European Consumers Don't Trust Chinese Routers – YouGov Survey

European consumers do not trust Chinese routers, according to an international YouGov survey

According to the latest representative survey conducted by YouGov in 14 European countries, consumers express strong distrust of routers from China, Russia, and the U.S..At the same time, respondents express a high level of trust in equipment developed in Europe, although they are often unaware of the actual origin of the devices they use in their own homes.

The router is the heart of the digital home, connecting all home devices to the internet, which makes security and trust in the manufacturer crucial.In April 2026, the YouGov Institute, commissioned by the FRITZ brand,!conducted a survey of more than 16,000 respondents (including those from Poland), asking them about their views on network equipment manufacturers from various regions of the world.

Deep mistrust of manufacturers outside Europe

European consumers are most skeptical of products from Russia and China.The highest level of distrust was recorded toward Russian manufacturers (67% ). In second place were companies from China, which more than half of the Europeans surveyed do not trust (52%).

A rise in skepticism is also evident toward technology from the U.S.— 38% of respondents expressed a lack of trust .In contrast, European router manufacturers enjoy a high level of trust—only 11% of respondents expressed any concerns about them.In Germany, FRITZ's home market!, The aversion to Chinese and American solutions was even higher (58% and 45%, respectively).

Where was my router manufactured??A widespread lack of knowledge

Despite clear statements about trust, the survey revealed that Europeans are largely unaware of the origins of various brands:

• Only 14% of respondents knew that popular TP-Link devices are made in China (as many as 16% mistakenly believed the company was European, and 51% were unable to provide an answer).

• In the case of the American brand Netgear, nearly half (49% ) were unsure of the country of origin.

• The brands that were most easily identified in this regard were Huawei (77% correctly identified China) and Starlink (55% identified the U.S.).

• European leader, the FRITZ brand!, It is correctly identified by 76% of respondents in Germany, but in the other 13 European countries, only 34% knew that it is a European manufacturer.

Interestingly, consumers have a misconception about the devices they rent from their internet service providers (ISPs).Most customers of major carriers (e.g., 79% at Telekom and 60% at Vodafone) are convinced that the router they received was manufactured in Europe, which in many cases is not actually the case.

The “Made in Europe” certification is gaining importance

Awareness of the importance of cybersecurity translates into realistic purchasing expectations.More than half of the respondents (55% ) stated that the fact that a given device is designed and manufactured in Europe is “important” or “very important” to them.This trend remains at a similar level in all the countries surveyed.

About the survey:A representative online survey was conducted by YouGov in April 2026 in 14 countries (Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland).The total study sample consisted of 16,474 adult residents (18+).The results were structurally adjusted for age, gender, and region for each country.