work had such an impact in Brazil.

TRANSFORM works in partnership with the UK Government, the Brazilian Government, and with support from the leading cultural institutions of the two countries.

About the British Council

The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.

Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.

We earn over 75% of our annual turnover of nearly £700 million from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for and from partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25%.  We match every £1 of core public funding with over £3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/.