A six-country poll conducted in November, 2007 by The Financial Times, France 24 and Harris Interactive explored various aspects of the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign.
The poll found that publics in the U.S., Great Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Italy favored Hillary Clinton as the next U.S. president. Senator Clinton ranked first among the 10 candidates offered to respondents when asked both “who would be the best U.S. president” and “who is the most likely to be elected president?” Rudy Giuliani came in second, with support particularly coming from Spain and Italy.
Great Britain | France | Italy | Spain | Germany | United States | |
% | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Hillary Clinton | 24 | 35 | 30 | 29 | 44 | 22 |
| Barack Obama | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 12 |
| Rudy Giuliani | 10 | 4 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 12 |
| John Edwards | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Mitt Romney | * | 1 | * | * | * | 4 |
| Bill Richardson | * | 1 | * | * | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Huckabee | * | – | * | * | * | 3 |
| John McCain | 1 | * | 1 | * | * | 5 |
| Fred Thompson | * | * | * | * | * | 5 |
| Joseph Biden | – | * | * | * | * | 1 |
| None of these candidates | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| Don't know any of these candidates | 11 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| Not sure | 41 | 35 | 29 | 43 | 32 | 20 |
In one of the more intriguing findings, the poll shows that Americans and Britons are more positive towards the idea of electing a black president, while the French, Italians Germans and Spanish are more positive towards a female president.
To quote the press release:
“Over half of adults in France (56%), Spain (56%), Germany (55%), and Italy (53%) as well as a plurality (43%) in Great Britain, believe that electing a woman as president would have a positive effect on the USA.
Similar numbers in France (57%), Germany (56%), Italy (53%), Spain (51%) and Great Britain (36%) believe that electing a woman would have a positive effect on America's relationship with other countries.
The one exception is in the U.S. Just three in ten (29%) Americans believe electing a woman would have a positive effect on the USA while one-quarter (26%) say it would have a negative effect and 23 percent believe it would have equally positive and negative effects.
When it comes to America's relationship with other countries, just under one-quarter (23%) say a female president would have a positive effect, one-quarter (25%) an equally positive and negative effect and three in ten (31%) a negative effect.
Looking at the possibility of the first black president, the numbers are not as strong. Half of Spaniards (50%) and pluralities of French (49%), Italians (44%), Germans (43%) and Britons (43%) believe electing a Black man would have a positive effect on the USA.
Again, Americans are less positive as just one-third (33%) say this would have a positive effect while 28 percent say the effect would be equally positive and negative. The numbers are similar for the effect this would have on America's relationship with other countries.
Pluralities in all five European countries (between 42% and 48%) believe the effect [of a Black president] would be positive while just 28 percent of U.S. adults believe the effect would be positive on the relationship with other countries.”
Public Radio International's “The World” program broadcast a segment about these findings of the poll. You can listen to it here.
The poll also finds that two-thirds of Americans, a majority of Italians, Germans and Spaniards, and a plurality of Britons think the U.S. election is extremely or very important to people in other countries. Only one-third of the French respondents felt the election is extremely or very important to other countries.
Those Europeans polled–except for Italians–feel that Iraq is the most urgent foreign policy issue for the new president. Majorities in France and Spain and strong plurality in Italy (48%) believe the next U.S. president should withdraw all American troops from Iraq.
The poll gives voice to some interesting concerns Europeans have about the next administration's role in the world:
“Two-thirds or more in the five European countries (between 65% and 77%) believe the U.S. president should be an equal voice among all western leaders. In the U.S., just under half (46%) also agree with this idea, but one-third of Americans (34%) believe the new president should be the leader of the Western world.
This new president also has an important role in ensuring peace among the nations. Majorities in Italy (70%), the U.S. (61%), Great Britain (53%) and Spain (52%) as well as pluralities in Germany (48%) and France (44%) say the U.S. has an extremely or very important role in ensuring peace among the nations of the world.”
