I like the think I’m a reasonably savvy observer of public opinion and international economics, but every so often I’m stunned by some bit of data.
Several years ago, for instance, I was very surprised to see that more than half of the French people would consider moving to the United States if they had the opportunity.
Well, the French have shocked me again. According to new polling data from Pew, the people of France support spending cuts over spending increases by a margin of 81-18, an astounding result.
I’m also surprised that the Spaniards and Italians support spending cuts. The polling results are especially impressive considering that Pew asked the question in a very biased way, presupposing that Keynesian economics actually works.
The fact that so many European saw through this inaccurate wording is very encouraging.
By the way, I can’t resist sharing this part of the Pew survey. It shows that the people of all eight nations think they’re the most compassionate.
On a humorous note, the folks from every nation chose the Germans as the most trustworthy – except the Greeks, who chose themselves.
With my twisted sense of humor, this reminds me of the funny (but un-PC) maps showing how the Greeks (and folks other nations) view the rest of Europe.
And since we’re being politically incorrect, here’s some English humor about terror alerts in other nations.
P.S. It turns out the French people also supported spending cuts by a very strong margin in a 2010 poll. So there’s something nice about the country other than attractive women. But given those poll numbers, why the heck do they elect big-government statists such as Sarkozy and Hollande?!?
P.P.S. Since I’m a proud America, I can’t resist linking to this poll which shows people in the United States favoring spending cuts by a margin of more than 8-1. So why do we elect big-government statists such as Bush and Obama?!?
