Economy

Canada Is America's Favorite Country

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: February 28, 2016 8:41 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 12:37 pm

Canada is America’s favorite country, according to Gallup research. Ninety-three percent of those surveyed by Gallup viewed Canada favorably, perhaps because the relationship between the two countries is so benign. Gallup experts did not say.

Those at the top of the list of “favorite” countries, as defined by Gallup, are all part of the old legion of developed nations. The United Kingdom ranks second behind Canada with a 90% favorability rating. So, the first two countries on the list share a common language with Americans. Any relationship. Gallup is not telling.

The balance of the top of the list include France at 87%, Germany at 85% and Japan at 82%.

Favorite is defined as “favorable” by Gallup and includes “very favorable” and “mostly favorable.” Canada wins the “mostly favorable” category by a wide margin with 56%. The United Kingdom is second with 43%, followed by Germany at 30% and France and Japan at 29% each.

Do the results of this research matter? They are interesting, but their value beyond that appears to be nil.

Methodology:

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 3-7, 2016, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.