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Canadians More Hopeful on Obama Than Americans
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(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Canada are more likely to expect great things from the American president-elect than people in the United States, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 84 per cent of Canadians think the recent election of Barack Obama will help the overall direction of the U.S., and 55 per cent of Americans concur.
In addition, 59 per cent of Canadians expect better bilateral relations with Obama in the White House, while 44 per cent of Americans share the same view.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. On Nov. 4, Democratic nominee Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama will become the first African American president in U.S. history when he takes over from George W. Bush—who served two four-year terms—on Jan. 20, 2009.
On Nov. 7, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "Obviously the election of the first African-American president is a tremendous and truly inspiring moment, I think, in American political history. (...) We will be pursuing distinctive Canadian policies but doing so in a way that is helpful to the United States and the world as a whole."
Polling Data
To what extent do you think the recent election of Barack Obama will help or hurt the overall direction of America over the next four years?
|
CAN |
USA |
|
|
Help a lot / Help a little |
84% |
55% |
|
Hurt a lot / Hurt a little |
8% |
33% |
|
Not sure |
8% |
12% |
Do you think the recent election of Barack Obama will improve or worsen relations with Canada over the next four years or do you think it will make no difference?
|
CAN |
USA |
|
|
Improve a lot / Improve a little |
59% |
44% |
|
Worsen a lot / Worsen a little |
22% |
17% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
39% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,010 Canadian adults and 1,005 American adults, conducted on Nov. 5 and Nov. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
