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Nicest: Malaysians are by far the nicest people I have ever met! Native Americans in Canada are very friendly Chinese Syrians - This is the country of giving, even when you go shopping don't be surprised if they offer you juice or tea. If it's "snack time" you'll get some too. Japanese Filipino
Least Friendly: Russians Americans - sorry I've met a few really nice Americans but I've met far more that aren't nice, even Americans living in other countries have a tendency to not be that friendly. Hey prove me wrong, I have an open mind. Canadians - Many of us are passive aggressive and are only nice when we want something. Canadians are great "fakers" when it comes to being nice. Chinese - are either really friendly or really rude Serbians
Most:
Japanese
South Koreans
Filipinos
Indonesians
Thai
Least:
Russians
French
Moroccans
Serbians
Bosnians
Based both on travels and on people I've come across in the U.S.
MOST
1. American Southerners and Texans
2. Bermudians
3. Bahamians
4. Mexicans
5. Italians
LEAST
1. "Russians" - though many of these are actually Russian Jews (interesting since I don't find American Jews to be particularly unfriendly) or from the other former USSR republics and not actually true Russians
2. Pakistanis
3. Iranians
4. Greeks
5. Germans (the others above came across as more arrogant, rude and demanding but Germans are more cold and distant)
Nicest: Malaysians are by far the nicest people I have ever met! Native Americans in Canada are very friendly Chinese Syrians - This is the country of giving, even when you go shopping don't be surprised if they offer you juice or tea. If it's "snack time" you'll get some too. Japanese Filipino
Least Friendly: Russians Americans - sorry I've met a few really nice Americans but I've met far more that aren't nice, even Americans living in other countries have a tendency to not be that friendly. Hey prove me wrong, I have an open mind. Canadians - Many of us are passive aggressive and are only nice when we want something. Canadians are great "fakers" when it comes to being nice. Chinese - are either really friendly or really rude Serbians
I think for America it truly depends on what part of the country. If you live in Canada you probably deal with mostly New Yorkers and Bostonians and New Englanders I would imagine. Southerners and Texans are the friendliest people I've encountered in the whole world.
In my travels abroad the Germans were the least friendly....they were not rude but just very cold and distant and not gregarious the way people in a small American town for example would be. With immigrants I see in the U.S. the Mexicans are generally friendly, those that are not part of the gang scene of course. I am Chinese American and most Chinese and other Asian immigrants here don't seem to be very social or openly friendly though I think language plays a big part in this. In China like in any other country people people in more rural areas tend to be nicer than those in the big cities.
Looking it up most lists are about "friendliness toward expats", which can mean more laws or the like. The following might be a bit different than that.
I haven't traveled overseas enough to know, but I've heard from people I know that Australians, Thai, and some African nations are friendly. Samoa has a reputation as friendly. On the reverse the French have a bad reputation, that some of them even believe, but the French I've met were basically as friendly as anyone else. I tend to think of the British as unfriendly, but I don't know that they are too much. The few Russians I've met were elderly academic types so I don't think are very representative.
Going by the Gallup "World Giving Index" Australia and New Zealand were tied for most "generous" nation. Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, and the US were also near the top. Generosity might relate to friendliness. Interestingly Madagascar came out the bottom. Possibly that's due to poverty, but they were fairly low on "helping a stranger" too and that's an element where Liberians were the tops which I think means it might not be as much economic-based.
It's probably a bit too much to draw impressions of a whole culture based on a few encounters, but if my experience is anything to go on Australians are the most unfriendly, braying, self-aggrandizing arses on the planet.
On the other hand, I don't know where earlier posters got the idea that Iranians are unfriendly. Every Iranian I've had the pleasure of dealing with has been nice to a fault. But maybe it's different in Iran.
And can I hear something about Chileans and Ghanans? Folks I've met from there seem to have fantastic sunny dispositions.
It was interesting to read that Iranians (Persians) were among the friendliest in the world. I've had a couple of Persian roommates in college and they were very friendly, passionate and full of life! It's too bad about their government.
I have to disagree with Russians being among the "unfriendliest". I lived in Russia - Moscow, to be exact - for over 2 years and while they seem stern in public, the moment you get to know someone they are among the most generous and fun and friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
And can I hear something about Chileans and Ghanans? Folks I've met from there seem to have fantastic sunny dispositions.
I never met any Chileans but i did spoke to 10-15 Ghanaian people in my life and never had any bad experiences.
They kinda reminded me of Jamaican people especially the women, very relax and not like all the other West Africans (most of them Nigerian) i met who always talk loud as if they want to fight you.
It was interesting to read that Iranians (Persians) were among the friendliest in the world. I've had a couple of Persian roommates in college and they were very friendly, passionate and full of life! It's too bad about their government.
I have to disagree with Russians being among the "unfriendliest". I lived in Russia - Moscow, to be exact - for over 2 years and while they seem stern in public, the moment you get to know someone they are among the most generous and fun and friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
Of course we aren't friendly (there is sarcasm in this of course) People always want to judge other cultures in comparison to their own, and you can't do this. Maybe we aren't going to smile and say hello to everyone, maybe we push our way on the bus or into the metro station or will step in front of you if you don't move when the que starts to move, but that is our culture. If you don't understand our language or the cadence or tone of it of it you might think we sound mean or angry when we aren't. If you don't tanke care of yourself or your family nobody else will.
But of course after everyone has pushed onto the metro car or bus, old women and men, invalids, pregnant women, families with children, etc. are always given a seat without a second thought. We buy poorly made gloves and winter hats or half rotten vegetables from old ladies on the street who clearly are in need of money just to help them without even needing to think about it. If you are sitting on a bench next to us drinking you are invited to join.
Russians aren't 'unfriendly' but I can certainly see how it might appear that way to some foreigner though.
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