Global Poll: How the World Sees the 2008 Election (page 2 of 4)

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(OBAMA) ALEX BRANDON/AP IMAGES; (McCain) CHRISTOPHER MORRIS/VII

America is still a nation that inspires—even at a time when many abroad disapprove of some of our most visible policies.

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International Concerns

"This is most poignant in Africa, where people look at him and say, 'He's one of us,'" says Bruce Stokes, a member of the Pew Global Attitudes Project research team. "But it's true in Asia and other places as well. There is a fascination with his lineage."

All of which raises the question: Will Obama's popularity in other countries persuade American voters that he's the right choice in November? It's an argument that Obama wants to make, albeit delicately. After his acclaimed July sojourn to the Middle East and Europe (our poll was completed before that trip), Obama told a Washington journalist that the adoring throngs who greeted him abroad "may not be decisive for the average voter right now, given our economic troubles, but it's knowledge they can store in the back of their minds for when they go into the polling place later."

For his part, John McCain does not minimize the international dimensions of the 2008 presidential election either. Having vanquished the isolationist elements in their own party during the primaries, the McCain-led Republicans came out of their Minnesota convention looking outward. The call for victory in Iraq is accompanied by the belief that pulling out our military troops prematurely would erode American prestige in the world as well as harm other U.S. interests abroad. In other words, both of these nominees are on the record as possessing what Thomas Jefferson called "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind"—language in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, reminding us that Americans have always sought the world's approbation.

Our poll also shows that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all worldview and that priorities differ dramatically among countries. We presented eight issues for consideration: terrorism, the war in Iraq, the global economy, global poverty, human rights, the environment, international trade, and nuclear proliferation. Among Americans, the global economy ranks first; terrorism, second; and Iraq, third. The latter is understandable—it's our war—yet the contrast with other nations is stark. Only Russians are more concerned than Americans with terrorism.

In seven nations, the environment comes out on top as a major concern. Global poverty, which tallied a minuscule 4 percent among Americans, is the No. 1 issue in six nations—and second in six others. While the low ranking of global poverty in America could be interpreted as indifference, another explanation is more likely: In the United States, that concern is often accompanied by a plea for more foreign aid. Most Americans believe world poverty is better addressed by a thriving global economy, which explains its position atop America's list. On this subject, we are most like respondents in Asia: In India, Indonesia, and Taiwan, the global economy also ranks high.

• Discussion: Global Poll
• 
• Reader’s Digest Global Presidential Poll
• Read the methodology behind our international poll.
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• The Global Presidential Poll
• Our exclusive international poll of 17 countries reveal the issues that unite us, the fears that divide us and who can best change our image abroad.
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