Global Public Opinion Insights
GlobeScan research shows that the pharmaceutical sector retains a strong reputational standing globally, but public perceptions have softened since peaking during the pandemic, with sharp regional and generational differences.
Global insights into how the pharmaceutical sector is seen in fulfilling its responsibilities to society.
Pharmaceutical companies play a critical role in public health, shaping how societies access, afford, and trust medicines. As a result, expectations around access, affordability, ethical conduct, and transparency are high and are closely scrutinized across markets.
This latest edition of GlobeScan’s long‑running societal reputation research examines how pharmaceutical companies are perceived across 33 markets. It explores where the sector continues to perform well relative to other industries, where post‑pandemic reputational momentum has slowed, and how regional and generational differences are shaping trust in an increasingly complex global context.
Key insights include:
- Strong standing, but post‑pandemic softening. Globally, pharmaceutical companies are viewed as relatively strong performers compared with most sectors, ranking 6th out of 21. However, perceived performance has declined steadily since peaking in 2020, signaling reputational moderation.
- Regional differences are pronounced. Public perceptions are strongest in emerging and Global South markets, while Europe and North America remain more skeptical. Perceptions are weakest in markets such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden, Portugal, and the USA, where pharmaceutical companies are more often seen as falling short of societal expectations relative to other sectors.
- Generational divides create long‑term opportunity. Gen Z and Millennials hold more positive views of pharmaceutical companies, while older cohorts remain more critical, pointing to future reputational upside if credibility is sustained with younger generations.
- Diverging reputational priorities by market. In emerging markets, the opportunity lies in sustaining and deepening existing goodwill through continued delivery and local impact. In some developed markets, the challenge is rebuilding and reinforcing reputation under more normalized post‑pandemic expectations.
