Majority of Americans View France as Ally or Friend

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- In listening to the pundits these days, one might have the impression that, as one newspaper commented, "French bashing is at a fever pitch in the United States." There are other countries that oppose the U.S. policy now committed to a war with Iraq, but the French have led the opposition in the United Nations, vowing to veto the most recent proposed resolution supported by the United Kingdom, Spain, and the United States (although the resolution has since been withdrawn). But a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll suggests that while Americans are clearly upset with France, one might characterize current Franco-American tensions more as a spat between siblings than the beginning of a war between mortal enemies.

So frustrated are some U.S. lawmakers with France's "stubborn" resistance to war that one U.S. House member, Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Administration Committee, ordered House restaurants to replace any reference to "French fries" with the term "freedom fries." A similar change was ordered for "French toast" to be called "freedom toast."

Another lawmaker, U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla) has introduced legislation that would have the federal government pay for the reburial in the United States of veterans who fought in the two world wars and are now buried in France.

But the poll finds that, while Americans are indeed upset with the French government's policy of opposition to the United States on the war issue, and half even feel betrayed, a majority still feels France is friendly to the United States. They also reject as a "silly idea" the notion of replacing the adjective "French" with "freedom" for French fries and French toast.

The poll, conducted March 14-15, shows that 64% of Americans currently express an unfavorable view of France, while only about half that number, 34%, have a favorable view. These numbers represent a major reversal of opinion from that expressed just last month, opinions that were already less positive than those expressed a year earlier, in February 2002.

Public Opinion of France

More than seven in 10 Americans have expressed a favorable view of France over the past decade, but the dispute over Iraq led to disgruntlement with France this past February, when opinion declined to a (still positive) 59% to 33% favorable to unfavorable ratio. France's aggressive leadership to oppose a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq led to the dramatic decline in positive feelings measured this month, representing a 45-point decline over the past year.

Further evidence of the public's anger is found when Americans are asked if France's policy on Iraq is reasonable or not. Two-thirds say no, while just 24% -- a little fewer than the number who are firmly opposed to war with Iraq -- say it is reasonable.

Among those who find fault with the French on this issue, most -- representing 54% of all Americans -- take the more draconian view that France is "stabbing the U.S. in the back." This sentiment, implying an obligation on the part of the French for U.S. support in the two world wars, underlies the proposed legislation allowing deceased veterans to be removed from French soil and reburied in the United States.

Opinion of France's Approach to Policy on Iraq

Mar 14-15, 2003

But a separate question suggests these negative feelings are not necessarily as severe as they might at first appear. A majority of Americans, 56%, still view France as either an "ally" of the United States (20%) or at the very least "friendly" to this country (36%). Another 32% say France is "unfriendly," but just 8% take the most negative view that France is actually an "enemy."

France: Ally or Enemy?

Mar 14-15, 2003

These views are clearly less warm than those expressed three years ago, when 90% of Americans said France was a U.S. ally or friend, and only 5% characterized France as either "unfriendly" or an "enemy." Still, the low percentage of Americans saying France is an enemy suggests the current dispute is more transitory than permanent. By comparison, 3% of Americans say Germany is an enemy and 5% say that about Russia, two countries that also oppose a U.S.-led war with Iraq. On the other hand, 32% of Americans consider Iran an enemy, 46% North Korea, and 66% Iraq.

Not Persuaded to Call Them Freedom Fries

Most Americans do not buy into the proposal by Rep. Ney that America should abandon its long use of the words "French fries" and "French toast" by calling them "freedom" fries and "freedom" toast. Two-thirds of Americans, 66%, say this is a "silly" idea. While 33% say such a proposal could be seen as a sincere expression of patriotism, just 15% of Americans would actually call the culinary specialty "freedom fries." Eighty percent would not.

Mar 14-15, 2003

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,007 national adults, aged 18+, conducted March 14-15, 2003. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Next, I'd like your overall opinion of some foreign countries. First, is your overall opinion of [RANDOM ORDER]very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable? How about -- [INSERT NEXT ITEM]?

BASED ON -- 488 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

2003 Mar 14-15 (sorted by "favorable")	Very favorable	Mostly favorable	Mostly unfavorable	Very unfavorable	No opinion	Total favorable	Total unfavorable
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Great Britain	43	43	6	3	5	86	9
Spain	18	54	9	3	16	72	12
Germany	8	41	30	14	7	49	44
Turkey	6	42	30	7	15	48	37
Russia	4	37	40	12	7	41	52
France	6	28	25	39	2	34	64
Iran	2	11	48	31	8	13	79
North Korea	2	6	33	53	6	8	86
Iraq	3	2	25	68	2	5	93

Favorability of Nations Trend

A. France

	Very favorable	Mostly favorable	Mostly unfavorable	Very unfavorable	No opinion	Total favorable	Total unfavorable
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2003 Mar 14-15 ^	6	28	25	39	2	34	64
2003 Feb 3-6	13	46	23	10	8	59	33
2002 Feb 4-6	23	56	13	3	5	79	16
2001 Feb 1-4 ^	22	55	12	5	6	77	17
1999 Feb 8-9	17	54	14	4	11	71	18
1996 Mar 8-10	15	55	16	4	11	70	20
1991 Mar 14-17	18	61	9	3	9	79	12
1991 Jan 30-Feb 2	17	57	11	4	11	74	15

For each of the following countries, please say whether you consider it an ally of the United States, friendly, but not an ally, unfriendly, or an enemy of the United States. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

BASED ON -- 519 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B

 

2003 Mar 14-15 (sorted by "ally")	Ally	Friendly, not an ally	Unfriendly	Enemy	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
Great Britain	72	25	1	*	2
Spain	49	37	5	1	8
Turkey	28	43	18	2	9
Germany	27	43	23	3	4
Russia	23	44	25	5	3
France	20	36	32	8	4
Iran	3	13	44	32	8
North Korea	2	5	43	46	4
Iraq	1	1	30	66	2

View of Nations Trend

A. France

 

	Ally	Friendly, not an ally	Unfriendly	Enemy	No opinion
2003 Mar 14-15 ^	20%	36	32	8	4
2000 May 18-21	50%	40	4	1	5

Do you, personally, think France is being reasonable or unreasonable in its approach to United Nations policy on Iraq?

 

	Reasonable	Unreasonable	No opinion
2003 Mar 14-15	24%	68	8

Do you, personally, feel that France is stabbing the U.S. in the back, or not?

COMBINED RESULTS (Q.18-18a)

 

		2003 Mar 14-15
		%
France is being reasonable in its approach to the U.N. policy on Iraq		24
France is being reasonable in its approach to the U.N. policy on Iraq		68
(Yes, is stabbing the U.S. in the back)	(54)
(No, is not stabbing the U.S. in the back)	(14)
No opinion		8

As you may know, because France has opposed the U.S. position on Iraq in the United Nations, some restaurants have changed their menus so that foods such as French fries and French toast are now called "freedom fries" or "freedom toast." Do you think this is – [ROTATED: a silly idea (or) a sincere expression of patriotism]?

BASED ON -- 488 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

 

	Silly idea	Sincere expression of patriotism	No opinion
2003 Mar 14-15	66%	33	1

As you may know, because France has opposed the U.S. position on Iraq in the United Nations, some restaurants have changed their menus so that foods such as French fries and French toast are now called "freedom fries" or "freedom toast." Do you, personally, plan to start calling French fries "freedom fries," or do you plan to continue calling them French fries?

BASED ON -- 519 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B

 

	Freedom fries	French fries	No opinion
2003 Mar 14-15	15%	80	5

* -- Less than 0.5%