OTTAWA - Americans like Canadians a lot and vice versa, but the US perceives Britain as its closest ally, according to a new survey that also suggests Canucks are a distrustful bunch when it comes to other countries.

The Abacus Data survey of 1,068 Canadians and 1,012 Americans provides some insights into Canada's relationship with its largest trading partner and how both countries feel about other countries.

On the issue of trust, 50% of Canadian respondents said they trust Britain the most compared to 37% who picked the US. The Americans surveyed ranked Canada and Britain even.

When asked which country is most important to their economy, 71% of Canadian respondents picked the US, followed by China at 16% and India at 4%. Americans picked China (33%) followed by Canada (29%) and Britain (12%).

"Canadians and Americans share concerns about China," Abacus CEO David Coletto said. "But both see China as being a key part of both countries' economic future."

When respondents from both countries were asked to rank countries they believe to be their closest ally, 68% of Canadians picked their southern neighbour while 27% chose Britain. Americans (50%) selected Britain while Canada was the second choice at 38%.

Survey participants were chosen at random from an online database of 150,000 volunteers. The Canadian-American Business Council commissioned the poll.

Abacus weighted the survey sample by age, gender, region, and education level according to the most recent census data. Its method is widely used and, according to the industry association of which the pollster is a member, is believed to be capable of producing accurate results. The survey was conducted Nov. 9-12.