Europeans: Who Are the Sexiest? Rudest? Funniest? By David Moller

Our exclusive survey of nearly 4,000 people in 19 countries has some surprising answers
The European family just got a whole lot bigger, with the accession of ten new states to the EU in May. But in every family some get along better with each other than others. So we thought it was a good time to ask Europeans what they actually felt about each other.To find out, Reader's Digest dispatched researchers to 38 towns in 19 countries across Europe, from the UK to Russia, inviting nearly 4,000 respondents to comment on any country but their own. We asked them such questions as which Europeans they liked most (and least), who were the sexiest, the most efficient, who had the best sense of humour and the best food, and where they'd really like to live.And according to our survey, we Europeans are in love with Italy, its people and its food. The Italians are the most popular and the sexiest (maybe there's a connection), Italy was the country we'd most like to live in, and Italian the nationality we'd most like to be. Yet Britons might be pleasantly surprised to hear that we're top of the poll on two fronts. We have the best sense of humour, say our fellow Europeans—it seems they judge us by Basil Fawlty, Monty Python and Mr Bean. And we're thought to have contributed most to the world, with respondents citing football, medicine and industry among others as the reason.Our survey does support one or two of the sturdiest stereotypes about national characteristics, though: the Germans are rated the most efficient (and the rudest), the Dutch the most open-minded. Here's how Europeans voted in detail, in a dozen categories.


Which country's people do you most like?

Italy topped the poll out of all respondents with 16 per cent—although nearly a quarter of Britons gave a preference for the Spaniards, with the Italians coming a close third to the Irish's second spot. A young man interviewed in Luton explained, "The Spanish people are very honourable. I respect them."The UK came fourth with seven per cent, and bottom of the poll came Poland, Russia, Hungary and Slovakia, all on one per cent each.


Which country's people do you least like?

There was another clear winner: 22 per cent nominated Germany. In Hasselt, Belgium, a middle-aged woman complained, "The Germans make too much noise and are too chauvinistic." Russia and France came second with 12 per cent each. A young man in Prague explained that he liked the French least "because of their bloated patriotism".In fourth place came the UK at nine per cent. A young Belgian gave this viewpoint: "They do everything the opposite way—they never take a stand for Europe." And a Russian man questioned in St Petersburg argued, "The English are too uncommunicative."


Which Europeans have the best sense of humour?

Good to hear, then, that Britain generates the most laughs, taking an impressive 30 per cent of the votes. Our closest rivals Italy took 15 per cent, and France and Spain seven per cent. What appealed to a Dutchman was British comedians "appearing deadly serious and being hilarious at the same time". A young Hungarian woman, who'd seen all the Monty Python films, developed a passion for British humour until she went to London. Waiting a long time for an underground train one night, she met an Englishman who explained that the delay was probably caused by a crash, "with dozens killed"."It was only when the young man began laughing that I realised the darker side of some British humour."Who did we Britons vote for? Our close neighbours, the Irish were deemed to make us chuckle the most, with 48 per cent choosing them above all others.


Which Europeans have the best food?

Another triumph for Italy, which trounced France by 40 per cent to 23. "Italy has contributed so much to food," enthused a middle-aged British male interviewed in Luton. "Where would we be without pizza and pasta?"Third place went to Greek cuisine with nine per cent. As for British fare, sadly it only got one per cent of all votes, coming joint eighth. At least it scored higher than five countries judged not worthy of a single vote. Is food from the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden that bad?


Which country has contributed most to the world?

The British may be thought of as insular and our food may be panned, but our influence abroad is widely recognised. We topped this section with 28 per cent, for a variety of reasons. "Because they created football," said an elderly Swiss man. "Because they discovered penicillin," opined a Czech lady.Germany scored 21 per cent and France 13 per cent. A young Russian nominated Germany "for its excellent cars". A young Dane suggested Switzerland: "They have given us cheese and the watch."A Briton made a strong plea for Ireland. "They gave the world Guinness."


Which Europeans are the sexiest?

