European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 18, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 americans National Pride gets top rating europeans Rusf leaders less polls show Rome not citizens of the leading Western european democracies Trust their governments less than americans Trust theirs and Are far less inclined to express Pride in their countries polls by the new York times have found. But inc study also found Sharp variations in National feelings of Trust Over the last decade and suggested that americans place an extremely Strong emphasis on National Pride. The findings emerged from polls carried out by the times and lbs news in the United states and by Gallup International for the times in five european countries. According to the surveys taken in late 1985,49 percent of americans said they trusted the government in Washington to do what is right All or most of the  the comparable figure in France and Italy is 33 percent. In Britain and Spain the figures were even lower 30 percent and 29 percent respectively. For the United states a Telephone poll was conducted and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage Points. In the european countries face to face interviews were used with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage Points. More startling were the findings when respondents were asked whether they were proud of their country. In the United states 87 percent said they were very proud to be an american. At the other extreme Only 21 percent of West germans described themselves As very proud to be a German. And while Only i percent of americans said they were not very proud or not at All proud of their country fully 32 percent of West germans gave this response. The other countries in Europe fell in Between. Some 42 percent of the French 44 percent of the italians 58 per cent of the British and 65 percent of the spaniards said they were very proud to be a citizen of their country. Surveys about National Pride and Confidence in Public institutions have been a Staple of the polling Industry since world War ii and have aroused a Broad debate among social scientists Over just what respondents Are trying to say when they give answers to pollsters questions. In the Case of questions about Trust in government researchers agree at least that what is being measured is radiation leaks at Plant higher than reported London a radiation Dis charges from the world s largest nuclear reprocessing Plant in Northwest England were 40 times higher than previously re ported during a three year period in the 1950s, British nuclear fuels said sunday. A spokesman for the slate owned company said the amount of uranium originally deter tinned to have been released at Etc Sellafield Plant Between 1952 and 1955 was about  pounds. A release of 20 kilograms 44 pounds i now considered More  said the spokesman who requested anonymity. The la tement issued by British nuclear fuels which now operates the Sel afield Plant followed a front Page Story Imi the sunday times quoting nuclear phy"5 Derek Jackman As saying he had forced government authorities to   calculation of radiation leaked. The British nuclear fuels spokesman mid improved measurement techniques hid allowed them to reassess the data ind confirm the calculation made by Jake who worked at the Plant m the 1950s. The doer said Jakeman and a colleague Sto the reprocess my Plant. Some 10,000 people work at the Sella latest radiation leak. Not just Confidence in democratic institutions but also in a particular government at a particular time. Thus the findings that americans Trust their govern ment More than europeans do arc in part a reflection of president Reagan s popularity especially when in is com pared with that of european incumbents. An individual s Trust in his or her government said or. Max Kaase professor of political science at the University of Mannheim is related not Only to Trust in the Normal mechanisms of the government but also to whether one s party was in Power and to a general sense of How things Are going especially in the Economy. In All the countries surveyed Trust in government his fluctuated sharply Over the last decade and is closely re lated to political preference. 1974, during the wat Craic Scanu Ai Anu in a pin,.,. March 1980, during the Iran hostage crisis and a Pend of High inflation. Among the most dramatic changes Are those that have taken place in Italy in the last 10 years. In 1976, Only 13 percent of italians said they trusted their government All or most of the time and 37 percent said they never trusted the government. By 1985, the pro portion trusting the government had risen to 33 percent with Only 27 percent saying they never trusted the govern  Sharp decline in Trust in government Here really followed the student revolt of 1968," said or. Franco Pavoncello a Rome based italian Survey consultant. At the same Lime Italy was going through the Shock after the Oil embargo and a great increase in inflation which led to economic upheaval on top of this he said the Christian democratic party had monopolized Power for some three decades. Significantly he added the Christian democrats lost their monopoly hold on the prime minister s Post As Gio Vanni Spadolini a Republican and then the current incumbent Bettino Praxi a socialist took office. Put that together with improving economic Circum stances and people started to feel that things were mov ing Pavoncello said. In Italy As in the United states Trust in government has increased All across the political spectrum. The West German Case is slightly different. The Overall numbers show a substantial decline in Trust to 40 percent in 1985 from 50 percent in 1974. But the change seems almost entirely a result of a Sharp drop in Confidence among those on West Germany s political left. In 1974, the moderate coalition of social democrats and free democrats first under Willy Brandt and then Helmut Schmidt retained not Only substantial Trust on the left but also significant Confidence in the Center and even on the right. On the other hand. Chancellor Helmut Kohl s coalition of Christian democrats and free democrats seemed to have polarized the country More along ideological lines at least As of late 1985. There has been an increase in Trust in government on the right but a Sharp drop on the left and a moderate decline in the Center More than compensated for that. The enormous Pride found among americans parallels both Survey and anecdotal data about what is apparently the surge of patriotic or nationalistic feeling especially among the Young. Bui Kaase pointing to past studies said americans had always ranked High on National Pride. By contrast he said Pride in country is a concept that comes with difficulty in West Germany where it was Given an Aura of illegitimacy by the nazis. One striking finding of the recent Survey is that Young West germans Are even less proud of their country than their elders Are. People have been very reluctant to apply the concept of Pride in his country Kaase said. Irs essentially the result of the third Reich and the existence of two Ger Many. With the country divided people Are Uncertain Over what to do with the concept of  Pavoncello said National Pride was a very Touchy ques Tion in Italy As Well first of All because there is a fascist experience and there was a lot of emphasis in National Pride then which sort of a legitimized the idea. You cannot compare what happened in the is. Defeat in Vietnam to what happened in Italy in 1943, he said. We re not talking about National catastrophe As we were  of near natural setting Teer. Fed right at borne u she lakes � Strout is Pittsburgh zoo. White u i photo Many us mob keep warm indoors . To. To breathe that a tic in