French are the saddest people on the planet: Poll

French people have topped the charts for being the most pessimistic people looking ahead to 2011, reveals a new poll.

In contrast, people in developing economies tend to view the coming year more positively.

A BVA-Gallup poll of 53 countries has found the French the world champions of scepticism, with 61per cent of respondents saying 2011 will be ''a year of economic difficulty.''

Britons were not far behind on 52 per cent, Spaniards 48 percent and Italians 41 percent, reports the Daily Mail.

The poll found that 67 per cent of French respondents believed unemployment would rise over the next 12 months.

Employment was a major concern in the UK too, with 74 per cent of Britons believing unemployment would increase.

Pakistan came a close second at 72 per cent.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, India and China, 49 per cent of respondents said they believed 2011 would be economically prosperous, with only 14 per cent predicting hardship.

Vietnam topped the optimism rating with 70 per cent Vietnamese expressing confidence in the economic outlook for 2011.

The poll was conducted from October 11 to December 13, 2010, in 53 countries. More than 63,000 people were interviewed by telephone, face-to-face or online.