This page is one
of the annex pages of www.understandfrance.org, the foremost
site on Franco-American intercultural differences. It contains
documents, facts and figures illustrating the content of some
of its pages. |
Facts
& figures |
This page contains
Facts and Figures about France and the French. Some are significant,
other less so....
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(credit) |
French opinions... |
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French society |
- The
French do not like market economy !
According to a poll for
the University of Maryland (GlobalScan, Aug.2005, in: Le Figaro
March 25,2006), the answer to the question "The system of
free entreprise and market economy is it the best for the future?"
are :
% |
YES
|
NO
|
China |
74
|
20
|
Philippines |
73
|
22
|
U.S.A. |
71
|
24
|
South Korea |
70
|
19
|
India |
70
|
17
|
Indonesia |
68
|
29
|
Great-Britain |
67
|
27
|
Nigeria |
66
|
29
|
Canada |
65
|
29
|
Germany |
65
|
32
|
Spain |
63
|
28
|
Poland |
63
|
19
|
Mexico |
61
|
38
|
Italy |
59
|
31
|
Kenya |
59
|
25
|
Brazil |
55
|
30
|
Turkey |
47
|
36
|
Russia |
43
|
34
|
Argentina |
42
|
29
|
France |
36
|
50
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- See another
comparative poll on related items with substantial differences
between French and American answers
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- France
has among the lowest % of women
in national parliaments
(source : Le Monde March 8, 2005) :
Sweden 45%
Finland 38%
Denmark 37%
Netherlands 37%
Spain 36%
Belgium 35%
|
Austria 34%
Germany 33%
Luxembourg 23%
Lithuania 22%
Latvia 21%
Poland 20%
|
Portugal 20%
Estonia 19%
UK 18%
Czech Rep. 17%
Slovakia 17%
Cyprus 16%
|
Greece 14%
Ireland 13%
France 12% (up to 18% after
the 2007 elections)
Slovenia 12%
Italy 12%
Malta 9%
Hungary 9%
|
- NONOs about pickpockets. Paris is the playground for the best pickpockets
in the world (Romanian, Colombians,...). They zoom in on Americans
who offer them the most tempting situations by :
- Carrying a wallet in the back-pocket
of their pants (men)
- Leaving their handbags open
in the metro, or on the floor in a restaurant (women)
- Believing that a rucksack is
a safe place for values (it can be emptied without your noticing
it)
- Engaging in a conversation with
charming kids : you do not understand what they say and you are
very careful to what they say because you are a nice person and
you want to help them ; during this conversation, their older
sister (or brother) steals everything you have on you
- etc....
Back to DOs&DONTs.
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- Identity test for
French Muslims, compared with other European countries (source
: Pew Research Center, in I.H.T.July 7, 2006)
|
France |
UK |
Germany |
Spain |
USA |
Muslims feeling more National |
42%
|
7%
|
13%
|
3%
|
|
Muslims feeling more Muslim |
46%
|
81%
|
66%
|
69%
|
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Christians feeling more National |
83%
|
59%
|
59%
|
60%
|
48%
|
Christians feeling more Christian |
14%
|
24%
|
33%
|
14%
|
42%
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"very worried"
about unemployment |
52%
|
46%
|
56%
|
55%
|
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"very worried"
about Islamic extremism |
30%
|
44%
|
23%
|
22%
|
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See decline in importance
of religion |
21%
|
45%
|
18%
|
18%
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More about communautarism.
- Asked
about the most frightening/reassuring
word, the French answer
(Médiamétrie Poll, Parisien, 15/12/2008) :
- most frightening : Bush, lay-offs,
unemployment, financial krach, crazy finance, financial tsunamy,
subprimes, traders, crisis, golden parachutes, toxic financial
products, contamination
- most reassuring : Obama, Europe,
euro, Livret A (the popular saving accounts), moralizing economy,
transparency, protection, State, reform, salvage plan, central
european bank
- closest to people : Livret A,
savings, Nicolas Sarkozy, guarantee of state, real economy, austerity,
nationalisations
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- Respondents of 6 countries were asked
what they thought about the number
of legal immigrants residing in their country (Source :
I.H.T./France24, IHT May 25, 2007)
|
Too many |
About right |
Too few and not sure |
UK |
67%
|
20%
|
13%
|
Italy |
55%
|
26%
|
19%
|
Germany |
55%
|
32%
|
13%
|
Spain |
45%
|
28%
|
27%
|
USA |
35%
|
43%
|
22%
|
France |
32%
|
52%
|
16%
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- Opinion on
immigration : Europe and the US
(Source Transatlantic Trends,
German Marschall Fund 2008 in Le Monde Nov.18, 2008)
Question |
USA |
Europe |
Extreme
answers |
Immigration
does NOT increase crime |
48%
|
44%
|
France
70% Italy 30% |
Immigrants
take our jobs |
51%
|
34%
|
UK 52%
France 24% |
Immigration
is more a problem than an opportunity |
62%
|
47%
|
for
France and Netherlands, it's more an opportunity |
Controls
at borders must be strengthen |
83%
|
80%
|
|
Employers
of illegal immigrants must be punished |
74%
|
84%
|
|
Illegal
immigrants should be sent back to their country |
69%
|
70%
|
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When legal, they
should have the same civil rights |
59%
|
58%
|
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...same social
benefits |
58%
|
73%
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More on immigration.
- Facts about
abortion in France
- Legal since 1975 (Loi Veil)
and called IVG ("Interruption Volontaire de Grossesse"
for volontary interruption of pregnancy) ; it is never a subject
of political controversy
- Not possible after 12 weeks
pregnancy
- the number is stable : 206,000
IVG par year (2005)
- Reimbursed by Social Security
(National Health Plan) since Dec.31, 1982
- Since 2000, emergency contraceptives
(" the next-day pill ") can be sold over the counter
and are free for minors
- In Europe, abortion is legal
in 24 countries, forbidden in two (Ireland and Malta) and on
the way to become legal in one (Portugal)
- No European regulation : the
European Court of Human Rights has ruled that all moral questions
involved are the responsibility of each member state
Back to French society
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Vision of the future : a comparative poll
(ranking) |
"my future is promising" |
"the future of
our society is promising" |
"I am sure I'll
have a good job in the future" |
France |
25,6% (8/10)
|
4,2% (10/10)
|
27,0% (8/10)
|
USA |
54,1 (2/10)
|
17,9 ((2/10)
|
59,6 (2/10)
|
Germany |
36,5
|
9,7
|
34,3
|
UK |
35,9
|
6,9
|
38,6
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Denmark |
59,6
|
25,9
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60,0
|
Sweden |
49,2
|
17,7
|
43,2
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Spain |
31,6
|
6,8
|
35,8
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Russia |
28,1
|
11,2
|
42,0
|
Poland |
23,6
|
4,7
|
25,3
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Italy |
22,6
|
6,7
|
26,0
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(source
: 22,000 young people 15-29 by Kairos/Fondapol, Le Figaro
Jan.4, 2008)
Other questions :
- "to make a good career,
one must stick to other people's expectations" : France
54%, USA 34%
- "to have a good life, one
needs a lot of money" : France 30%, USA 29%
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Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books :
- "Joie de Vivre", Secrets of Wining, Dining and Romancing like the French, St.Martin's Press, New York, 2012
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
- "French
Toast - Heureuse comme une Américaine en France",
Ramsay, Paris 2005
More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming
events, testimonials, etc..)
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