Sunday 7 July 2013

The Self-Perception of Europeans. A Study by the Goethe-Institut

This is a study by the Goethe-Institute. I find the results fascinating and am surprised that it is not better known, hence my keenness to promote it via Intercultural Musings. (Copyright by Goethe-Institute)


I guess one should not be too surprised that the British press studiously ignores findings like these. Anti-Europeanism is, alas, more widely spread that UKIP voter figures suggest. So please, bear in mind that what you read in British newspapers is more often than not an edited fraction of what's going on in the world. 

Being able to read (and of course speak) foreign languages would get one out of the dilemma of having to rely on the indigenous press, but sadly fewer and fewer British people have a second language to rely on.

So here is an example of a wider truth which is being ignored in Britain.(The format is not ideal, so please also go to the original page http://www.goethe.de/ins/be/prj/eli/erg/ges/enindex.htm


The self-perception of Europeans in comparison with the perception of other countries

What are the total results from the 22,235 people who took part in answering the questions? Is the invention of the printing press overall a more important discovery than penicillin? Also, is Paris a more attractive city than Copenhagen?
3,379 Germans, 2,006 Serbs, 1,906 Italians, 1,474 Hungarians and 1,710 French took part. There were also 294 participants from Egypt.
Browse through the results and compare the views of the 16,493 participants from the EU (74.2%) with those 4,249 from non-EU countries (19.1%). 6.7% did not their nationalities.
#1What does Europe personally mean to you?
  • free movement
  • variety
  • unity
  • democracy
#1What does Europe personally mean to you?
  • 1.culture
  • 2.union
  • 3.variety
  • 4.free movement
  • 5.freedom
  • 6.history
  • 7.Euro
  • 8.peace
  • 9.unity
  • 10.home
#1What does Europe personally mean to you?
  • 1.culture
  • 2.union
  • 3.history
  • 4.freedom
  • 5.free movement
  • 6.progress
  • 7.art
  • 8.order
  • 9.variety
  • 10.beauty
#2How strongly do you feel European?
  • not at all 3%
  • a bit 18%
  • quite a bit 37%
  • full-blooded European 43%
#2How strongly do you feel European?
  • not at all 8%
  • a bit 15%
  • quite a bit 37%
  • full-blooded European 47%
#2How strongly do you feel European?
  • not at all 7%
  • a bit 28%
  • quite a bit 36%
  • full-blooded European 28%
#3How do you see Europe's future?
very good good OK bad
#3How do you see Europe's future?
very good good OK bad
#3How do you see Europe's future?
very good good OK bad
#4What is the most significant European building? Eiffel Tower, Paris | Flickr, author: Terrazzo
  • 1.Eiffel Tower Paris, France
  • 2.Collosseum Rome, Italy
  • 3.Acropolis/Parthenon Athens, Greece
  • 4.European Parliament Brussels, Belgium/Strassbourg, France
  • 5.Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany
  • 6.St. Peter's Rome The Vatican
  • 7.Sagrada Familia Barcelona, Spain
  • 8.Berlin Wall Berlin, Germany
  • 9.Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany
  • 10.Reichstag Berlin, Germany
#4What is the most significant European building?
  • 1.Eiffel Tower Paris, France
  • 2.Collosseum Rome, Italy
  • 3.Acropolis/Parthenon Athens, Greece
  • 4.European Parliament Brussels, Belgium/Starssbourg, France
  • 5.Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany
  • 6.St. Peter's, Rome The Vatican
  • 7.Berlin Wall Berlin, Germany
  • 8.Sagrada Familia Barcelona, Spain
  • 9.Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany
  • 10.Reichstag Berlin, Germany
#4What is the most significant European building?
  • 1.Eiffel Tower Paris, France
  • 2.Collosseum Rome, Italy
  • 3.Acropolos/Parthenon Athens, Greece
  • 4.Sagrada Familia Barcelona, Spain
  • 5.Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany
  • 6.Louvre Paris, France
  • 7.Berlin Wall Berlin, Germany
  • 8.Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany
