The origin of networking hardware is becoming an important consideration for European consumers, according to a new YouGov survey.
The British market and data analytics firm has conducted research across 14 European countries, finding that European router manufacturers enjoy comparatively high levels of trust among more than 16,000 respondents.
By contrast, products from China, Russia and, to a lesser extent, the United States, face greater scepticism: some 67% of respondents reported mistrust of Russian manufacturers and 52% mistrust of Chinese brands, while mistrust of US manufacturers stood at 38%.
As the heart of the digital home, the router connects devices to the internet and plays a critical role in consumer trust.
Across all surveyed markets, 60% of respondents said they trust European router manufacturers compared with just 10% who expressed mistrust.
In the UK, attitudes were broadly aligned with the wider European findings: British respondents expressed the highest levels of mistrust towards Russian manufacturers (70%) followed by Chinese manufacturers (59%), while 36% reported scepticism towards US brands. Only 11% said they mistrusted European manufacturers.
The survey also highlighted a significant lack of awareness around the origin of networking products. Just 14% of respondents correctly identified TP-Link as a Chinese company, while more than half were unsure of its origins.
Similar uncertainty surrounded Netgear, and 26% of UK respondents correctly identified broadband and home networking company FRITZ! as European.
More than half of respondents (55%) said that a “Made in Europe” label is important when making purchasing decisions, reflecting growing interest in product provenance and digital infrastructure in the connected home.
The findings are based on a representative online poll conducted across the following countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Poland.