Only one in two Perth residents believes the WA capital is a good place to invest and just two in three talk it up as a great place to study.

They are among the findings in a Committee for Perth report which says the city’s “inferiority complex” is holding it back from potential growth and development, while residents are their own worst enemy when it comes to talking up the city’s positive attributes.

That is despite outsiders rating Perth as equally appealing as Melbourne and Sydney and better than cities such as Brisbane, Auckland and Singapore.

The findings are part of Committee for Perth’s “Hashtag Perth” project, a two-year initiative to come up with a plan to best to leverage the city’s positive aspects and fix its weaknesses.

Camera Icon Perth mum Sophia Gillies, son Christian and family friend Asha Kitcher at Freshwater bay today. Credit: The West Australian

The latest round of independent research focused on Perth’s reputation among locals and how it is perceived by those in other Australian cities as well as in Auckland and Singapore.

“The research sampled the general population from across these cities, asking them how they perceive Perth and their own city as a place to live, work, study, visit and invest,” Committee for Perth chief executive Marion Fulker said.

“It showed locals are not strong advocates for Perth — we enjoy living, working and studying here but we are slow to recommend it to others.”

Singaporeans, for example, rated Perth as a better place to live, study, work, visit and invest than any other city, including their own.

The research found Perth’s natural environment and beauty was its best-loved asset, but only one in two locals said it was a good place to invest, only two in three business leaders recommended investing in Perth, and only two in three locals said it was an ideal place to study.

Kevin Brown, Perth Airport chief executive and a member of the Hashtag Perth committee, said Perth’s reputation could be strengthened through better access, direct flights, diverse accommodation and high-quality public transport.

The report findings echo recent comments by Tourism Minister Paul Papalia, who urged West Australians to stop labelling Perth as the world’s most isolated city and instead talk up their State when abroad and brag about what we have to offer.