Poll: Love for France grows among Americans

PARIS, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- France's favorable rating in the United States is 87 percent, marking a record high for the country in 25 years, according to a new Gallup poll.

France moves into the top three of countries Americans view favorably with Great Britian and Canada holding the top two spots. The rating for France is 5 percent higher than last year.

Gallup attributes the improved rating to the number of Republicans viewing France favorably over the past three years. France's rating had fallen in 2003, when it opposed U.S. President George W. Bush's effort to win U.N. support for use of force against Iraq.

The gap between Democrat and Republican views toward France has closed, as France has supported the U.S.-led coaltion fighting the Islamic State in Syria, Gallup said. Another factor may be sympathy for France after recent terrorist attacks around Paris.

The results are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 3-7 with a random sample of 1,021 adults, , living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.