Posted on 07/03/2006 9:26:03 PM PDT by familyop
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, when Americans celebrate Independence Day. But a YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph suggests that the Stars and Stripes will be flying at half mast in the eyes of most Britons. There has probably never been a time when America was held in such low esteem on this side of the Atlantic.
A majority of Britons think American culture and the actions of the present American administration are making the world a worse place to live in, and almost no one believes America is now, if it ever was, a beacon to the world. Well over half of those interviewed regard the US as an imperial power bent on dominating the world by one means or another.
President George W Bush's standing in this country could scarcely be lower. More than three quarters of Britons believe the current president is a "poor" or even "terrible" world leader and almost as many believe that his rhetoric about promoting the cause of democracy in the world is merely a cover for his promotion of American national interests.
Americans as individuals are still held in high regard in Britain, but America's role in the world is not. The so-called "special relationship" may still thrive in Downing Street and at Camp David but it has obviously atrophied among the British public.
As the figures in the chart show, a large majority of Britons like Americans as people either "a little" (49 per cent) or "a lot" (21 per cent) and more than half, 54 per cent, are inclined to feel positively about the US in general. There are certainly few signs in YouGov's findings of an across-the-board anti-American prejudice.
The core problem is with America's relations with the rest of the world. George W Bush is no Franklin D Roosevelt, Dwight D Eisenhower or John F Kennedy. All of those American presidents inspired respect. Mr Bush appears to inspire nothing but contempt. Fully 69 per cent of Britons say their overall opinion of the US has gone down in recent years.
YouGov also asked respondents to assess the Bush administration's impact on the world beyond America's shores. Their assessment is overwhelmingly negative. Fewer than one quarter, 22 per cent, believe that the present American government's policies and actions make the world a better place to live in. Three times that proportion, 65 per cent, regard America's influence in the world today as predominantly malign.
The reputation of American culture - fast-food restaurants, popular music, Hollywood movies - stands somewhat higher, with more than a third of YouGov's respondents approving of America's worldwide cultural impact. Even so, more than half of those interviewed, 52 per cent, clearly regard America's impact as, on balance, pernicious.
The figures in the section of the chart headed "America, Bush and the world" paint an even bleaker picture. Many Americans like to think of the US as a beacon to the world - as its "last, best hope". That view is not shared in this country. Only one in nine Britons, 11 per cent, accepts that view. A massive 77 per cent appear positively startled by the idea that the US may currently be setting the rest of the world a good example.
As the figures in the chart also show, confidence in America's ability to handle problems outside its own borders has plummeted over the past three decades. The Gallup Poll in 1975 found that roughly a quarter of Britons, 27 per cent, had considerable confidence in American leadership. That figure has now fallen by more than half to a mere 12 per cent.
President Bush's personal ratings in this country are horrendous. Almost no one holds him in high regard as a world leader. Fully 34 per cent think he is a "pretty poor" leader and even more, 43 per cent, reckon he is "terrible" in that role.
Opinion polls rarely produce figures quite as negative as these. Moreover, a majority of Britons regard the US President as not only incompetent but also as a complete hypocrite. As the findings in the chart indicate, 72 per cent of YouGov's respondents reckon Mr Bush cares little for democracy and is merely using his pro-democracy rhetoric as a pretext for pursuing selfish American interests.
Even more of YouGov's respondents, 76 per cent, think that, even if the president really does want to promote the cause of freedom and democracy in the world, he is not going about it in the right way. Hardly anyone - a mere nine per cent - thinks Mr Bush is performing well, even in his own terms.
The view that America aspires to ultimate world domination is only a little less widespread. Despite America's anti-imperial past, well over half of YouGov's respondents, 58 per cent, reckon it is now fair to describe the US as "an essentially imperial power, one that wants to dominate the world by one means or another". Only 28 per cent dismiss such a view as unwarranted.
The section of the chart headed "How the US looks to us" will also make grim reading for America's many admirers. Respondents were offered pairs of contrasted words and phrases and asked to say which of each pair they thought best described the US today.
The figures turn much of America's self-image on its head. From this side of the Atlantic, America appears to be a class-divided and racially divided society and one that fails to offer its citizens equality of opportunity. Nearly three quarters of Britons, 72 per cent, believe American society is essentially "unequal".
More predictably, most Britons believe America is dominated by big business and preoccupied with money. Large majorities of Britons look down on America as "vulgar" (65 per cent) and "uncultured" (56 per cent).
