Americans' Opinions of France Drop to New Low

Gallup ^ | Feb.10, 2003 | Frank Newport

[conservativecorner]

Germany and North Korea also rated more unfavorably this year

by Frank Newport GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans have a sharply more unfavorable image of France than they have had at any point over the past decade. Favorable opinions of the country have dropped 20 points in the last year, while unfavorable opinions have risen by 17 points. Americans' attitudes toward Germany, which, like France, has balked at approving the U.S. position on the necessity of military action against Iraq, have also become substantially more negative since last year. The image of North Korea in the minds of Americans, already quite negative, has become even more so this year compared to last.

These conclusions are based on trends in country ratings included in the annual Gallup Poll Social Series Update on World Affairs, conducted Feb. 3-6. The survey included a question asking Americans to give their opinions of a list of 26 countries. The American public's attitudes toward most of these countries can be compared to surveys conducted in February of the last 2 years, and in many instances to surveys stretching back a decade or more.

Although survey respondents were asked to rate each country using a 4-point scale (very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable), the analysis here is based mainly on a "net favorable" rating that subtracts the percentage of Americans rating a country unfavorably from the percentage rating it favorably.

These net favorable ratings range this year from a +83% for Great Britain to a –85% for Iraq. (The complete ratings for each country are displayed at the bottom of this article.)

The general structure of American public opinion about the 26 countries is roughly similar to where it has been in previous years. English-speaking allies like Great Britain and Canada rate at the top of the list, while the three countries President George W. Bush identified as comprising the "axis of evil" (Iraq, North Korea, and Iran) rate at the bottom of the list.

As noted, France, Germany, and North Korea suffered the biggest drops in the American public's esteem this year. There were no major increases in favorable ratings this year compared to last year for any of the countries tested, although Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Libya are all rated somewhat more favorably this year (the last two, of course, remain near the bottom of the list despite their relative increase in favorable ratings over last year).

We have included in the table below the favorable and unfavorable ratings for each country, the net favorable rating, and the change in the net rating for each country compared to last year. (Several countries were not rated last year, as noted.) Here is the list:

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

I have sipped my last French wines. California, here I come.

[11th Earl of Mar]

LOL... We think less of France now, than what we did before the Iraq build up?

I didn't know that was even possible.

[C210N]

"Hey, France-y.... are you still in Love with Jerry Lewis?

[glock rocks]

c'est dommage.

[End Times Sentinel]

 

• Kuwait, Vietnam, and China all have net ratings of about 0%; i.e., just about as many Americans rate them unfavorably as rate them favorably.
   
  Amazing, a net neutral opinion on these three?  Guess it goes to show what a significant portion of the general populace has its head up its @ss.

  Owl_Eagle
  

  ”Guns Before Butter.”
  

[Coop]

We think less of France now, than what we did before the Iraq build up?

Just watch it drop lower if we actually go to war with Iraq while France is obstructing the military and intervening in NATO defense plans for Turkey.

[DainBramage]

I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.

[UncleSamUSA]

The full poll reveals some interesting results.

Though Germany is down 22% from last year in the net favorable to net unfavorable ranking, it is amazing that 71% of Americans still had a net favorable toward Germ and only 21% had a net unfavorable. In just the last week or so I think that figure will show a dramatic shift to the negative.

The notion that Germany is not a loyal ally has only recently begun to filter through to the US population. However, antipathy toward the French is much more ingrained and established. France had a lower net reading in the poll than did Turkey, Russia and even Egypt. So even two weeks ago, before the French got even more idiotic, Americans had a more favorable opinion of Turkey than of France. [Doubly interesting in light of today's NATO disgrace by the Frogs]

Interesting also that Americans are not fooled by China (which has a NEGATIVE -1 rating) and that they are absolutely not fooled by the duplicitous Saudis. In fact, Saudi Arabia has an overwhelmingly negative -31 rating, with fully 60% of respondents having some degree of an unfavorable rating.

And after the three Axis of Evil countries, which entity has the worst favorability rating in the entire poll?? Why the Palestinian Authority of course, with a -60 rating overall, and a -73 rating in the unfavorable area.

[smith288]

Q:How do you castrate a frenchmen???
A:Kick his sister in the jaw.

A frenchwoman with a parrot on her shoulder walks into a bar. the barman says "Thats an real ugle bird u got there. Where did u get it? The parrot says " i got it in France ..theres millions of em there"

Q-how can you tell if a frechmen has been in your backyard?
A-your garbage is gone and your dog is pregnant!

