Competent and compassionate, but not leading? A cross-sectional study of nursing’s brand image in the German public

Nursing’s public image influences workforce sustainability and broader professional and care-related outcomes. While international research has advanced understanding of nursing’s public image, population-based evidence for Germany remains scarce and methodologically limited. Drawing on brand image theory, this study assessed nursing’s brand image in the German public and examined heterogeneity across population subgroups, extending beyond sociodemographic factors to include lifestyle and personality characteristics. This descriptive study used data from a cross-sectional online survey of the German public with quotas on age, gender, education, and region to approximate national distributions (N = 950; aged 16–65), conducted in summer 2025. Nursing’s brand image was measured using the validated Nursing Brand Image Scale for the Public, German version (NBIS-P-G), comprising four dimensions capturing competence, compassion, leadership, and professional identity (1–10 scale). Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to compare subscale means and item endorsements. Group differences across sociodemographic, lifestyle, and personality characteristics were examined using Welch’s t-tests and one-way ANOVAs. Benjamini-Hochberg corrections were applied across all families of tests to control the false discovery rate. Nursing’s brand image was primarily characterized by Professional Competence and Expertise (M = 7.18) and Patient-Centered Care and Compassion (M = 7.13), both at comparable, moderately favorable levels, exceeding ratings for Leadership and Influence (M = 6.60). Endorsement of Professional Identity Challenges (M = 6.26; higher scores indicate stronger challenges) indicated image constraints. Item-level analyses showed comparatively weaker endorsement of items reflecting academic and scientific competencies and patient advocacy, as well as authority and decision-making within the leadership dimension. Sociodemographic differences were minimal. In contrast, lifestyle-related variation was observed across all dimensions, with medium-to-large effects for leadership perceptions and identity challenges, and personality-segment differences emerged for competence and care, with higher Stability associated with more favorable perceptions. The German public perceives nursing as competent and compassionate, yet leadership, influence, and professional distinctiveness are less strongly recognized. Lifestyle and personality characteristics represent meaningful sources of heterogeneity, suggesting branding initiatives may benefit from psychographic segmentation. These findings provide an empirical foundation for strengthening nursing’s brand image in Germany and establish a baseline for evaluating future initiatives.