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American love affair with Germany deepens

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American love affair with Germany deepens
Photo: DPA

US citizens just can't get enough of those Germans, according to a new poll published on Wednesday, which showed that Americans think they share more values with Germany than any other non-English-speaking country.

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The survey found that over half of Americans (55 percent) have an "excellent" or "good" overall impression of Germany, up from 41 percent in 2009.

Germany has not been so well-loved in the States since 2002, when New York consultancy Frank N. Magid Associates began polling American perceptions of Germany for the German Embassy in Washington.

The survey also found a growing respect for Germany's political role abroad. A majority of the 1,517 respondents, some 58 percent, said that Germany played an important role in international politics, up from 43 percent in 2009.

The American attitude to Germany's military operation in Afghanistan has also improved markedly in the past three years. Some 32 percent now saw Germany's contribution there positively, compared with 23 percent in 2009.

Only Britain ranked ahead of Germany as the United States' most important European ally, while 47 percent believe Germany promotes peace and democracy in the world.

But less than half - 44 percent - said Germany had done a good job in taking responsibility for the Holocaust of World War II.

Nearly a quarter of the respondents said they had visited Germany at least once, while almost a third claimed they had "good knowledge" about Germany – up from 28 percent in 2009.

Of the Americans that had been to Germany, 58 percent came back with an improved impression of the people, up from 51 percent in 2009.

The Local/bk

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