Three guys, an Englishman, a Frenchman and an American are out walking along the beach together one day. They come across a lantern and a genie pops out of it. "I will give you each one wish, " says the genie. The American says, "I am a farmer, my dad was a farmer, and my son will also farm. I want the land to be forever fertile in America." With a blink of the genie's eye, 'FOOM' - the land in America was forever made fertile for farming. The Frenchman was amazed, so he said, "I want a wall around France, so that no one can come into our precious country." Again, with a blink of the Genie's eye, 'POOF' - there was a huge wall around France. The Englishman asks, "I'm very curious. Please tell me more about this wall. The Genie explains, "Well, it's about 150 feet high, 50 feet thick and nothing can get in or out." The Englishman says, "Fill it up with water."

Did you hear about the Frenchman who lost his licence to practice medicine? He was caught having sex with some of his patients. It's a shame, he was by far the best vet in town.

Q. What's the difference between a Frenchwoman and a werewolf?
A. The Frenchwoman is not quite as hairy but the werewolf smells better.

Q: Why do French men have moustashes?
A: To remind them of their mothers.

There was a Frenchman, an Englishman and Claudia Schiffer sitting together in a carriage in a train going through Provence. Suddenly the train went through a tunnel and as it was an old style train, there were no lights in the carriages and it went completely dark. Then there was a kissing noise and the sound of a really loud slap. When the train came out of the tunnel, Claudia Schiffer and the Englishman were sitting as if nothing had happened and the Frenchman had his hand against his face as if he had been slapped there. The Frenchman was thinking: 'The English fella must have kissed Claudia Schiffer and she missed him and slapped me instead.' Claudia Schiffer was thinking: 'The French fella must have tried to kiss me and actually kissed the Englishman and got slapped for it.' And the Englishman was thinking: 'This is great. The next time the train goes through a tunnel I'll make another kissing noise and slap that French &$^*& again!'

[MeekOneGOP]

[MeekOneGOP]

French PM: "It's Great to Be Collaborating with Germany Again!"

Paris - French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, in honor of France's agreement with Germany to undermine America's efforts in the War on Terror, took German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on a tour of sites in the French capital city that were visited by another German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, during his famous Victory Tour of 1940.

"It's so nice to be collaborating with the Germans again," said Chirac during a press conference at the Versailles Palace outside of Paris. "I mean, it's not like there was any real resistance movement when Germany ruled us during World War II. And those black leather coats the Gestapo men wore. Simply to die for."

Most French citizens this reporter spoke with expressed their delight at being able to collaborate once again with the Germans. A recent poll conducted by the newspaper Le Figaro showed that 95.6% of all French people are hoping to be re-occupied by Germany within the next 12 months. The poll results also reveal that the vast majority of French women are especially looking forward to becoming the mistresses of German officers so that they can have sado-masochistic sex in exchange for silk stockings and extra rations.

"Damn those Americans anyway," said Chirac during a visit with Schroeder to the Klaus Barbie L'Ecole Superieure du Behaviour Criminale. "Everthing was going along just fine in 1944 and what did they go and do? Land at Normandy. Just like the Yanks, always butting their noses into other people's business. Well, we aren't going to take it lying down any more. This time we're going to surrender to Germany before the Germans have a chance to invade."

[MeekOneGOP]

[ez]

These net favorable ratings range this year from a +83% for Great Britain to a –85% for Iraq. (The complete ratings for each country are displayed at the bottom of this article.)

If Iraq, Iran, and North Korea form an Axis of Evil (terrorism-supporting states) and France, Germany, and Belgium form and Axis of Weasels (supporters of terrorism-supporting states), then I propose that the US, Great Britain, and Israel also form an Axis. Although a clever name eludes me at this point, this axis represents the Judeo-Christian heritage from antiquity until present day, and it is that Axis that the rest of the world despises and seeks to destroy.

It comforts me that 85% of our citizens recognize both the inherent morality of a Great Britain as compared to the evil, tortuous immorality, coupled with Godless Humanism of the Iraqi regime. As for the other 15 percent, well, the word anti-christian comes to mind...

[nicmarlo]

[Corin Stormhands]

Does this mean we can have all the mimes deported?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Personally, I don't think any less of the cheese-eating surrender-monkeys than I used to.

[Jonah Hex]

Le'bump for later....

[Emeraldgold]

without the wine and woman, what does france has to offer us?