Morocco stands out as the Maghreb country with the best image among French people
A survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) has revealed the image that the French have of the Maghreb countries, and the results highlight Morocco as the country with the best image compared to Tunisia and Algeria.
Algeria: lower level of approval
According to the survey, Algeria has the lowest French approval rating, which could be understood as the result of a diplomatic crisis between France and Algeria. However, the opinions collected are not influenced by recent events, but reflect a general perception and sentiment of the French population about the country.
Similarly, the survey conducted by IFOP for Sud Radio has shown that only one in three French people have a good opinion of Algeria, and it is generally the supporters of La France Insoumise (LFI, the extreme left) who have a positive opinion of Algeria. Morocco stands out in this respect, with two out of three French people having a favourable view of the Kingdom.
Tunisia in second place
Regarding Tunisia, the results are close to those of Morocco, although the Moroccan kingdom is 8% ahead. In fact, the survey data show that 68% of French people have a good image of Morocco, compared to 60% for Tunisia. The last place is held by Algeria with 29%, a higher figure than in the last survey conducted in 2012.
The political affiliation factor
For its part, Sud Radio commented that ‘political proximity also influences these perceptions’. This is reflected in surveys of far-left supporters who are more inclined to have a favourable perception of Algeria, while those on the far right (National Rally) have a very negative image of this country, with only 14 % of them having a good image of the former French colony.
As for Morocco, the group of environmentalist sympathisers is the most supportive. Eighty-one percent of them have a good image of the Moroccan kingdom.
The survey also looked at policy measures related to the Maghreb countries, and highlighted contrasting views on diplomatic and political issues between France and these three countries. On Morocco, 64% of the French ‘approved’ of France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
However, the French have been more critical of Algeria, not taking into account their political leanings, and have expressed positions related to revoking certain advantages granted by the French Republic to Algerians.
Thus, 67% of respondents are in favour of reducing the development aid France grants to Algeria, and 61% are in favour of abolishing bilateral agreements such as those facilitating visas and family reunification.
The results of the survey also show that 74% of French people believe that Algeria benefits most from Franco-Algerian relations. These results do not appear to be new, since in each survey of this type, the French have expressed the same opinion of the bilateral relationship, as was observed in 1971 when 76% of the French had already expressed this opinion.
Finally, six out of ten French people firmly believe that Algerians living in France do not contribute anything to the French economy, a percentage that has increased over the last thirty years (54% in 1994).
