Germany most popular country in the world

[Syt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104

BBC poll: Germany most popular country in the world

Germany is the most positively viewed nation in the world in this year's annual Country Ratings Poll for the BBC World Service.

More than 26,000 people were surveyed internationally for the poll.

They were asked to rate 16 countries and the European Union on whether their influence in the world was "mainly positive" or "mainly negative".

Germany came out top, with 59% rating it positively. Iran was once again the most negatively viewed.

Global views of Europe's biggest country have improved significantly in 2013, according to the poll.

It was conducted for the BBC by GlobeScan and PIPA, who conducted face-to-face and telephone interviews with randomly selected people in 25 countries.

View of India deteriorates

A three-point increase in Germany's average rating returned it to the top of the BBC list, displacing Japan, which saw its positive ratings drop from 58% to 51%, and fell from first to fourth place overall.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says the poll results may be a reward for diligent German diplomacy. Government ministers frequently tour countries with markets for German goods, or countries like Mongolia with raw materials for German products, he says.

There were high positive ratings for Germany in recession-hit Spain and France - though not in Greece - despite the well-publicised placards depicting Chancellor Angela Merkel as a Nazi, paraded during anti-austerity protests in Europe.

The UK saw a bigger increase in positive ratings than any other country and climbed to third place in the table, in the wake of its hosting of the 2012 Olympics.

The poll also indicates that positive views of China and India have fallen sharply around the world over the last year. After improving for several years, views of China have sunk to their lowest level since polling began in 2005, putting it in ninth position.

India is ranked 12th, with negative views (35%) slightly outnumbering positive ones (34%) for the first time.

But Germany, whose economy has done better than almost every other in Europe in recent years, scored well across the world.

In Ghana, 84% of people polled said Germany's influence was mainly positive, while 81% in neighbouring France and 76% in Australia felt the same. But in debt-laden Greece a majority of people polled gave Germany negative ratings.

Positive views of the EU dropped to their lowest level last year but have stabilised this year, rising one point to 49% on average.

But this figure masks significant changes. There has been a sharp drop in positive ratings by Germans, down 14 points to 59%. Canadians and Americans both give significantly lower ratings to the EU. In the UK, positive views of the EU continue to fall steadily and, for the first time this year, more Britons rate it negatively (47%) than positively (42%).

Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and Iran came out worst in terms of how they are viewed globally. Only 15% of respondents said they saw Iran as having a mainly positive influence.




Analysis
Stephen Evans BBC News, Berlin

Who can doubt that there'll be a little more spring in the step of Chancellor Merkel because of what the poll reveals about attitudes to Germany?

After a year when she has been depicted offensively on placards in a Nazi uniform, in protests from Athens to Madrid, it turns out that many admire the country.

And in surprising places. In Spain, the recipient of a bailout with tight German strings attached, 68% said they felt Germany had "a mainly positive influence in the world".

In Britain, it was even higher at 78%. In France 81% - the poll indicates that four in every five French people look over the border with approval!

Only Greece maintains its Germanophobia, with 52% giving a negative rating.

Will the poll matter? It might well. It may confirm German ministers in their belief that tough love is true friendship.

The poll results may also be a reward for diligent diplomacy. Government ministers frequently tour countries with markets for German goods (or countries like Mongolia with raw materials for German products). Political clout isn't the driving force - it's trade.

This may be why some African countries (which have close trading ties and which exchange ministerial visits with Berlin) are approving.

Ghanaians, for example, have a very favourable attitude toward Germany, with 84% approving. Germany has a very active trade presence in Ghana.

:pickelhaube:

[Martinus]

See, what it does to you if you stop marching your armies through every border every 30 years or so?

[OttoVonBismarck]

I'm surprised Germany would outrank Canada. I assumed general Eurozone anger from the socialists over Germany being such a force behind the austerity measures in many countries would be enough to keep them from being at the top of such a poll. This kind of poll is really Canada's to lose, they are literally the least offensive country in the world by virtue of being the most boring. I mean who could seriously have any beef against Canada? Aside from the fact it's as obscure and irrelevant as San Marino or Liechtenstein, of the people that know Canada exists I think all would have benign views on it.

[CountDeMoney]

lol, -7 for the poor Japs.  Hating on nuclear energy.  What weenies.

[Grey Fox]

I'm surprised Germany would outrank Canada. I assumed general Eurozone anger from the socialists over Germany being such a force behind the austerity measures in many countries would be enough to keep them from being at the top of such a poll. This kind of poll is really Canada's to lose, they are literally the least offensive country in the world by virtue of being the most boring. I mean who could seriously have any beef against Canada? Aside from the fact it's as obscure and irrelevant as San Marino or Liechtenstein, of the people that know Canada exists I think all would have benign views on it.

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command,

Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits,

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

[Brazen]

I've only ever been to Germany on a long weekend in Berlin, but I'd certainly like to see more of the country. Germans are probably the most British-like foreigners I've ever encountered, in terms of appearance and personality. And beer and kebab consumption.

Just can't get a grip on the language, though, think I first encountered it too late in life. Why don't you export some subtitled crime dramas to give me a start?

[Brazen]

Oh, and having sworn to not mention the war, every old boy in the City came up to my dad and asked him if he'd been there during his national service 

[Valmy]

I've only ever been to Germany on a long weekend in Berlin, but I'd certainly like to see more of the country. Germans are probably the most British-like foreigners I've ever encountered, in terms of appearance and personality. And beer and kebab consumption.

Just can't get a grip on the language, though, think I first encountered it too late in life. Why don't you export some subtitled crime dramas to give me a start?

Germans do not seem to make many movies for export.  The only one I recall that was NOT about Nazi Germany is Run, Lola, Run.

[Gups]

The Lives of Others is a great film.

[Eddie Teach]

How the fuck is China's overall rating positive?

[Valmy]

The Lives of Others is a great film.

Dang it I did enjoy that movie.  How could I forget that one?

[Zanza]

Outside the Eurozone, Germany's foreign policy is fairly uncontroversial. Trade is generally seen as a positive and our few military entanglements are always just as a junior partner to someone else (America, France, EU). Like OvB I would have expected that negative views in the Eurozone would have increased a lot and lowered our general approval level though.

[Martinus]

How the fuck is China's overall rating positive?

Outside of the West and Japan, I think they are pretty much liked. They are definitely much more popular in Africa than the US is.

[Valmy]

How the fuck is China's overall rating positive?

Outside of the West and Japan, I think they are pretty much liked. They are definitely much more popular in Africa than the US is.

Yeah?  I have not seen any regional breakdowns.

What is puzzling to me is why India is so disliked.

[The Brain]

Imperial Germany.

Nazi Germany.

Present day green sissy Germany.