Silicon Valley Nation: Which are the most-innovative countries?

1/23/2013 2:01 PM EST

• Fifty-five percent of respondents – a 6-point drop from the previous year - indicated that universities and schools provide a strong education model for tomorrow’s innovative leaders.
• Forty-one percent believe restrictions on access to foreign talent are increasing, having a negative impact on business’ ability to innovate.

Ireland (78 percent), India (77 percent) and Israel (77 percent) are the most-bullish on the positive impact of their educational systems; Japan (20 percent) was far and away the least optimistic. The United States, where arguments over the state of education at all levels are nearly a daily occurence, is more bullish in 2013 (70 percent) than it was last year (62 percent).

The most remarkable year-to-year change in sentiment  occurred in South Korea, where respondents in 2012 led the world in education bullishness (90 percent); in 2013, that has plummeted to 33 percent, third lowest in the survey.

Investment's role

What's the role public and private investment plays? Widely varied as you can imagine. Israel and Singapore (both 75 percent) strongly believe their governments' support for innovation is well coordinated and organized. Japan (10 percent), Poland (22 percent) and Australia (23 percent) are the least positive. And something happened in Saudi Arabia, China and Sweden between 2012 and 2013, because their favorability responses fell 18, 22 and 27 percent respectively.

On the other side, while the feeling about the impact of private investment has stagnated between years, Israel (85 percent), India (80 percent) and China (75 percent) view the impact of private investment most favorably. Germany's sentiment year-to-year jumped dramatically from 38 percent to 54 percent.