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?

By this logic nobody would learn dead languages.

It's haute culture perceptions. Languages are as much about exclusion as  connection. About accessing haute literature as much as living people.

This will only increase as AI translation handles utilitarian needs. "Classy" and "dead" languages will be more attractive.