  • 9.European Parliament Brussels, Belgium/Strassbourg, France
  • 10.Leaning Tower of Pisa Pisa, Italy
#5Which European country, other than your own, would you like to live in for a while?
  • Germany 28%
  • Italy 10%
  • France 9%
  • Spain 8%
  • United Kingdom 7%
  • Switzerland 5%
  • Sweden 4%
  • Austria 4%
  • Netherlands 2%
  • Portugal 2%
#5Which European country, other than your own, would you like to live in for a while?
  • Germany 25%
  • Italy 10%
  • France 9%
  • Spain 8%
  • United Kingdom 7%
  • Switzerland 5%
  • Sweden 5%
  • Austria 4%
  • Portugal 3%
  • Netherlands 2%
#5Which European country, other than your own, would you like to live in for a while?
  • Germany 36%
  • Spain 10%
  • Italy 9%
  • France 7%
  • United Kingdom 6%
  • Switzerland 5%
  • Austria 4%
  • Netherlands 3%
  • Sweden 3%
  • Portugal 2%
#6Who is the greatest literary figure in European literature? Don Quijote, Biblioteca de la Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias del Trabajo Universidad de Sevilla
  • 1.Don Quijote
  • 2.William Shakespeare
  • 3.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • 4.Faust
  • 5.Young Werther
  • 6.Hamlet
  • 7.Dante Alighieri
  • 8.Anna Karenina
  • 9.Sherlock Holmes
  • 10.The Little Pricnce
#6Who is the greatest literary figure in European literature?
  • 1.Don Quijote
  • 2.Faust
  • 3.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • 4.William Shakespeare
  • 5.Young Werther
  • 6.Hamlet
  • 7.Dante Alighieri
  • 8.The Little Prince
  • 9.Odysseus
  • 10.Sherlock Holmes
#6Who is the greatest literary figure in European literature? William Shakespeare (Chandos Portrait)
  • 1.William Shakespeare
  • 2.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • 3.Don Quijote
  • 4.Anna Karenina
  • 5.Hamlet
  • 6.Faust
  • 7.Josef K.
  • 8.Ivo Andrić
  • 9.Lew Nikolajewitsch Tolstoi
  • 10.Sherlock Holmes
#7Which country most embodies the future of Europe?
  • Germany 49%
  • Sweden 6%
  • France 4%
  • Switzerland 4%
  • Belgium 3%
  • Poland 3%
  • United Kingdom 3%
  • Norway 3%
  • Netherlands 3%
  • Greece 2%
#7Which country most embodies the future of Europe?
  • Germany 47%
  • Sweden 6%
  • France 4%
  • Belgium 4%
  • Poland 4%
  • Switzerland 3%
  • United Kingdom 3%
  • Netherlands 3%
  • Norway 3%
  • Denmark 3%
#7Which country most embodies the future of Europe?
  • Germany 58%
  • Switzerland 6%
  • Sweden 5%
  • France 4%
  • United Kingdom 3%
  • Norway 3%
  • Turkey 3%
  • Greece 2%
  • Serbia 2%
  • Netherlands 2%
#8What is the most significant European discovery? Platin Letterpress | Wikipedia, author: France3470
  • 1.printing press Germany
  • 2.steam engine United Kingdom
  • 3.car Germany
  • 4.anti-biotics(Penicillin Scotland / Germany
  • 5.telephone Germany
  • 6.electricity variuous European countries
  • 7.Euro Luxembourg / EU
  • 8.Democracy Greece
  • 9.America Italy / Spain
  • 10.light bulb Scotland
#8What is the most significant European discovery?
  • 1.printing press Germany
  • 2.steam engine United Kingdom
  • 3.car Germany
  • 4.antibiotics/Penicillin Scotland / Germany
  • 5.telephone Germany
  • 6.Euro Luxembourg / EU
  • 7.democracy Greece
  • 8.electricity various European countries
  • 9.European Union  
  • 10.radio various European countries
#8What is the most significant European discovery?
  • 1.printing press Germany
  • 2.electricity various European countries
  • 3.steam engine United Kingdom
  • 4.telephone Germany
  • 5.antibiotics/Pennicillin Scotland / Germany
  • 6.car Germany
  • 7.America Italy / Spain
  • 8.democracy Greece
  • 9.light bulb Scotland
  • 10.trains United Kingdom
#9What is Europe's most significant contribution to world culture?
  • 1.Democracy
  • 2.music / classical music
  • 3.printing press
  • 4.literature
  • 5.philosophy
  • 6.art
  • 7.Renaissance
  • 8.enlightenment
  • 9.architecture
  • 10.heritage
#9What is Europe's most significant contribution to world culture?
  • 1.democracy
