New research published today by Theos reveals that Barack Obama would win by a landslide if the outcome of November's US Presidential election was decided by people in Britain. In the poll of over 1,000 people conducted by ComRes, 66% of people said they would vote for Obama, 10% for McCain and 2% for Ralph Nader. 22% said none of these or that they did not know.
During the US presidential election, there has been a great deal of discussion about the role of age or electing the first black US president in history. Following a USA Today/Gallup poll in 2007, which asked the American public what they thought about these and related issues, the Theos poll explores the opinions of British voters. The poll asked them whether, if all their other qualities were acceptable to them, they would vote for a political leader, such as a president or prime minister, of a particular race, religion or age.
In some instances Britons and Americans are very similar. 5% of British voters would not vote for a black leader on principle (exactly the same as in the States), 7% would not vote for a woman (compared with 11% in the States), and 43% would not vote for a leader who was 72 years of age (compared with 42% in the States).
In other areas there are big differences. 7% of Britons would not vote for a divorced person (compared with 30% in the States), 23% would not vote for a gay or lesbian leader (compared with 43% in the States), and 20% of the British public would not vote for a political leader who was an atheist (compared with 53% in the States).
In addition to the US questions, the Theos research also asked whether people would be willing to vote for a leader who was a Christian or Muslim. 23% of Britons said that they would not be willing to vote for a Muslim leader, and 7% said they would not vote for one who was a Christian.
The Theos research asked people to reflect on the impact of the George W. Bush presidency on their view of Christianity. Only 12% said that their view of Christianity had been damaged with 86% saying that it had made no difference to their view.
Commenting on the research, the Director of Theos, Paul Woolley said:
"The UK electorate is evidently very supportive of Barack Obama, reflecting his high popularity ratings across Europe. They see him as a candidate of change.
"Britons also appear to be open to voting for a more diverse field of candidates than their US counterparts, although the fact that one in five people wouldn't vote for a well-qualified candidate because they were a Muslim or an atheist perhaps reveals a concern about fundamental values.
"The finding that only 12% of the British public believe that the Bush presidency has damaged their view of Christianity is especially illuminating, given the high profile the president’s faith has had and the controversial nature of his period in office."
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To read the research in full, click here. To read the headlines of the research, click here.
Methodology Note:ComRes interviewed 1007 GB adults by telephone between 17th and 19th October 2008. Data were weighted to be representative demographically of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
To read the findings of the 2007 USA Today/Gallup poll, click here.