Yet another gold medal for Italy with 34 per cent. Commented a young British man: "The sexiest people have to be the Italians. They know they're sexy, which is annoying, but it makes them even more attractive."The silver medal went to Spain with 15 per cent and bronze to France with 14 per cent. Having announced her preference for Spanish men, a woman in Luton lowered her voice to add, "They're rather hairy aren't they? But please don't tell my husband."We Brits alas scored only two per cent—seventh place—although one young Parisian woman exclaimed, "English men are the sexiest people. I can't resist their 'gentleman' style!" Least sexy of all were judged to be the hapless citizens of Belgium, who received zero per cent.


Which Europeans are the rudest?

Germany came out worst with a 27 per cent rating. A young mother in Prague had no doubts: "They are too noisy and inconsiderate. They shout all the time."Next rudest were the French with 14 per cent. "They are very brutal and aggressive in traffic," was the verdict of a 40-year-old Belgian man.Britain followed with 12 per cent. Said one young Dutch woman, "The English do not seem to know how to behave when they're on holiday. All they do is drink and yell."Least rude were thought to be Norway and Switzerland on one per cent.


Which Europeans are the most open-minded?

Notably relaxed about sex and drugs, the Dutch came top in this category with 21 per cent.One Hungarian man visiting Amsterdam was stunned to find himself in a cafe where he could "order grass and hash from the menu". Another young male visitor to the Netherlands from Slovakia was similarly startled to find a gay club next door to a Catholic church. "This must surely mean that the Catholics and gays do not mind each others' presence."Second was Sweden on ten per cent, followed by France, Italy (again) and Germany on eight. The UK polled at sixth place, sharing this spot with Denmark and Spain.


Which Europeans are the most efficient?

Despite their recent economic woes, the Germans are still seen as the most efficient in Europe, with a thumping 45 per cent rating.From all over Europe came accolades. In Belgium, a woman asserted, "The Germans always respect their agreements." And in Britain, a middle-aged man pointed out, "They've done an enormous amount for engineering and the manufacturing industry."Those tidy Swiss came a long way back in second place with 11 per cent, with the UK chasing them hard on nine per cent. No one seemed to expect much from Slovakia (zero per cent).


Which country would you most like to live in?

Most Europeans would head south given the chance, above all to Italy (16 per cent), which just beat Spain (15 per cent) and with France third (11 per cent). One woman from Cardiff summed up her passion for Italy: "I'm fascinated by the language and their family values."For other British respondents, however, the top two winning nations were in reverse order—more than a quarter of us would venture to Spain, with 19 per cent opting for Italy. What about a life in Britain for those across the Channel? Our sceptred isle took fourth place, sharing it with Switzerland on seven per cent each. The least favoured places were Poland and Slovakia with zero per cent.


If you couldn't be your own nationality, which other European one would you choose?

Once again, Italy came out top, with 13 per cent. A young Spanish shop assistant in Avila explained his choice: "They party and have a great sense of humour. Also, they don't seem so driven to work." The UK came joint fourth with Switzerland on nine per cent, just behind second-place Spain and third-place France. A 50-year-old Belgian writer very nearly opted for British nationality. "But they have not joined the euro so I do not consider them Europeans."One Polish man longed to be British for a simple reason. "They don't have to go through the pain of learning any foreign languages to feel citizens of the world."


Which is your favourite European city?

Paris was easily the most desired destination, with 25 per cent; London and Rome gained 13 per cent, Prague and Barcelona got six and Venice five.A 55-year-old Dutch man rhapsodised, "I love Paris for its nostalgia, the old buildings. There's so much to see, it's marvellous."And in the Netherlands, a 25-year-old female psychology student insisted, "There is nothing in Rome that is not beautiful."There were some surprise choices too. Six citizens of Poland, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden plumped for Manchester. And the people of Tunbridge Wells may be happy to learn that the Kentish town earned one solitary Swedish vote.


http://www.readersdigest.co.uk/magazine/europeans04.htm

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