Are the French really arrogant? They seem to think so.
France rated itself the most arrogant among eight European Union nations, a new survey indicates. But in the same poll, France also said it was the least arrogant -- a twist The Guardian called a "display of Gallic insouciance."
The findings in the Pew Research Center's "Stereotyping in Europe" poll were part of an overall survey of European attitudes, titled "The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Union."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study showed that old notions and animosities still appeared to thrive across borders in the EU's struggle for unity amid debt recovery, the Telegraph notes.
Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, cracked to the outlet: “I am delighted that the Eurocrats have failed to crush national stereotyping, which is what makes Europe a great continent.”
Pew polled 7,646 citizens from Germany, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, and Spain.
Germany was rated most trustworthy, and it also eclipsed France as most arrogant among the majority of countries polled.
Every nation rated itself as the most compassionate, while Germany was generally considered by other countries to be the least compassionate.
More Europeans could also agree on their dislike for the current economic arrangement. The median of those with a favorable view of the European Union dropped from 60 percent to 45 percent in the past year.
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