The image of France around the world

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TNS Sofres, a global market research firm, published a major survey asking 13,000 people in 12 countries around the world what they thought or how they felt about France on a variety of topics. The countries surveyed are the USA, the UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, Morocco, Mali, Egypt, India, Japan, Brazil and France itself.

The survey revealed a significant gap between the way French people see their country and the way others do. The French are considerably more negative, and even gloomy, when it queried about the state of their own economy.

Brazilians, Poles, Moroccans and Indians had the most positive overall image of France (over 75% of respondents), while the Brits, but even more so the Spaniards and the Malinese proved the least Francophile.

On their side, the French like Spain most (talk of unrequited love) followed by Germany, the USA and Japan. The like Poland, Egypt and Mali the least among the 11 other surveyed countries.

29% of people surveyed saw France as one of the top 5 world powers, while 45% placed it between the 6th and the 9th power, and 18% at the 10th rank of beyond. The Germans, Americans and Brits gave the lowest average ranking, while Mali, Spain, Egypt and Morocco were the most generous in their opinions of France as a global political power.

When asked whether they thought that French schools, public transports, roads and health service worked very well or well in France, all developing countries responded with a resounding yes. 98.5% of Moroccans think that these sectors are excellent in France, which perhaps reveals more about the state of affairs in Morocco than in France itself. The least happy were the Japanese, especially regarding public transports and the health system (only 34% and 36% of positive votes respectively).

The Japanese also seem to have the most biased view of the French economy. While 88% of them recognise France as a world leader in gastronomy and wines, a paltry 4% of them acknowledged France as a leader in telecommunications, 6% in aerospace (ironically since France is only second to the USA), and 7% in medical research. The Americans and the Britons were the least ready to admit (15% and 16%) that France was a major player in terms of nuclear power.

Only Moroccans (77%) saw France as a leader in the cinematographic industry. Scores in other countries ranged from 7% in Spain to 38% in Egypt. Yet France has Europe's biggest cinema industry and is home to the Cannes Festival.

Only 51% of the British respondents thought that France played an important role on the international scene, less even than the Americans (64%). Moroccans were once again the most rosy about France (95%).

Among industrialised nations, the Japanese were the most critical of France's international positions in the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Most Japanese also failed to see any positive influence of France in the management of the euro debt crisis or during the G20 summit.
 
My own 2 cents; best of France: wines, food, motorways, historical and cultural importance it has in Europe's history. Le Monde is one of the best newspapers in Europe.
Worst of France: arrogance (not a cliché), bureaucracy (have lived there, a true nightmare), people do not speak foreign languages, la gauche (left wing politics, weekly demonstrations and strikes,...).

Overall, France has still a fantastic aura thanks to its history, Paris, and the glamour of french language and culture, but its decline as a world power is acknowledged since Chirac was in power.
 
Why are the French so worried about their image around the world? The Americans could not care less about their own. Soft power vs hard power thing?
 
Why are the French so worried about their image around the world? The Americans could not care less about their own. Soft power vs hard power thing?

I don't think it would be a bad thing if more Americans worried a bit more about their image in the world, or about the rest of the world in general. I personally can't understand how, in a globalised world in which we live today, some people can't seem to care about what's happening beyond their own country or state/province.
 
For some reason, Francophobia is spreading and I don't know why
 
The British and the French have a love hate relationship.
They love us and we hate them.

*** Please note - there is a slight possibility that this statement is wrong ***
 
I think the best of France has to be the food, wine and romantic image. Also the language, the second most learned language - and I get the feeling people learn French because they want to, as opposed to people learning English because they have to, or because it betters their economic prospects.

France has the biggest cinematic industry in Europe, maybe in official figures or what ever, not really sure where you got that from, but I would have the say UK cinema has a bigger influence, people often forget about it because it disappears so often into Hollywood but look at Harry Potter, James Bond etc France has never come close to producing such lucrative, well known and successful films. I would have to say France comes second there.

I always see France as quite a proud nation and quite an enclosed nation. As for their economy, it seems to be doing alright now (having recently overtaken the UK's economy) but once the UK sorts itself out I can see them falling behind again.

Other than that, I would say a lot of people view the French as rude and arrogant. In fact I don't think I've come across anyone who has gone to France and has complimented the people. I think the people there are like the British, they were once a great power but aren't any more. Except the French seem to be worse since they really have nothing to hold on to these days, i.e. language, industry, economy and cultural influence. (Mostly because I think they hate the English who still do quite well with their influence and language, and economy (London) ).
 
France has the biggest cinematic industry in Europe, maybe in official figures or what ever, not really sure where you got that from, but I would have the say UK cinema has a bigger influence, people often forget about it because it disappears so often into Hollywood but look at Harry Potter, James Bond etc France has never come close to producing such lucrative, well known and successful films. I would have to say France comes second there.

The French cinema is really popular in France and they produce the third largest numbers films each years after the US and India.
The most popular movies in France are often French like :
"Bienvenue chez les chti'" 20 million people watched this movie there.
"Intouchables" 19.3 million
"Asterix and obelix" 14 million etc...
but the French movies are usually not popular in the world. If you compare with the US movies, France is far behind.
However, some French actress/actor are popular in the world. For exemple
Marion Cotillard won in 2008 the oscar of the best actress for the French movie "la vie en rose". Now she plays in the big US movies like Inception, Nine, Public ennemy, etc...
Jean Dujardin just won in 2012 an oscar for the best actor for the French movie "the Artist"
Juliette Binoche won an oscar in 1997 for the best supporting actress.
Audrey Tautou is popular around the world, thanks to the international success film "Amélie" and the Da Vinci code film.
Luc Besson is also a really famous filmaker.
Alain Delon and Brigitte Bardot are now really old but in the 70s both were big world stars even in Asia like in Japan.
Nevertheless, you don't have lot of French actor/actress famous unlike the US or even the British.

