Most Brits would vote Obama - poll

Barack Obama would win by a landslide in the US presidential election next month if the results were down to British voters.

A poll of more than 1,000 people conducted by ComRes on behalf of faith-based think tank Theos found that 66 per cent of people would vote for Democratic candidate Obama, 10 per cent for his Republican rival, John McCain, and just 2 per cent for independent candidate Ralph Nader.

The poll results threw up some similarities between the attitudes of British and American voters when compared to a poll of Americans conducted by USA Today and Gallup in 2007. Both polls asked respondents whether they would vote for a political leader of a particular race, religion or age.

In Britain, 5 per cent of voters would not vote for a black leader on principle, the same as in the US. Seven per cent in the UK would not vote for a woman, compared to 11 per cent in the US, and 43 per cent in the UK would not vote for a leader who was 72-years-old - the age of McCain. In the US, 42 per cent said they would not vote for a 72-year-old leader.

There were considerable disparities between British and American voters when it came to the importance attached to some aspects of traditional morality.

In Britain, only 7 per cent would not vote for a candidate who was divorced, compared with 30 per cent in the US. Twenty-three per cent of British voters would not vote for a homosexual leader, compared with 43 per cent in the US, and 20 per cent of the British public would not vote for a political leader who did not believe in God, compared with a sizeable 42 per cent in the US.

Theos delved deeper than the US poll to ask respondents about their religious considerations. The poll found that 23 per cent of Britons would not be willing to vote for a Muslim leader, whilst just 7 per cent said they would not vote for a candidate who was Christian.

When asked if the presidency of George W Bush, a born again Christian, had impacted their view of Christianity, only 12 per cent said their view of the religion had been damaged as a result of his presidency, whilst 86 per cent said that his eight years in office had made no difference to their view.

Paul Woolley, Director of Theos, commented on the results, "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."