Do Americans Like France?

IT LOOKS LIKE the answer is that most of us do.

It's not exactly a secret that some Americans love to hate France (surely you remember Freedom Fries). The reasons for this attitude are usually absurd and driven by political hacks looking to self-inflate their 'pro-American' credentials. I mean, let's be fair, there are plenty of reasons to dislike France without getting political, am I right? I'll start with no coffee-to-go as Exhibit A.

But a recent study shows that American attitudes toward France are -- wait for it -- largely based on politics. Shocker! Take a look at these numbers from a recent surbey conduected by an American media firm. The results show that American dislike for France can be summarized in two words: Southern States.

Question: Do you generally have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the country of France?

Demographic (percentage who answered favorable)
All - 61%
Men - 55%
Women - 67%
Democrat - 66%
Republican - 55%
Northeast - 71%
Midwest - 67%
South - 43%
West - 69%

In case you're wondering, people in Southern states also had the lowest favorable ratings of San Franciso, New York, and Europe in general. On the plus side, they rated Cracker Barrel very high.

CJS