I heard that the French movie "Intouchables" was this year number 1 in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Italy and even in my country Switzerland.
19.2 million French people saw this film in France, 6.5 million in Germany and here more than 1 million. So you can find some French films popular outside France.

Except the French seem to be worse since they really have nothing to hold on to these days, i.e. language, industry, economy and cultural influence. (Mostly because I think they hate the English who still do quite well with their influence and language, and economy (London) ).

Concerning the economic situation of France, it's still in 2012 the 5th largest economy by GDP in the world and the 2de in Europe behind Germany but before UK sources : IMF, World Bank.
With this crisis, the unemployment rate in UK and France is pretty the same, so I don't think that today the UK's economy is in better position than France. Even the budget deficit in both countries are almost the same.
concerning the influence of France this country is still :

the 3rd largest nuclear power after the US and Russia.
1 of the 5 UN permanent member.
2de largest economy in Europe and 2de most populated country in this continent
(with 65 million)
3rd largest military export (You should see the Rafale who won a contrat of many Billions with India over the British/German/Italian/Spanish Eurofighter.)
French language is obviously less influent than the English but more 200 million people speak French in the 5 continents and in many countries.
France is 1st world tourist destination in the world since 20 years.
(btw I don't understand the people who said that French rude and go back to their country each year...)

Concerning English, with the Norman Invasion in 1066 nearly 33% of English words come from French, so the influence of French in English language is strong. Even now, you find lot French words in the English vocabulary especially in the English-American vocabulary.

By the way, I'm not French but from the French speaking part of Switzerland called "la Suisse Romande"
 
Impressive figures when it comes to French cinema, but it's nowhere near what Hollywood and Bollywood produce. Put into its context, French cinema is a small player. A French movie doesn't exist until it has been remade in Hollywood.
As for its industry and economy, France is on the decline and just a shadow of her former self. Dassault jets used to be found on every continent, but the Rafale has been a total failure. The recent sale to India has been seen as desperate deal, because of the subcontracts allowed to non-French companies and an important transfert of technologies. Many French companies see their future outside France (Veolia, Suez,...) and the French economy is only one of the not-too-bads in Europe, but nothing to boast about (sure, they are not the gold safe of Europe...).
About holidays, I am in the same position, I don't like the French arrogant attitude towards some foreigners (Belgians, English, Dutch, Americans, Spaniards,...) but I visit the country, not the people.
French language? Let me cite my favourite phrase about French influence (from a US diplomat who did not want to be named): "French? Who speaks French nowadays, apart from waiters and some African dictators?"

France, with all the fondness I have for her (my mother being born in Valenciennes, and I have lived in Lot-et-Garonne for a while), is a decadent country notoriously since François Mitterrand was president. Sarkozy was imo a good president, but the task of reforming such a mammoth state requires decades, and Putin-style leadership. France is for me the proof that too much democracy kills democracy.
 
Impressive figures when it comes to French cinema, but it's nowhere near what Hollywood and Bollywood produce.
I'm agree with you concerning the Hollywood movies, their domination in the world is obvious, but concerning Bollywood their films is mainly popular in India. In Europe or in North America most people don't care about these films.

As for its industry and economy, France is on the decline and just a shadow of her former self.
It's true, the economy of France is in bad situation, not efficient and less competiitve than Germany. However, their productivity per hour is one of the highest in the world. According to some sources the French are even rank first in this domain.

Dassault jets used to be found on every continent, but the Rafale has been a total failure.
We can not say that a contract of 20 Billon$, on 110 airplanes is a total failure. Moreover, France is in top place concerning the military contract in Brazil. According to some newspapers, Brazil will announce his intention to buy many Rafale after the French election in May.
Rafale is also in top position and in exclusive discussion with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The war in Libya showed in the world that the Rafale is a good military airplane.
You should also knew that since 10 years, the US did a strong pressure on many countries in order to stop any military contract with France.

I don't like the French arrogant attitude towards some foreigners but I visit the country, not the people.
Well, you should spend your time and your money in another country. France is their home, this country was built by French for French.
Personally, I live in Geneva and the French border is near to my town. I often go there and I don't find French people arrogant or rude. Maybe because as the French speaking people, they think that I'm French and not a foreigner.
You have also a strong propaganda against the French from people living in the English speaking countries and the "French-Bashing" is really strong in the US. Most Americans think that the French are arrogant and rude even though they never met any French person in their whole life...

French language? Let me cite my favourite phrase about French influence (from a US diplomat who did not want to be named): "French? Who speaks French nowadays, apart from waiters and some African dictators?"
hum..you knew what, I begun to learn Korean 6 months ago. I decided to learn this language because I like Korean songs/Dramas/movies I find this language beautiful and for me South Korea is an amazing country.
I don't care if this language is speak only in South and North Korea. I learn because it's fun and it's a part of the Korean identidy, culture and history.
In Canada nearly 25% of the population have French as their native language but most English Canadian think that French is useless. They don't want to learn it even if it's 1 of the 2 official language in the country and
the official language of 2 Canadians provinces and 1 territory.

France, with all the fondness I have for her (my mother being born in Valenciennes, and I have lived in Lot-et-Garonne for a while), is a decadent country.
You are half French or she is a German born in this city ?
Anyways, decadent country I don't knew but the little dwarf Sarkozy is a decadent president. I hope he will not win the next election.
 

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