PexelsIt’s a well known fact, England as a whole, is perhaps not a fan favourite when it comes to other countries. I mean, need I remind everyone of Brexit?
So it should come as no surprise when I tell you research has been carried out to find out which country hates us the most.
And the findings? Apparently the French hate us more than the Germans do! Despite politicians’ attempts to build bridges between England and its closest neighbours, almost one in three French adults still dislike us immensely.
Don’t take it personally guys – I’m sure they’d love us if they got the chance to meet us in person!
So what don’t they like about us, you might be wondering. Well, the fact we drive on the left is apparently the most annoying thing about us, according to the French. I mean, we can’t exactly help that so I’m not counting it.
Our obsession with the Royal Family is a close second, followed by our lack of cooking skills (I can’t really argue with either of those).
GettyThe French also dislike our love of tea, how we apparently think we’re the best at everything, and our need to pour ketchup all over our food.
In total, 700 French adults and 700 German adults were polled in an attempt to discover who hates the English the most – who’s idea was this – and it transpired just 15 per cent of Germans felt as passionately as the French. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose!
TV channel HISTORY carried out the study in conjunction with Al Murray’s new show Why Does Everyone Hate the English?, which starts tonight (Monday October 8) at 9pm.
SWNSAl Murray said:
It’s always an eye opener to find out why you might annoy someone – often it’s the things you like about yourself, like drinking tea.
But all this shows is that the people next door are always the ones you’re most likely to have wound up the wrong way.
And when it comes to winding up the French we’ve been at it for a thousand years, the Germans are the Johann-come-lately on this one.
So what is Germany’s problem with the English? Apparently, the 15 per cent who hate us say football hooliganism is their number one gripe, as well as the fact we binge drink and sing songs loudly in the street. Which is fair enough, but couldn’t we argue that every country has football hooligans?
Check out these fans in Paris overturning a car during the World Cup:
Germans also dislike the fact we always get sunburnt on holiday – come on now, I wear factor 50 religiously and still resemble a tomato after a day in the sun!
A point both the French and Germans agreed with is we expect everyone else to speak English. I agree with them on that one to be fair – I always feel terrible when I can’t understand another person’s language and they’re fluent in mine.
Both nationalities also think the English are arrogant, with more than one in 10 French and German adults saying so.
Blimey, they’re not holding back are they?! But the research, which also polled 1,200 English adults, found we’re generally quite happy to have some of the traits other nationalities despise.
PAThree quarters are proud to live in Britain, although nearly 80 per cent wish we behaved a bit better when visiting other countries.
It’s not all bad news though, as many French people did admit to liking the English! In fact, 36 per cent enjoy our politeness and good manners. To be fair, you can’t fault us on that – didn’t we invent the queue? And don’t get me started on smiling at strangers in the street!
Furthermore, a third of the French think the English produce great music, and three in 10 like our sense of humour.
PexelsWhile a fifth of Germans polled, via OnePoll, think we need to lighten up a little, 33 per cent do like the fact we can laugh at ourselves.
Al Murray added:
It’s a relief to see there are some things that the French and Germans like about the English, and humour plays a strong part in that.
So there is hope for English people in Europe – just remember to have a good laugh, and make sure you don’t drive on the left.
Amen to that!
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).