Perhaps most worrying in political terms is the almost universal sense in this country that the US is determined to go its own way in the world, with an almost casual disregard for everybody else. Roughly three quarters of Britons think the US is "badly led" (73 per cent), "ignorant of the outside world" (73 per cent) and "doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks" (83 per cent).
Still, some individual Americans and US institutions do strike a chord on this side of the pond. As the figures in the chart indicate, YouGov's respondents take a positive view of such diverse American phenomena as Microsoft,
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, the Disney theme parks and television comedies such as Friends and The Simpsons.
They take a much dimmer view - or so they say - of 4x4 recreation vehicles, McDonald's, the two Hilton sisters Paris and Nicky and, unsurprisingly, Michael Jackson. YouGov's very last question was also the bluntest: "If you could, would you like to go and live in the United States?" A considerable minority, 19 per cent, replied that they would but more than three times that proportion, 67 per cent, indicated that they would prefer to stay put or go to some other country.
YouGov elicited the views of 1,962 adults across Great Britain online between June 26 and 28. The data have been weighted to conform to the demographic profile of British adults as a whole. YouGov abides by the rules of the British Polling Council.
This is the funniest thread I've read in ages!
I can't believe how delicate freepers sensibilities are - you guys really care what us Brits think don't you? :D
You'll notice the article says Brits tend to think highly of Americans, but not of the American govt and it's policies. If Clinton was still in power you'd be agreeing with them too!
Us British have had to learn over the years that being the worlds policeman doesn't make you popular. Now you need to learn it rather than getting all schoolyard angry every time a poll of 1/30,000th of another countries population doesn't fall at your feet in adoration! :D
I know one thing - we have done nothing to deserve anyone's contempt, especially any of the failed socialist nations of Europe, and so the only explanation for the dislike that I can see is simple jealousy.
Europeans have, since WWII and their embrace of socialism, been on a steady decline while America, notwithstanding a few bumps in the road and one or two felonious and cowardly presidents, has thrived. The very existence of America is a slap in the face to the Europeans who have stupidly chosen, and continue to cling to, a form of government that, everytime it has been tried, has proven to be a dismal failure.
So, we'll go on our merry way with our less than five percent unemployment rate, our booming economy, our courageous president whose decision to go to war and fight Islamic psychopaths on their own territory have kept us safe on our own soil since 911, and our general well-being while Europeans boil and seethe with hatred and envy at our successes.
I really could not care less about the fact that Europeans, including some British, don't like us. I really, really don't care.
Consider the source :)
I agree all the anti Brit comments I see posted on Free Republic is because you are jealous of us.
LOL only joking, but please tell me why is it that Americans always use the jealousy argument.
I have been on FR for over five years now and have spent a considerable amount of time debating with Americans who have very negative views on my country.
But it has never occurred to me that they hold these views because they are jealous, it is more to do with not understanding a country and its view point based on its own political and economic history.
Something we are all guilty off, except me of course otherwise i would not of stayed on this site, but then I have always kept an open mind and debated points on its merits.
More envy than jealousy, in our experience anyway. Usually having to do with lifestyle and standard of living.
He says 85 comments later.
LOL from what I have read on this thread it seems that many Americans care and care deeply.
And also lets address the many anti Brit threads that are posted on this very site day after day.
Americans are just as guilty as other nations in belittling other countries including close allies.
From the comments I read on this site every day by so called allied Americans you would not believe that every very day are soldiers our serving alongside Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan facing the same dangers.
Is that your take on life, its not mine.
Are Americans all jealous of each other.
You disagree with me because you are jealous or envious of me is an argument children use in School.
As an adult I agree or disagree with people based on views not what I think of there life style.
Even on FreeRepublic.
God Bless Britain!
Don't shoot the messenger, tony.
And like I said, envy, not jealousy. And it was good-natured for the most part.
I haven't read beyond your post so maybe this is covered, but you have to wonder how much of their opinion of us is caused by Hollywood. The Brits get our movies and TV shows, looking at those wouldn't you consider us "vulgar"?
As far as colonialism goes, the US has "returned" the only country we've ever taken (The Philippines).
As to our crassness, maybe the Brits are watching too many of our television shows!
Unfortunately Anti-Americanism has gone from being a cult to a fully-fledged industry, with the even the Telegraph wanting their piece of the pie.
I'm sure those FReepers who have travelled to the UK will make up their own minds based on their own experiences, and those that haven't are just as suspicious of our MSM as they are of their own.
Still, Happy Divorce Day cousins! Remember that it turned out as good for us as it did for you - you were far too lively for us to hang on to!
