When it comes to national pride, Ireland and Austria are top among 23 countries surveyed, according to a study released yesterday. The report was based on interviews with more than 28,000 people in the countries in 1995, the National Opinion Research Centre at the University of Chicago said.
The study produced two national pride scales - one on pride in specific achievements such as the arts, history, the armed forces, the economy and sports, and the second on general, overall national pride that measured perceived international influence and national aspirations.
The top 15 countries in terms of national pride in specific achievements were, in order, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Britain, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, the Philippines, the former West Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, and the former East Germany. In the general pride category Austria came out first. Among other things Austrians were more likely than people in other countries to feel the world would be a better place if other countries were like their own, the report said.
The rest of the top 15 in the overall pride rankings were, in order, the United States, Bulgaria, Hungary, Canada, The Philippines, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Britain and Russia.
The survey also found that younger people have less overall pride than their elders. This may reflect growth of globalism and multi-lateralism or perhaps is a reaction to the nationalistic extremism of the second World War, it said.