New Zealand tops UK's favourite countries list

There's one country that unites Brits' opinions. Photo / Supplied, Quan Le

There seems to be very little that unites Britain at the moment, but New Zealand might be it.

New Zealand was found to be a favourite among 80 per cent of the population, according to UK polling and market statistics company YouGov. Not bad, considering 3 per cent of those surveyed had never heard of it.

Aotearoa came out on top of a list of 195 countries as the place they envy most in terms of lifestyle politics. They weren't so sure about our culture or weather, but this didn't dampen opinion. New Zealand was ahead of other Anglophone counties in the Commonwealth, with Canada and Australia coming in second and third place respectively, with 80 and 79 per cent approval.

Poms weren't so keen on their own country, which came in fourth on the top 10 list, with eight per cent "actively disliking" the UK, according to YouGov data reporter Matthew Smith.

Bits top 10 countries. Supplied, YouGov

Commonwealth, Mediterranean and Scandinavian countries populated the 10 ten list. However there were some notable absences of positive sentiment towards supposed "friendly" countries.

"Despite the 'special relationship', the USA ranks 34, with only 44 per cent of Brits having a positive view of the country," said Smith. Key trade partners including China and Saudi Arabia also fell below 50 per cent approval with the UK public.

NZ is tops for green space and green practice in the UK opinion poll. Supplied, YouGov

Brits were more ambivalent towards countries like Lesotho and Suriname, but this was because 44 per cent of those surveyed had never heard of them.

New Zealand, however was universally loved by Brits abroad. Baby Boomers topped the pile with 95 per cent positive views, then Gen X (85 per cent) and Millennials (85 per cent) all having a rosy view of the country on the other side of the world.

Common sentiments towards the land of the long white cloud include: "lots of green space, the people are great, clean, safe and environmentally friendly."

While YouGov reports it was number one for most travellers, there was a slight bias making the country more popular with women.