The countries that we love and hate (UK YouGov survey)

[Stockholm]

The great American wit H L Mencken contemplated every state of the Union before the Second World War and decided that, judged by any criterion one cared to name, Mississippi was incomparably the worst. It was by far the poorest, ugliest, least well educated and most comprehensively racist.

A YouGov survey for The Telegraph cast its net more widely and invited respondents to rate almost two dozen countries, including Britain, on the basis of 12 separate criteria.

Respondents were urged to name the three countries they thought best in the world according to each of the dozen criteria and also the three they thought worst.

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2005/01/03/ncoun03.xml

[non sociopath skin]

1. Interesting survey...

... which rather knocks one or two pieces of received wisdom out of court.

On the "friendly people," bit, I'd rather face a French or German immigration officer than an American one, any day of the week.

The Skin

[Guy_Montag]

3. I've been flying in & out of the US a few times recently

crikey! That wasn't much fun. Missed a flight because of search, had to run to get another.

[tjwmason]

5. Our advantage with French or German immigration is our passports

As we're all citizens of Europe (for better or for worse) they can't really stop us without very good reason.

When I flew into Italy last summer it was very noticeable that the queue at passport control was running along very smoothly with Brits, Italians and a few Irish (i.e., all E.U. members); then they got an American who took as long as about 5 E.U. members.

[non sociopath skin]

6. My wife, who is American ...

.. was waved through in thirty seconds at Paris CDG last Summer, tjw, the same times as she spent in Immigration at Miami. Meanwhile, I had to queue for TWO HOURS at the "Save our Homeland from Turbanned Ruffians and Other Furriners" section of the same airport.

The Skin

[tjwmason]

7. If they'd seen your posts here

It would have been much much longer I'm sure.

[non sociopath skin]

8. What makes you think they hadn't?

:)

The Skin

[tjwmason]

10. If they'd read them

You'd probably be in Guantanamo Bay by now receiving re-education or something similar.

[non sociopath skin]

11. I get all the re-education I need from DU. :)

You can quote me on that, Skinner. :)

The Skin

[Kerrytravelers]

2. I must protest the most democratic countries results...

obviously they understand the level of fascism we're being held hostage under here in the states.


help us please...

[tjwmason]

4. I note that America has both the most friendly and least friendly people

Are we Brits buying into the red-blue state divide I wonder.

[Briar]

9. I sense a strong language factor here

Brits prefer countries where English is spoken...the old curse of British reluctance to learn a foreign language is part of our problem.

[tjwmason]

12. I think that it's more than that

Australia, Canada and New Zealand are members of the Commonwealth - and therefore in British law are not foreign. Similarly America is not merely anglophone but also shares a similar culture. Whilst people may not delve into the deep historical points, there is a realisation that these cultures are very similar to our own - which will always make people feel more 'at home'.

[Briar]

13. I wouldn't underestimate

the extent to which our language is the vehicle of our culture.