And “survey says”… that Americans pretty much agree with the Canadians.
Seventy percent of Americans consider themselves as “greedy” and 40 percent say they are “immoral”. Hmm … primarily Republicans I bet!
Sixty-nine percent of Americans agree that they are “disliked” by others, so I guess that means the survey’s findings are self-confirming.
BTW, my closest Canadian “friend,” after of years of personal experience with one American in particular, confirms that Americans irk Canadians.
Seems we Yanks, while generally admired by our “Neighbors to the North” for our hardwork and inventiveness, are considered loud, rude, and obnoxious by quite, polite, and chaming Canucks.
My friend does disagree about a couple of survey findings (e.g., the “hardworking” and “inventive” parts) … but like most American I think I pretty much agree with her Canadian perspective.
Americans irk Canadians: study
Anti-U.S. sentiment has grown fastest here since 2002, survey of 16 countries suggests
By ALAN FREEMAN
Friday, June 24, 2005 Page A18
WASHINGTON — Canadians have an increasingly dim view of Americans, considering their neighbours as rude, greedy and violent, yet at the same time an overwhelming majority of Canadians smugly believe their country is beloved by people around the world.
The growing discontent of Canadians with the United States and its foreign policy was highlighted yesterday by a 16-nation attitude survey published by the Pew Research Center.
The institute said the survey shows anti-Americanism in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which surged after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, has shown some sign of moderating, but the United States “remains broadly disliked in most countries surveyed.”
U.S. policy and President George W. Bush, in particular, remain distinctly unpopular in France, Germany and Spain, but the Pew Center says among traditional U.S. allies, it is in Canada that opinions of the United States have declined most markedly since 2002, when the survey was first taken.While a majority of Canadians still have a favourable view of the United States, that proportion has fallen from 72 per cent in 2002 to 59 per cent.
Only 45 per cent of Canadians now back the U.S.-led war on terrorism, while 78 per cent backed the war three years ago; 80 per cent of Canadians now say they are glad Canada stayed out of Iraq. And 75 per cent of Canadians say they have a less favourable view of the United States since Mr. Bush’s re-election.
“There’s no question there are negative feelings,” in Canada, said former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who co-chaired the survey. “Some of it has to do with the fact that we are the Big Foot to the south.”
She added that she believes it was primarily a “family squabble” and that views and values in both countries remain similar.
Canadians’ views of American personal attributes are more negative than residents of any other traditional U.S. ally.
While 77 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe Americans are hard-working and 76 per cent believe they’re inventive, 62 per cent say Americans are greedy and 64 per cent believe they are violent.
What the Pew institute found particularly remarkable is that 53 per cent of Canadians found Americans to be rude, compared with only 36 per cent of French respondents and 29 per cent of Britons.
Americans did not lack in self-criticism. While a large majority of Americans consider themselves to be hard-working and inventive, 70 per cent see themselves as greedy and 39 per cent see themselves as immoral.
Americans recognize they are unloved, with 69 per cent agreeing that “we’re disliked” by others, while only 26 per cent feel as if the United States is loved.
Canadians, on the other hand, are utterly convinced of their popularity, with a breathtaking 94 per cent believing Canada is popular with others and only 4 per cent believing it is not liked.
Among developed countries, only the Dutch at 83 per cent, come anywhere close to Canadians in their conviction that they are beloved in the world.
But Canada doesn’t win the sweepstakes as the world’s leading land of opportunity. Asked where a young person should emigrate to in order to “lead a good life,” Australia was picked by respondents in four countries, including Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada. Canada was chosen as the leading land of opportunity in three countries — France, the United States and China. Two countries picked Britain and Germany.
Many of those surveyed believe it would be a good idea for the U.S. to face some rivalry for pre-eminence on the world stage, with 85 per cent of French respondents believing it would be good if the European Union or another entity emerges as a military rival to the U.S.
Canadians share this desire for increased autonomy, with 57 per cent looking for a more independent policy from the United States, compared with 43 per cent in 2003.
The Pew survey was conducted among almost 17,000 people in 16 countries from April 20 to May 3
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