Heavy Divisions in How Mexico, U.S. View Each Other
 Angus Reid
| You know the stereotype: They're bold, brash, and all business. They've got lots of money but little culture. They're immune to self-doubt and oblivious to cultural nuance.
They're the Ugly Americans. |
Adults in the United States and Mexico are far from perceiving each other in the same fashion, according to a poll by Zogby International and CIDAC. While 78 per cent of American respondents say Mexicans are hard-working, only 26 per cent of Mexican respondents feel the same way about U.S. citizens.
Prejudice is another contentious topic, with 73 per cent of Mexicans claiming U.S. citizens are racist, and only 17 per cent branding Americans as tolerant. Conversely, 42 per cent of Americans believe the people of Mexico are honest, and 34 per cent deem them as law-abiding.
In November 2005, U.S. ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the Bush administration would oppose the idea of building a giant wall around the United States, saying, "As the former governor of Texas, (the president) knows that such proposals are both unrealistic and undesirable."
Earlier this month in an interview with the BBC, Mexican president Vicente Fox discussed immigration policies in the United States, and declared, "I daresay that in 10 years, the U.S. will be begging, will be pleading with Mexico to send it workers, and Mexico won’t do it because it will have its people employed (in Mexico)."
Polling Data
American opinions on Mexico
Mexicans are hard-working - 78%
Mexicans are racist - 18%
Mexicans are honest - 42%
Mexicans are law-abiding - 34%
Mexicans are tolerant - 44%
Mexican opinions on the U.S.
Americans are hard-working - 26%
Americans are racist - 73%
Americans are honest - 16%
Americans are law-abiding - 40%
Americans are tolerant - 17%
Source: Zogby International / Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo (CIDAC)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,010 American adults, conducted from Feb. 3 to Feb. 7, 2006. Interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted from Feb. 10 to Feb. 16, 2006. Margin of error for both samples is 3.2 per cent. |
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