The UK is still considered a ‘soft power superpower’ but this position is under threat as other countries increase financial investment and improve soft power policy, a new report suggests.
The UK is currently a middle-ranking country in terms of the level of state support for soft power, spending considerably less than Germany, France, Spain, or Portugal, according to the report.
Researchers found that funding for soft power activities has decreased in many Western countries including a reduction of £6m between 2023 and 2024 for Germany’s Goethe-Institut and reduced real terms estimates for the US State Department for 2024.
In the UK, decisions made by the previous government meant that the British Council’s support from grant-in-aid decreased by £12m from 2023 to 2024. Japan’s Public Diplomacy budget also fell by some £60m between 2022 and 2023.
While financial investment in soft power is decreasing for some nations, others were found to be increasing resource in key areas such as competition for international students, and investing in high-impact arts and cultural activities which can have transformational impacts on reputation and perceptions.
Researchers found that the budgets for China’s Confucius Institutes, Spain’s Instituto Cervantes, France’s Alliances Françaises Foundation, Portugal’s Instituto Camões, and Russia’s Russkiy Mir Foundation, and their respective government’s soft power activities, all appear to have increased.
A comparison of embassies, development agencies and other organisations that act as soft power conduits show that France continues to have the largest global footprint with 1225 cultural institutes. The United States currently has 554, China 495, Germany 197, Italy 178, and Russia 170, while the United Kingdom currently has a presence in 168 countries or territories.
The study comes at a significant time, with new Foreign Secretary David Lammy having put forward the idea of establishing a soft power council that will bring together leading figures from across arts, culture, creative industries, and academia to work together to advance the national interest, addressing some of the issues subsequently highlighted in this report.
The report also highlights the impact of increasing global competition, and conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia in changing approaches to soft power.
Many nations are prioritising the national interest over global challenges, with an increase in activity designed to deliver benefits at home and appeal to domestic audiences, making it potentially more difficult to address global challenges such as global climate change and poverty, the report found.
Researchers suggest that the UK has traditionally been an outlier in its lack of mechanisms to coordinate its soft power policies, strategies, and activities across Government and with business and civil society. This reflects the history of how soft power has developed in the UK and the relatively low level of priority accorded to it, compared to other countries.
Soft Power at a Turning Point, authored by ICR Research Ltd and published by the British Council, compared the soft power activities of 18 leading countries plus the European Union.
Scott McDonald, Chief Executive, British Council said: “The UK has been at the forefront of international soft power for the last 90 years. The British Council is on the ground in 100 countries, reaches 600 million people, and is uniquely placed to play a key role in any new soft power strategies, remaining politically impartial while supporting the UK’s long term foreign policy interests.
“The findings of this report underline the importance of soft power to any nation, particularly in the current climate of international turmoil, climate change and global economic uncertainty.
“Soft power is about persuasion rather than coercion. As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, we will continue to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.”