Mac1 and tonycavanagh:
Your replies were well considered and written. Thank you. I agree with you both about media influences on readers. We've seen some of those influences affect portions of populations over the past few decades.
We gather information from various points of view, and also, hopefully, statistics and demographics from a few fairly objective research reports. My personal assessments of Britain are not based on solely negative news.
I've been posting news (intended only for a limited time) about negative western European trends that most Americans don't see. Few Americans know, for example, that France does not have the highest percentage of anti-American sentiment in western Europe. We do know that the percentage is not the lowest. Few Americans are aware of majority Spanish and Italian mindsets toward them.
Have you considered that nearly all Americans are fond of Britons? That's common knowledge here, in the USA.
Most of the articles that I've posted over the past few months, BTW, have been on the topic of Iran.
The hope behind the information effort is that we can effect more understanding and change. Solely positive news about any one country can encourage antagonistic influences in that country against other countries to grow. Solely positive news can also lend to lethargy in concerned citizens who would otherwise try to correct one-sided national opinions of foreign countries.
What if the only view that we Americans had of England were from travel agencies and public relations promoters? Many visitors would likely come back to the USA unhappy and having expected something like a generalized perfection.
What if the only view that we Americans had of England were or from the television soap opera, EastEnders (from cable and satellite feeds here)? ...or of Trafalgar Square only during protests? If all of our knowledge came from either, most potential visitors would avoid European vacations. But that's not the case, because nearly all of the news here from England is positive.
Tony, without opinions from writers like Mark Steyn and Melanie Phillips, what would happen regarding sentiments toward Israel? Would negative sentiments increase, or would they decrease without public criticism?
I deeply appreciate what so many British soldiers and other troops are doing in our allied effort against terrorist regimes. I also understand that with so many in Afghanistan and Iraq, that likely few or none will be sent to accompany our forces in Iran (if that probability happens). We know that a large percentage (even if not majority on some issues, at times) of the English population is pro-American. Many of them are related to us. News and opinions about negative issues do not cloud our knowledge of that, and even I wouldn't intentionally allow it to happen.
I'll post more positive news about Britain, if that will help with understanding (and, of course, if it will keep me from appearing to have the intent of some sort of villain). You'll receive pings to those postings, if you like.
And if you visit the United States, consider avoiding large cities on our coasts. You might have a nicer time in the Rocky Mountains.
So what's the problem? Those figures don't look so bad. We're not gonna marry them.
"America appears to be a class-divided mnd racially divided society"
ROFLOL Obviously they can't see class divisions even when they are staring them in the face. as for race, I've heard the English moning about the Indians, the Hong King citizens, the Moslems, etc. so give me a break.
as for the rest of it, given england's empty churches, high unemployment, high out of wedlock birth and all the rest including bonnie Proince Charlie, I'll take what we have here.
'Europeans have, since WWII and their embrace of socialism'
During the 20th Century Britain had a Conservative govt for 75 years and a socialist one for 25 years. What are the proportions for republican versus democrat in the US?
'I really, really don't care.'
Why post then?
The real gist of my comment was aimed at the laughingstocks like France and it would appear to me that some of that irrationality has found it's way to Britain. If this is what has happened, it's really a disappointment as everything we have been through together over the decades would seem to insulate the British people against the America-hating lunacy that has infected the rest of Europe.
There is, in my opinion, no excuse for the British to buy into the phony, manufactured superiority complex that for some inexplicable reason has been adopted by Europe. I give the British alot of credit for having the intelligence to be above that. So when I see a poll that seems to indicate that not a few of the British have fallen in with the rest of the ignoramuses, it's a huge letdown.
As far as not understanding this country, it's really not rocket science. The notion of self-defense is one of the most fundamental instincts known to man. The notion of people having the freedom to reach thier highest potential in life based on thier abilities and desires without government robbing them of the fruits of thier hard work is fundamental and easy for everyone to understand. The notion that most issues are black and white, not nuanced and shot through with gray areas, is fundamental and easy to understand. And it's okay for a lot of people to have the belief that if a man slaughters innocent human beings he should be forced to forfeit his own life. It's really, really okay to believe that and it doesn't make one primitive and barbaric if they do believe it.
So, from my perspective and the perspective of many other people that the above principles are pretty easy and basic, it becomes almost impossible for me to believe that the British, with whom we have a lot in common, would be incapable of simply not having the ability to grasp the concepts. Therefore, the only explanation left for me as to the disconnect evidenced in the poll is jealousy.
If I'm wrong, so be it. I'd feel better though, if the poll had a question of "why do you hate America" was posed. I'd love to see the responses.
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