10% of Voters Will Agree With Anything (Except for the Canadian Question)

Almost no belief is so barmy it can’t win the approval of at least one in ten voters. The problem for politicians is that the nutty tenth is not fixed. Indeed, perhaps a majority of the population is, on occasion, likely to be a member of the loopy group. The latest evidence that a tenth of the population is utterly unsound on even the simplest questions comes from a Gallup survey of American attitudes to other countries:

Perhaps some of those pleased with North Korea thought they were being asked their views on South Korea. Whatever. That one in ten Americans professes to have a positive view of Iran is, all things considered, quite remarkable. To put it another way: for every American who hates Canada there are three who like Iran and four who like North Korea. Approving of Canada is the great exception to the rule that 10% will agree with anything: just 3% of Americans say they disapprove of Canada making the resolution of the Canadian Question the baseline against which all other matters should be judged.