  • 2.printing press
  • 3.music / classical music
  • 4.literature
  • 5.philosophy
  • 6.art
  • 7.enlightenment
  • 8.Renaissance
  • 9.declarationof human rights
  • 10.architecture
#9What is Europe's most significant contribution to world culture?
  • 1.literature
  • 2.Renaissance
  • 3.music / classical music
  • 4.art
  • 5.democracy
  • 6.heritage
  • 7.painting
  • 8.philosophy
  • 9.architecture
  • 10.printing press
#10Who is the most significant European artist (from any discipline)? Leonardo da Vinci, purported self-portrait, c. 1512, Wikipedia
  • 1.Leonardo da Vinci Italy
  • 2.Pablo Picasso Spain
  • 3.Michelangelo Buonarroti Italy
  • 4.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austria
  • 5.Vincent van Gogh Netherlands
  • 6.Salvador Dalí Spain
  • 7.Ludwig van Beethoven Germany
  • 8.Johann Sebastian Bach Germany
  • 9.William Shakespeare United Kingdom
  • 10.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Germany
#10Who is the most significant European artist (from any discipline)?
  • 1.Leonardo da Vinci Italy
  • 2.Pablo Picasso Spain
  • 3.Michelangelo Buonarroti Italy
  • 4.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austria
  • 5.Vincent van Gogh Netherlands
  • 6.Johann Sebastian Bach Germany
  • 7.Salvador Dalí Spain
  • 8.Ludwig van Beethoven Germany
  • 9.William Shakespeare United Kingdom
  • 10.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Germany
#10Who is the most significant European artist (from any discipline)?
  • 1.Leonardo da Vinci Italy
  • 2.Pablo Picasso Spain
  • 3.Michelangelo Buonarroti Italy
  • 4.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austria
  • 5.Vincent van Gogh Netherlands
  • 6.Salvador Dalí Spain
  • 7.Ludwig van Beethoven Germany
  • 8.William Shakespeare United Kingdom
  • 9.Rembrandt van Rijn Netherlands
  • 10.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Germany
#11Who is the most important politician in Europe (living or from the past)? Angela Merkel (2008) | Wikipedia, Image by א (Aleph)
  • 1.Angela Merkel Germany
  • 2.Winston Churchill United Kingdom
  • 3.Willy Brandt Germany
  • 4.Konrad Adenauer Germany
  • 5.Charles de Gaulle France
  • 6.Robert Schuman Luxembourg
  • 7.Margaret Thatcher United Kingdom
  • 8.Napoleon Bonaparte France
  • 9.Adolf Hitler Germany
  • 10.Helmut Kohl Germany
#11Who is the most important politician in Europe (living or from the past)?
  • 1.Angela Merkel Germany
  • 2.Winston Churchill United Kingdom
  • 3.Willy Brandt Germany
  • 4.Konrad Adenauer Germany
  • 5.Robert Schuman France / Germany / Luxembourg
  • 6.Charles de Gaulle France
  • 7.Margaret Thatcher United Kingdom
  • 8.Napoleon Bonaparte France
  • 9.Helmut Kohl Germany
  • 10.Michail Gorbatschow Russia
#11Who is the most important politician in Europe (living or from the past)?
  • 1.Angela Merkel Germany
  • 2.Winston Churchill United Kingdom
  • 3.Josip Broz Tito Yugoslavia
  • 4.Adolf Hitler Germany
  • 5.Margaret Thatcher United Kingdom
  • 6.Wladimir Putin Russia
  • 7.Charles de Gaulle France
  • 8.Napoleon Bonaparte France
  • 9.Otto von Bismarck Germany
  • 10.Zoran Đinđić Serbia
#12Who is the greatest European sportsperson? Novak Đoković Hopman Cup 2011 | Wikipedia, author: Spekoek
  • 1.Novak Đoković tennis player, Serbia
  • 2.Michael Schumacher racing driver, Germany
  • 3.Roger Federer tennis player, Switzerland
  • 4.Rafael Nadal tennis player, Spain
  • 5.Cristiano Ronaldo football player, Potugal
  • 6.David Beckham football player, United Kingdom
  • 7.Steffi Graf tennis player, Germany
  • 8.Zinédine Zidane football player, France
  • 9.Pietro Mennea athlete, Italy
  • 10.Franz Beckenbauer football player, Germany
#12Who is the greatest European sportsperson? Michael Schumacher | Flickr, author: ph-stop
  • 1.Michael Schumacher race driver, Germany
  • 2.Roger Federer tennis player, Switzerland
  • 3.Rafael Nadal tennis player, Spain
  • 4.Pietro Mennea athlete, Italy
  • 5.Cristiano Ronaldo football player, Portugal
