Nearly half (45%) of consumers in 25 countries agree —give a rating of five (18%) or four (28%) out of five on an agreement scale—that they would switch brands for one they believe is higher quality, even if the price is higher.

One in three are neutral—give a rating of three (32%) out of five—while two in 10 (23%) disagree—give a rating of one (11%) or two (12%). The findings reflect a new poll of 18,503 online respondents conducted by Ipsos OTX, the global innovation center for Ipsos, the world’s third largest market and opinion research firm.

Those who appear most likely to prioritize quality over price hail from: Norway (62%), Sweden (57%), India (56%), Indonesia (56%), Mexico (54%), Brazil (52%), Germany (52%) and Turkey (52%). Those in the middle of the pack are from: South Africa (51%), Argentina (50%), China (49%), Russia (49%), South Korea (49%), U.S. (47%), Canada (44%) and Spain (44%). Those least likely to agree are from: France (42%), Australia (40%), Great Britain (37%), Saudi Arabia (37%), Hungary (36%), Belgium (34%), Italy (33%), Poland (28%) and Japan (25%).

Socioeconomic variables appear the most likely indicator as to whether or not a global citizen will switch brands for quality, even if the price is higher. Those with a high household income (57%) are considerably more likely than those with medium (45%) or low (38%) to agree. Similarly, those with a high level of education (53%) are more likely to agree than those with medium (46%) or low (39%) education levels. Social media activity also seems to correlate with choosing quality over price: “active” users (50%) are more likely than passive (45%) and inactive (38%) users to agree with the statement.

These are findings of the research led by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (Ipsos OTX) collected by Ipsos Global @dvisor as part of Sociologue, an ongoing publication that features conversation-starting commentary on social media trends and behavior.

The research was conducted on the “G@48”wave between August 6-20th, 2013. The monthly Global @dvisor data output is derived from a balanced online sample in 25 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. For the results of the survey presented herein, an international sample of 18,503 adults aged 18-64 in the U.S. and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries, were interviewed.

Approximately 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+.