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.
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.