Global Poll: How the World Sees the 2008 Election (page 3 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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Land of the Second Chance

That the U.S. is at odds with the rest of the world on these issues might be a translation problem. In American politics, a simple phrase like "environmental protection" is fraught with partisan meaning; it could be considered a stand-in for "Al Gore." A respondent in Brazil hears the same phrase and thinks of the rapid deforestation in the Amazon.

Perhaps the most gratifying news here is that anti-Washington sentiment abroad doesn't extend to all Americans. We asked participants to share their views on the U.S. government; rather than the rampant anti-Americanism we expected—especially because of the war in Iraq—the United States got a good share of support. In only half of 16 countries did "anti-American" edge out "pro-American," and usually narrowly.

The bad news is that our neighbors, Mexico and Canada, are among those eight—as is Indonesia, the only majority Muslim country surveyed. In India, Americans are held in high esteem; likewise in Poland, where four times as many people are pro-American as opposed. The British are apparently still our friends, and our government is tolerated in France.

Speaking of which, a majority of the French—the French!—express an interest in relocating to the United States. To some, this number might seem like a typographical error. Philippe Labro, a well-known French writer and filmmaker, told Reader's Digest that to the French, "the reality of the American Dream" is embedded in the life stories of both presidential candidates. "America is still that land of the second chance, of multiple opportunities, where anyone can succeed," he attests.

This view certainly prevails in India. Some 73 percent of respondents there express interest in relocating to the United States, which begs the question of where we'd put another, oh, 800 million people. Perhaps there's some room in Canada, even though only about 25 percent of the Canadians surveyed say they'd consider moving south.

In Mexico, the nation that already sends the most immigrants our way, one third of those polled say they'd relocate here—a number that would surely be larger if the millions who have already voted with their feet could have been polled before they made the trip. They're here already, presumably waiting—along with the rest of the world—to see whom U.S. voters choose as their next president.

• Discussion: Global Poll
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• Reader’s Digest Global Presidential Poll
• Read the methodology behind our international poll.
• 
• 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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