Aus 'not pleased' with US culture

2007-12-10 15:55

Sydney - Australians believe the American hamburger and US slang are infringing on their culture and they are "not at all pleased" about it, according to a survey released on Monday.

The telephone poll of 1 213 people by the government-funded US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney measured Australians' attitudes about their closest ally, the United States.

Asked to judge the influence of American culture on Australia, 67% of respondents said they were "not at all pleased" about the prevalence of US-style fast food in Australia.

A further 52% said they were very unhappy with the influence of "the American language" on the local slang.

The result reveals Australians' love-hate relationship with their US counterparts, with a vast majority reporting they were at least "somewhat pleased" with the impact of American films and television - the most likely source of Australians' exposure to US slang.

The results, which comprise the second half of a broad investigation into Australian feelings about the United States, also found that Australians have less confidence in the US than they did 21 years ago.

While 62% had a favourable view of the American system of government in 1986, only 49% felt the same way in 2007. In 1986, 56% of those surveyed said they were confident the US could deal wisely with its social and economic problems. In 2007, only 44% of respondents agreed.

The first half results, released in October, found that while most people don't like President George W Bush or the war in Iraq, they strongly believe the United States is an important security partner for Australia.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.

- AP