In the USA or England . I’ve heard in no uncertain terms that the Gallant South in the USA in famed for its hospitality and approachability, in comparison to those north of the Mason-Dixon line.
In England the opposite is said to be true - the north said to be friendlier than those standoffish southerners.
Whadya reckon?
In the US south, yes, they seem to me to be friendlier than people of the north. To your face. But they can be vicious to you behind your back. I prefer for people to be blunt, because at least then I know what I’m dealing with.
England: disbelieving that there’s any real difference. Such options being absent from the poll.
And I bet it’s the same in America. Oftimes people just gain pleasure from imagining imaginary differences ( particularly those that may flatter their self-image ) in addition to those which do exist.
What color is your skin?
In the USA, Southerners are typically more superficially friendly than Northerners. We Northerners typically act as though if you are friendly towards everyone, then what’s the value of being your friend?
As someone who has grown up in New England and spent most of his adult life in NYC or Boston, it can be a bit offputting how friendly strangers can be when I travel to…well…anywhere else. Or when they come here.
For example, here’s a conversation I had with a coworker from Atlanta while walking down the street in NY:
Atlanta: (to stranger on the street) “Hi! How yall doin?!”
Me: “That’s weird. You saw someone you knew?”
Atlanta: “No…why?”
Me: “Because saying ‘hi’ to perfect strangers on the street is a good way to get punched in the face.”
Atlanta: “I don’t think he would have punched me.”
Me: “Continuing to say ‘hi’ to strangers on the street is a good way to get ME to punch you in the face.”
Southerners are more animated, which means that however they are is more obvious. Most people aren’t assholes for no reason most of the time, so that usually makes them act friendlier.
I think there are different standards for what is considered polite in the north and south. I gather that southerners believe it’s rude not to interact with perfect strangers, where I was raised (in New England) with the belief that it’s rude to bother people you don’t know for no good reason.
I think that “the North” is a pretty broad brush. Midwesterners are technically from “the North”, but I think that we can be, on average, friendlier and more open than people from the Northeast. YMMV, of course. 
Oh sweetie, if there’s on thing we agree on with the southerners, it’s that only the east coast counts for north vs south.
Midwesterners are nice to each other, but if you have a southern or a northeast accent they can be very standoffish. I went to school in Wisconsin and people were downright rude to “Coasties” and southerners.
People from Minnesota are not nice, they just fake it.
My experience in the South has been extremely limited, but consistent. The people were always super friendly in that extra sweet way. I simply couldn’t even get used to it. Everything was ma’am and please and thank you and have this, no I insist, I knitted you this sweater while you waited, shucks, ma’am, twernt nuthin, we baked you a pie, please do come on in and stay a spell.
The places I have been treated this way are North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. I have heard tell that many whites there treat blacks one way to their faces, and another behind their backs and other variances, but I have no idea if that’s true, I only know how I was treated.
The North/east coast gets a rap as being rude. Maybe, to some, depending on how one defines rude. All I know is that folks on the east coast are genuinely NICE. Meaning, they will help you. Anytime. Maybe not with a smile and a lot of sweet chatter, but they will stop, in the cold or rain, or 90 degree heat in the blazing sun and tell you how to get where you need to go. They will give to those that need it and those that they know don’t *need *it but still need it. They are truly nice people, for the most part and I almost have never, in all my time in NYC, been treated badly when asking a stranger for help, which I have had to do a LOT.
I was born in Vermont. The general rule of thumb there is ignore everyone else. lol Looking at someone seems to quickly lead to a look that says “What’s your problem?”
I now live in Iowa. Look at damn near anyone and they will smile and/or greet you, wether they are walking, driving, or riding a bike. Sometimes NOT looking at someone will get you the “what’s your problem” response.
I lived in Bentonville, Arkansas for a short while. I agree with what some others have said. Local residents seemed pleasant enough, but it felt like hallow politeness I guess is a good way to put it. Also, there was a much more obvious class divide there. I should mention I get that, though to a lesser degree, here in Iowa.
I think they are more friendly to people’s faces and more accommodating, but they are more likely to be two-faced and talk behind people’s backs. Northerners tend to say what they mean and mean what they say, so while they may come off as less friendly for that reason, they are more trustworthy.
I am southern English, but have lived in the north of England for quite a few years of my life. I really don’t think there is much difference in friendliness between the two regions. (But your poll makes no provision for such answers.)
However, when I first went to live in the US (California, which is North nor South really, is it) I did notice that people were more friendly towards a stranger than they are in England.
I was born and raised in California but have lived in several places. If we’re talking about how strangers and guests are treated, Southerners are very friendly. For the mid-West, I lived in Montana for 10 years and spent a lot of time there otherwise and they are extremely friendly. New England, specifically Rhode Island where I lived at least a year, seemed very unfriendly and stand-offish. The Maryland area, where I’ve lived for the last 27 years or so, it’s more mixed, though generally on the somewhat friendly side.
Personally I prefer honest to fake friendly.
Interestingly, that is not at all the stereotype of (and often claimed by) the northern English, who like to think that they are both more friendly but also more honest and blunt than southerners. As noted above, though, I think that in fact this is mostly myth.
I’m referring to the US not England.
I believe that in general this is true for America.
However I will say that the population of the South has changed drastically in the last 30 years(or more, that’s just my general frame of reference). There are so many people coming from every state(NY to Texas in my case) and country in every direction that some of the old generalizations of what the South is–or is supposed to be–are quite removed from reality.
Isn’t “unfriendly” in the U.S. still more friendly than “friendly” in England though? I mean to strangers. Even in Seattle where we’re all cold bastards, store employees smile at you and say have a nice day and stuff. The couple English friends I have say they don’t do that there.
