The survey involved some 30,000 people in 25 states around the world, 10 of which in Europe.
When asked what makes them feel proud of their country, people in Europe referred mostly to their culture and history, the political system and social welfare, but also to food.
In Italy, the most common topic mentioned as a source of national pride was culture and the arts. These were cited by 38 percent of respondents, more than any other place.
An Italian woman who took part in the survey said she was proud of “the works in the churches, paintings, sculpture … most places in Italy have something beautiful,” she added.
An Italian man said that “Italy is an open-air museum”.
France was also among the proudest in this area (26 percent). French people (24 percent), the country’s history and freedom (22 percent), including the freedom of expression and the “ability to complain”, public services (21 percent) and the local environment (19 percent) were other reasons to be happy about their country of origin.
French people mentioned in their responses “the spirit of the Enlightenment”, the national motto “liberty, equality, fraternity”, and the legacy of the French Revolution, including “having guillotined [and] overthrown the monarchy”.
In Italy, geography and the variety of landscapes (24 percent) and fellow Italians (23 percent) were also among the top reasons for satisfaction.
Food and lifestyle
Italy and France also recorded the highest share of responses expressing pride in their food (18 and 15 percent respectively), with a French highlighting the ability to “enjoy good wine and cheese.”
The national cuisine was important for Spaniards too. Spanish respondents were most proud about their country’s people (32 percent), seen as “hardworking” and “welcoming”, the arts and culture (16 percent), lifestyle (14 percent), and geography (13 percent).
“We enjoy ourselves; we like to party,” commented one Spanish woman, while another said she was proud of the “way of living life”, and a man pointed out “there is joy” in the country.
In Hungary, France, Greece and Poland, pride was also linked to the national language, while in Spain, Canada, India, Indonesia and South Africa people appreciated that in their country multiple languages are spoken.
Pride in the political system
Other countries in Europe were more likely to say they were proud of their political system. Sweden and Germany were among the few where this was the top reason of satisfaction (53 and 36 percent respectively).
Some Swedish respondents said they were happy that their democracy “works quite well,” with “transparent authorities” and “rule of law.”
Many also mentioned their “well-developed welfare system” (25 percent) and freedoms (24 percent), especially their “very strong freedom of speech.” Free healthcare (19 per cent) and education (15 percent), as well as the environment (32 percent), were also mentioned as positive features.
Equal rights were another source of national pride in Sweden (14 percent), the only place where “women are somewhat more likely than men to say equality makes them proud of their country”.
“I am proud that we are a democracy with freedom of speech. We have an independent justice system. We have a good welfare system. We have good education for everyone. We have the right of public access. We have a good road network. We have good relations with our neighbours. We have environmentally friendly electricity production. In general we have a positive view of our fellow human beings. We trust each other…” said one Swedish male respondent.
In Germany, people were also happy about their economy (18 percent), freedom (16 percent), including the right to “move freely,” and the social system (15 percent).
A German participant in the survey highlighted “how we have defeated fascism and achieved reunification and succeeded economically.”
“It makes me proud that Germany has faced up to its past and come to terms with it,” said a German woman.
Britons were mostly proud of the “kind” and “honest” fellow Brits (25 percent), as well as their political system (22 percent), diversity and multiculturalism (16 percent) and the National Health Service (12 percent).
But many (29 percent) also mentioned features they were not proud of (29 percent), saying “Brexit was a bad idea” or there is “not much to feel proud [of] at the moment.”
Greece was the country where history was most mentioned as a source of pride (37 percent), with respondents referring to their “ancient civilization”.
In Poland too, history was a top source of pride (20 percent), with people mentioning their “fight for independence”, democracy and “emerging from communism.”
In every country surveyed democracy was a matter of pride. In Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom people were also proud of their monarchies.
