Poll: Germans "Least Funny" Nation; Americans "Funniest"; Brits "not as Funny as They Think"

LONDON, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Spanish funniest Europeans, then Italians, French

- Obama "way funnier than Merkel or Cameron"

- Humour is key when meeting new people

The Germans have been voted the world's "least funny nationality" in a global poll, which ranks Americans the funniest nationality and we British as "not as funny as they think".

30,000 people across 15 countries were asked to name both the "funniest" ("best at making people laugh") and "least funny" nationality in a poll conducted by Badoo.com (http://www.badoo.com), the world's largest social network for meeting new people, with 119m users.

The voting for "least funny" nationality confirmed the view of America's Mark Twain that "a German joke is no laughing matter". The Germans won, ahead of the Russians and Turks.

The Spanish were voted the funniest Europeans, followed by the Italians and French.

"When we meet someone new, one of the first things we notice is whether they make us laugh," says Lloyd Price, Badoo's Marketing Director. "Sometimes, it seems the most important thing." Badoo helps millions of people meet every month.

"The Germans are brilliant at many things, including making cars and beating us [England] at football," adds Price. "Unfortunately, making jokes isn't always one of them. If only there was a comedy World Cup, we might stand a chance against them."

Then again, we might not. We pride ourselves on our humour but it seems that we're not as funny as we think. We ranked just seventh out of 15 - behind not just the Americans, Spanish and Italians but also the Brazilians, French and Mexicans. Not one country named us the funniest nationality.

The Americans are worthy winners, says Price. "They've produced so many great comedians and sitcoms. Even Obama is way funnier than David Cameron or Angela Merkel."

The idea that Germans are serious is not new. Mark Twain, after all, delivered his verdict on German jokes over a century ago.

The stereotype probably comes from the German - Prussian - reputation for efficiency and rationality, presumed to be at the expense of humour.

Funniest Nationalities: Top 10

    
    Rank  Nationality
    1.    American
    2.    Spanish
    3.    Italian
    4.    Brazilian
    5.    French
    6.    Mexican
    7.    British
    8.=   Dutch
    8.=   Russian
    10.   Belgian

    Least Funny Nationalities: Top Three

    Rank  Nationality
    1.    German
    2.    Russian
    3.    Turkish

Source: Badoo polled 30,000 Badoo users online in April/May 2011

Contact: info@thorburnmedia.co.uk