I notice among people I talk to more enthusiasm toward learning French than Spanish. This confuses me; my feeling is that Spanish unlocks far more countries and speakers than French does and so is a more natural first choice.

What do people think motivates this choice?

Very few people learn languages with a practical point of view. They don't care so much for how many people they can communicate with after mastering the language.

Most people want to learn a language because they:
- Like how it sounds
- Have it associated with something they like or value
- Have friends/family there