The market and public opinion research institute YouGov conducted a representative survey in 14 countries with more than 16,000 participants to examine the views of European consumers on the trustworthiness of European and non-European router manufacturers. The router is the heart of the digital home and connects all of the devices in the home to the internet. The results for Germany and the thirteen other European countries who participated reveal a strong interest in European routers and a high level of mistrust of products from China, Russia, and the USA. Furthermore, respondents are often unaware of where the devices they have purchased or obtained through their internet provider were manufactured.
High level of mistrust of non-European routers
The participants in the 14 countries were asked to what extent they trust or mistrust European and non-European router manufacturers. They expressed the highest level of mistrust towards Russian manufacturers (67%), followed by manufacturers from China (52%). This means that more than one in two people expressed mistrust towards Chinese routers. 38% of the respondents expressed mistrust of manufacturers from the USA. Only 11% of respondents expressed mistrust towards European router manufacturers. German respondents consistently shared a sceptical view of router manufacturers from non-European countries. 68% of Germans feel the greatest mistrust towards Russian manufacturers, followed by Chinese manufacturers at 58%. Scepticism towards manufacturers in the USA is also notable at 45%. In contrast, Germans expressed far greater trust in European manufacturers – only 11% view them with mistrust.
Unclear origin of router manufacturers
Respondents across the entire panel are often unaware of whence the routers originate. For example, only 14% of respondents knew that devices from the manufacturer TP-Link originate from China; almost the same number (16%) of respondents mistakenly thought that the company is European, and 51% were not sure. Similarly, 49% of respondents were also unsure about the company Netgear. Only brands such as Starlink and Huawei could be associated with the correct countries of origin much more frequently: Starlink, USA (55%), Huawei, China (77%). As Europe's largest manufacturer, FRITZ! was correctly identified by 76% of respondents in Germany. However, even here, 8% consider FRITZ! to be a non-European company, and 16% say they do not know its origin. Only a third (34%) of the respondents in the 13 other European countries could correctly identify FRITZ! as a European manufacturer. It is also interesting to note the perceived origin of router manufacturers for devices rented from an internet provider. In all of the participating European countries, the majority of respondents assume that rental devices from major providers are routers produced in Europe, even if they aren't. This figure is even higher among Telekom customers (79%) and Vodafone customers (60%).
‘Made in Europe’ – a label of increasing importance
Currently, users attach great importance to whether a device is developed and manufactured in Europe. More than half (55%) of those surveyed stated that this is important or very important to them. The figures are largely consistent across the individual countries.
About the survey
The results of this survey are based on a representative online poll conducted by the market and public opinion research institute YouGov in fourteen European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland). In April 2026, a total of 16,474 people were surveyed. The survey was stratified by age, gender, and region for each country, and the results were then weighted accordingly. The results are representative of the resident population aged 18 and over in each respective country.