Majority Of Canadians Want Obama To Be U.S. PresidentThursday September 4, 2008
The Canadian Press
Photo credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesA new polls says Canadians are five times more likely to pick Barack Obama than John McCain when asked who they would support if they could vote in the U.S. presidential election.
The Canadian Press Harris/Decima survey released Wednesday indicates that 66 per cent of those polled would select Obama, the Democratic candidate.
On the other hand, the poll suggests that only 13 per cent would vote for McCain, the Republican.
When Harris/Decima last polled Canadians on the U.S. election in May, Obama had the support of 56 per cent of respondents, compared with 15 per cent for McCain.
"The passage of time and awareness of Barack Obama has served to increase his popularity in Canada, while Senator McCain is inspiring few people north of the border," said Bruce Anderson, president of Harris/Decima.
"While some Canadians are unsure whether an Obama win will be good from the standpoint of healthy trade relationships, there is a very broad expectation that a President Obama will create better relationships between the U.S. and the rest of the world."
In the latest poll, 66 per cent of Canadians polled predicted an Obama victory in the November election, compared with 18 per cent who expected McCain to become the next president.
When asked which of them would be a better outcome for Canada's economic interests, more than half replied that it would be Obama, 53 per cent, compared with 20 per cent for McCain.
When asked which of the two candidates would be a better outcome from the standpoint of world affairs, a majority, 65 per cent, answered Obama, compared with 14 per cent who chose McCain.
Across gender lines, Obama polled 68 per cent among women and 63 per cent among men.
There is no age gap in the preferences among Canadians. Among those aged under 35, 65 per cent would choose Obama, compared with 66 per cent of those over 50.
McCain was picked by 14 per cent of Canadians under 35, compared with 13 per cent of those over 50.
The poll's other findings:
- Residents of B.C. (71 per cent), Quebec (70 per cent), and Atlantic Canada (69 per cent) were most supportive of Obama. McCain's support is strongest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (23 per cent), followed by Alberta (21 per cent).
- Conservative party supporters were the most inclined to vote for McCain. But even among these respondents, Obama would still win by a 55-27 margin. Obama is the overwhelming favourite among Liberals (82 per cent vs. 8 per cent), Green party supporters (80 per cent vs. 10 per cent) and NDP supporters (78 per cent vs. 6 per cent).
- Just over 1,000 Canadians were interviewed by phone between Aug. 28 and 31. A sample of this size has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 2
