Why is it so popular in the UK to hate the US?

That's a bit unfair. It's 1.25am in the UK so everyone is in bed and can't defend themselves. I'm up late though so I'll try:

I don't know anyone who dislikes Americans. Equally, I don't know anyone who likes the current American government.

Secondly, you are dealing in generalisations. There are 60 million people in the UK. I'm guessing you've spoken to about 0.000000001% of these people. It's like when you Americans say we have bad teeth (a stereotype dating back over 100 years).

Lastly, there's that saying: people often hate in others what they see in themselves.

EDIT: Don't use yahoo answers as a representative sample of anything. This site is abusive to everybody and anybody. You wouldn't believe the number of times I have been that I have raped and pillaged the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish, Indians, must be a racist, xenophobic, ignorant, arrogant and unattractive purely based on my nationality. If you take this site seriously, you would despair of humanity.

i think that there are a lot of countries that have that feeling not just the UK, and whilst its wrong I think its because the other countries feel that the US is only concerned with themselves and has little understanding of other countries yet has so muchinfluence on world politics. The Australians call Americans septic tanks (yanks) because of enviromental policies and records of pollution. But I think that wherever you go you'll find people that have a problem with other people be that because of race wealth nationality religion or because someone has done something to offend someone. It generally all comes down to ego and people picking fault or fight with another so they don't have to look at themselves and their faults and so they feel better about themselves.

Or it could be a bit of friendly banter, you know brits have a different sense of humour!

The US is criticized because of our habit of going to other countries and screwing things up. We interfere in the politics and the economies of other countries, and it causes problems in other areas of the world, like the UK and the rest of Europe. We think we know whats best, and we march over and tell other countries whats what, and the rest of the world is pretty fed up with us. I dont blame them. We topple governments, put the people we want in power, and then sit back as the people we helped take away the civil rights of others. We ignore the UN, we ignore the world groups that want to deal with pollution and climate change.

The rest of the world has a legitimate complaint when it comes to our foreign policy, and our past actions in other areas of the world. We make a big mess that other people have to live in.

The US has done a lot of good for others, but it has much more to hurt people of other countries than help them.

I would add however that you shouldn't mistake constructive criticism for hatred.

because there probably bored because we havn't done anything to them