A new poll confirms the fears of many American travelers
I’ve traveled all over Europe, and people often start speaking English to me right away, pegging me as an American as soon as I open my mouth—even if I’m trying my hardest to speak the language of the country I’m visiting. Some locals are kind, but I’ve also been met with an eye roll or exasperated sigh (looking at you, shop lady in Paris!), something many other Americans have no doubt experienced. And while there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence about how Europeans feel about us, now a new survey has the data to back it up.
The survey, by Upgraded Points, a travel points website, asked people from the United States and Europe about Americans and our manners abroad. Reader’s Digest looked at the results of the survey, and they’re likely in line with what you already think—with a few surprises mixed in. Keep reading to learn what Europeans really think about Americans when we travel abroad.
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How was the survey conducted?
To see what Europeans think of American tourists in 2025, the Upgraded Points survey polled 2,200 people in 22 European countries about their views, including whether politics plays a role. More than 1,000 frequent American travelers were also asked how they thought they were perceived, and both groups were asked what experiences brought them to their conclusions.
Which country hates Americans the most?
France tops the list of European countries that are unwelcoming to Americans—something that probably doesn’t come as a shock (according to the survey, 47% of Americans feel the French have an unfavorable opinion of us.) But interestingly, even though 15% of French people say their country is unwelcoming to American tourists, it’s Portugal that finds us most annoying.
What other countries have unfavorable views of Americans?
France isn’t putting out the welcome mat for American tourists, but runners-up Hungary (8.7%), Norway (8%), Denmark (7.5%) and Spain (6.9%) were also unwelcoming, according to the European survey participants. As for the countries that find Americans annoying, after Portugal (18.8%) it was Belgium (18.5%), Ireland (17.4%), the Netherlands (14.9%) and Denmark (14.8%) that rounded out the top five.
Countries that viewed Americans negatively overall were the Netherlands, at nearly 40% of respondents, followed closely by Portugal (37.7%), Belgium (37.5%), Denmark (37%) and Sweden (36.9%). Overall, the survey found that more than one in four Europeans dislike American tourists.
Why are Americans disliked abroad?
Americans get a bad reputation abroad for being loud, arrogant and rude, according to the Europeans queried in the survey. Americans struggle with volume control, deference to local customs and boundaries:
- Loud: A large majority of Europeans think Americans are too loud (64%).
- Entitled: A majority of Europeans think Americans expect everyone to speak English (61%).
- Overly friendly: One-third of Europeans think Americans are too familiar (33%).
- Dismissive: Over a quarter of Europeans think Americans ignore local customs (30%).
Interestingly, Americans aren’t the only ones who get on Europeans’ nerves. For many of those polled, we’re on par with tourists from other countries: 45% say Americans bother them as equally as other tourists, while 36% say we are worse than other tourists. Americans are aware of these sentiments, with more than 75% believing that we have a bad reputation overseas.
What European countries have favorable views of Americans?
It’s not all bad news! Residents of Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece and Latvia are the least annoyed by Americans. And even though Belgians were right behind the Portuguese in finding us annoying, Belgium is actually one of the most welcoming countries to American tourists, according to the survey.
Other countries that consider themselves welcoming are Estonia, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. And even though 80% of Americans think our changing political climate influences European opinions of tourists, only one in five, or about 20%, of Europeans agreed. Overall, the countries that view Americans least negatively are Poland (15%), Hungary (17.5%), the Czech Republic (17.8%), Ireland (18.3%) and the United Kingdom (20.6%).
Why are Americans liked abroad?
Despite what the French might have you think, Americans are liked abroad, and there were positive findings to share from the survey.
- Friendly: While some Europeans think Americans are too forward, a majority find them to be friendly (64%).
- Curious: This is a good trait, right? About 42% of Europeans find Americans to be curious.
- Fun: Europeans also think that Americans are fun (32%).
- Generous: Whether with time, attention or money, some Europeans think Americans are generous (18%).
Overall, the survey revealed that Americans’ perceptions of ourselves are much worse than what Europeans actually think. (As an example, 54% of Americans said they were viewed as arrogant, but only 27% of Europeans agreed.) And even though they might scoff while doing it, 72% of Europeans said they’d be willing to engage with an American tourist in their home country. Yep, even in France.
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Source:
- Upgraded Points: “How Europeans Really Feel About American Tourists [2025 Survey]”