  • 6.Steffi Graf tennis player, Germany
  • 7.David Beckham football player, United Kingdom
  • 8.Zinédine Zidane football player, France
  • 9.Sebastian Vettel race driver, Germany
  • 10.Franz Beckenbauer football player, Germany
#12Who is the greatest European sportsperson?
  • 1.Novak Đoković tennis player, Serbia
  • 2.Roger Federer tennis player, Switzerland
  • 3.Michael Schumacher race driver, Germany
  • 4.Cristiano Ronaldo football player, Portugal
  • 5.Zinédine Zidane football player, France
  • 6.David Beckham football player, United Kingdom
  • 7.Rafael Nadal tennis player, Spain
  • 8.Franz Beckenbauer football player, Germany
  • 9.Lionel Messi football player, Argentina
  • 10.Sergej Bubka pole vault, Ukraine
#13Which country has the best European cuisine?
  • 1.Italy
  • 2.France
  • 3.Spain
  • 4.Greece
  • 5.Serbia
  • 6.Hungary
  • 7.Turkey
  • 8.Germany
  • 9.Poland
  • 10.Belgium
#13Which country has the best European cuisine?
  • 1.Italy
  • 2.France
  • 3.Spain
  • 4.Greece
  • 5.Hungary
  • 6.Germany
  • 7.Poland
  • 8.Turkey
  • 9.Belgium
  • 10.Portugal
#13Which country has the best European cuisine?
  • 1.Italy
  • 2.Serbia
  • 3.France
  • 4.Turkey
  • 5.Greece
  • 6.Germany
  • 7.Spain
  • 8.Hungary
  • 9.Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 10.Switzerland
#14In which European languages, apart from English, should a European be able to say more than "Please" and "Thank you"?
  • 1.German
  • 2.French
  • 3.Spanish
  • 4.Italian
  • 5.Polish
  • 6.Greek
  • 7.Portugese
  • 8.Rumanian
  • 9.Swedish
  • 10.Dutch
#14In which European languages, apart from English, should a European be able to say more than "Please" and "Thank you"?
  • 1.German
  • 2.French
  • 3.Spanish
  • 4.Italian
  • 5.Polish
  • 6.Greek
  • 7.Portugese
  • 8.Turkish
  • 9.Swedish
  • 10.Dutch
#14In which European languages, apart from English, should a European be able to say more than "Please" and "Thank you"?
  • 1.German
  • 2.French
  • 3.Spanish
  • 4.Italian
  • 5.Serbian
  • 6.Greek
  • 7.Turkish
  • 8.Portugese
  • 9.Swedish
  • 10.Dutch
#15What is the best European film? Life is Beautiful
  • 1.Life is Beautiful Roberto Benigni
  • 2.The Lives of Others Florian Henckel
  • 3.Amelie Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • 4.Good Bye, Lenin! Wolfgang Becker
  • 5.The Intouchables Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
  • 6.Amour Michael Haneke
  • 7.L'auberge espagnole Cédric Klapisch
  • 8.Wings of Desire Wim Wenders
  • 9.The Pianist Roman Polański
  • 10.Dolce Vita Federico Fellini
#15What is the best European film? Life is Beautiful
  • 1.Life is Beautiful Roberto Benigni
  • 2.The Lives of Others Florian Henckel
  • 3.Amelie Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • 4.Good Bye, Lenin! Wolfgang Becker
  • 5.The Intouchables Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
  • 6.L'auberge espagnole Cédric Klapisch
  • 7.Wings of Desire Wim Wenders
  • 8.Amour Michael Haneke
  • 9.The Pianist Roman Polański
  • 10.Dolce Vita Federico Fellini
#15What is the best European film? Life is Beautiful
  • 1.Life is Beautiful Roberto Benigni
  • 2.Amour Michael Haneke
  • 3.Amelie Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • 4.The Lives of Others Florian Henckel
  • 5.The Intouchables Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
  • 6.The Pianist Roman Polański
  • 7.Wings of Desire Wim Wenders
  • 8.Good Bye Lenin! Wolfgang Becker
  • 9.Amarcord Federico Fellini
  • 10.Underground Emir Kusturica
#16Which is the most attractive city in Europe?
#16Which is the most attractive city in Europe?
  • 1.Berlin
  • 2.Paris
  • 3.Rome
  • 4.London
  • 5.Barcelona
  • 6.Vienna
  • 7.Prague
  • 8.Venice
  • 9.Munich
  • 10.Amsterdam
#16Which is the most attractive city in Europe?
  • 1.Paris
  • 2.Berlin
  • 3.Barcelona
  • 4.Rome
  • 5.London
  • 6.Vienna
  • 7.Prague
  • 8.Munich
  • 9.Amsterdam
  • 10.Madrid
© 2013 Goethe-Institut

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